Sebastian Eubank comes from British boxing royalty and he hopes that pedigree will hold him in good stead when he makes his Mixed Martial Arts debut in the UAE on Friday. The son of British boxing great Chris Eubank, who held both the WBO world welterweight and super welterweight titles, enters the octagon at the UAE Warriors 10 at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. His older brother, Chris Eubank Jr, is a former world IBF super middleweight world champion and currently holds the WBA's interim title. Eubank, 28, has two wins from two professional boxing fights and meets another MMA debutant Mohamed El Mokadem in the catchweight 80-kilogram contest. The Briton, who has worked as a boxing coach and nutritionist in Dubai for the past four years, has been preparing for his MMA debut for more than three months but was confirmed for Warriors 10 only six weeks ago. "They asked me if I would be interested in MMA fighting and I accepted it," he told <em>The National</em> when asked how he got into the Warriors 10 fight card. “It’s something like I watched the UFC. It was very interesting as a fighter to see the fights. I always thought I can really do some damage in the MMA. “It wasn’t a reality but something in my head. Then the opportunity presents itself and I thought I can’t back down from it. Now it’s a reality for me to actually get into the octagon.” Boxing skills and the ability to land punishing and knockout blows are a fundamental aspect of MMA, but many fighters are not trained boxers - something Eubank believes gives him an advantage. “From what I have seen, the MMA fighters haven’t quite acquired the skills of the boxer,” he said. “A lot of MMA fighters wouldn’t be able to last with a boxer in the boxing ring and a lot of boxers won’t be able to last with an MMA fighter in the octagon. For me, it is finding that balance, taking from both. “I already have my skills in the stand-up game with my fists. I’m looking to incorporate the rest of my fighting skills in MMA.” Eubank has worked on new skills for his MMA debut but insisted he won’t change too much to his game plan. “I’m going to box him,” he said. “But I can also avoid if he wants to kick and if he wants to try and take down. “If he wants to try and take down, it will get him into lots of trouble because I’m coming off a rugby background. I know how to take down and how to ground my opponent too. If he’s going to take it there, he’s going to be in for a surprise.” Eubank played rugby at a semi-professional level and represented the British and Irish Lions at the Dubai Sevens in 2010. “I could have gone professional but I realised that the risk for the money they paid wasn’t worth it,” he said. “So I decided to call my rugby days over and transition into a sport that gets you a proper pay cheque for risking your health and life.” Eubank’s MMA career will largely depend on how he comes through his first fight and he will then evaluate his options. “Let’s see how it goes,” he said. “I think the way MMA is on the rise globally I think it’s something that I’m happy to do. "The five-minute round is actually harder sport than boxing. So when I go back to the boxing, it’s going to be easy.”
