Ex-cricketer Adam Hollioake turns Cage Fighter

The Brisbane-born Hollioake, who retired from cricket in 2004 and returned briefly to play Twenty 20 in 2007 was often described as a fighter.

The former Surrey and England cricketer is preparing to make his debut as a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) cage-fighter against Joel Millar, as part of an event called Days of Glory in Broadbeach, Queensland next Saturday.

The 40-year-old will be fighting in a style based around his teenage love of boxing.

"It's been almost 30 years in the making. I was 12 when I first started boxing. It was just something I really enjoyed from the start," The Guardian quoted Hollioake, as saying.

He said that fighting in the MMA isn't any different than cricket in the matter of techniques involved.

"In cricket, you might bowl five or six different balls or play five or six different shots, but in MMA you never stop learning. There are just so many different combinations. I try to keep it simple. I don't really try to complicate anything. When I was playing cricket, I didn't have a particularly complicated style. I wasn't very talented as a bowler. I didn't have natural speed or natural height, so I had to just do what I could," he added.