Former England international James Haskell has signed a deal to fight with MMA promotion Bellator.
The 34-year-old is expected to make his debut in the heavyweight division next year.
Haskell retired from rugby in May after one season with Northampton Saints.
He spent the majority of his career with Wasps and also had spells with Stade Francais, Ricoh Black Rams, and Highlanders.
Haskell won 77 caps for England and was part of the Rugby World Cup squads in 2011 and 2015.
🏉 👊 After finishing up a stellar 17-year professional rugby career, @jameshaskell has officially made the jump to MMA!
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Who's excited for his Bellator debut? #Haskell2020 pic.twitter.com/6LdE9UFNuB— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) August 22, 2019
It may not come as a major surprise to some, considering Haskell has shown a keen interest in MMA.
He has worked as an MMA pundit on TV and also trained alongside British MMA fighter Michael “Venom” Page.
A date is yet to be set for his professional MMA debut but Haskell is expected to continue training for the remainder of 2019 before his first outing in 2020.
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