The MMA fighter helping Brighton - and filling stadiums

Christian Eckerlin before his fight against Christian Jungwirth in 2024

Image source, OKTAGONImage caption,

Christian Eckerlin has won 18 of his 26 professional fights

ByPaul BattisonBBC Sport Journalist

Published9 minutes ago

Christian Eckerlin laughs modestly when asked if he feels he has contributed to Brighton's success.

Last season, the 39-year-old MMA fighter was brought in by the Premier League club to help with their training for set-pieces.

Eckerlin was a professional footballer in Germany before transitioning to MMA, and says he taught Brighton players "wrestling, head control, hip control, and how to push back against opponents".

Days before this interview with Eckerlin took place, the Seagulls moved up to third in the Premier League after beating champions and set-piece kings Arsenal 3-0.

Eckerlin is quick to play down the impact of his advice for the Brighton players, but admits his training "opened doors" for them.

"The Premier League is more physical, more aggressive, and they don't know how to use their body," Eckerlin told BBC Sport.

"Brighton sent me videos of how they defend, and they did nothing with their hips and arms.

"I taught them first in the weightlifting room, then the pitch, and it worked. This is what I did, I opened doors for them."

Eckerlin was a professional footballer from 2005 to 2009, playing for SV Darmstadt in the third tier of German football at the peak of his career.

As a youngster, Eckerlin always wanted to play for the team he supports, Eintracht Frankfurt, but believed his dream was over when he left the sport.

Little did he know that MMA, and specifically European promotion Oktagon, would help make his dream of performing there come true.

In 2024, Eckerlin beat fellow German Christian Jungwirth at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park in front of nearly 60,000 fans in the most-attended MMA event of the year.

On Saturday, Eckerlin returns to the stadium also known as the Waldstadion for a second time to face the Czech Republic's David Kozma at Oktagon 94 with nearly 60,000 expected once again.

"It was my first dream, when I was in the Waldstadion when I was six or seven with my uncle. It was the dream for me to play there but I thought the fire went out," says Eckerlin.

"I cannot tell you in words what this means to me. The biggest thing in my career. And now for the second time... crazy.

"I'm at the end of my career, I'm 39, so this is maybe my last fight. There's no better way to stop fighting in my backyard, you know."

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'When I retire I'll see what I did for MMA in Germany'

Eckerlin grew up in a small town outside Frankfurt called Erbach and says football "was his first passion".

During his youth career he played against stars such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mats Hummels, but ended up leaving football at the age of 20 after a disagreement with his coaches.

"I got a little bit crazy and partied with friends. But my popularity went down with the coaches," said Eckerlin.

"They said 'you cannot do this'. But I was young, nobody was on my side to say 'calm down and do your thing'. So I said 'OK, I'm going'."

Eckerlin played at left-back but admits he "wasn't a technical guy" before joking he was more of a fighter on the pitch.

He knows Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler through a friend who used to play with him in Munich.

It was Hurzeler who invited Eckerlin over to Brighton, where he spent three days with the players.

Eckerlin says all the players did well learning the MMA techniques he taught them, but Danny Welbeck, James Milner and Lewis Dunk "had the feeling for it".

Football remains the most popular sport in Germany, but Eckerlin says he helped grow his following after switching to MMA via his YouTube channel.

He says the fanfare in Frankfurt is "crazy", with fans always wanting to take pictures with him, but adds he is equally as well known in large cities such as Berlin and Hamburg.

With nearly 60,000 fans expected again for his fight on Saturday, the show is likely to be the most well-attended MMA event of the year once again.

Before what Eckerlin describes as probably the final fight of his 26-fight career, he takes a moment to reflect on the impact he's had on MMA in Germany.

"I love this sport, and I push the sport more than everybody or anybody before in this country," says Eckerlin.

"After my career, when I look back, I think then I will realise, what I do for the sport, or for MMA in Germany. But now I'm fully focused, and there's no time to think about the things in the past."