Post-fight face: When you have to show up to work on Monday

Rickson Hill’s face was swollen and bruised. He had a cut on his forehead that bled into his eye, turning the white to red. He looked like he had been in a fight because he had - an amateur Mixed Martial Arts or MMA event in Dunedin five weeks ago.

Hill, 24, is also a primary school teacher in Hamilton. Three days after the fight, he and his face had to front up to a class full of nine and 10-year-olds.

“It didn’t help that we also had parent-teacher interviews a few days after, so I had to put a bit of makeup on for that just to look nice,” says Hill. The staff at Mecca gave him a quick tutorial in how to apply it.

“I still got the comments, but [the students and parents] enjoyed it. It was something to talk about and something that everyone could relate to, so it was good fun.”

MMA, an often brutal competitive combat sport that draws on martial arts such as boxing and karate, is rising in notoriety in New Zealand. It mirrors growth overseas with the sport popularised by the UFC - Ultimate Fight Championship events - and politicised by US President Donald Trump. On Saturday night in the US, middleweight UFC champion Dricus du Plessis will defend his crown against Khamzat Chimaev. Millions will watch it or engage with it on social media.

But far from the big cheques at professional events, amateurs wanting a career in MMA must often first hold down a regular job that they balance with intense training schedules.

Janay Harding, co-host of Tahi podcast on RNZ, is at the tail end of a successful MMA career. She is no stranger to a post-fight face. She was managing a health food store during her amateur MMA days.

“Obviously, people’s first thought is that you are in a bad relationship. I appreciate the thought that they would reach out if that was the case.”

One regular customer who saw Harding roughed up a handful of times eventually asked her if she needed help getting out of the assumed violent relationship. It was around 2017, when the sport didn’t have the same recognition it does now. The pair had a long conversation about what Harding did in her non-work hours and why she was doing it.

“I was lucky that my employer was very understanding. ‘She is fit, has a good understanding of nutrition.’ All of the positives outweighed the negatives.”

When Harding turned pro, flights home after a fight prompted an outpouring of sympathy from flight attendants and curious stares at her male coach, who travelled with her.

If Bubba Tairua-Bracken, 24, gets sympathetic or confused looks after a fight, it is likely to come from her four and five-year-old kids. She is the new New Zealand WBC Pro bantamweight champion.

As a predominantly Muay Thai fighter, Bracken’s sharp elbows can inflict some bloody damage on her opponents. MMA fighters are typically required to undergo a blood test before a fight to clear them of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C, which can be transmitted through blood contact.

“When [the kids] see the photos of our opponents hurt and stuff, they ask ‘Do you say sorry to them after the fight?’ and we do say ‘Yeah, we go and hug and we laugh and talk after the fight, and it’s all just love at the end of it.”

Andre Betham, 27, also has two young kids - aged five and seven. He frames his passion for MMA as a sport. The two other categories of fighting are self-defence and violence, he says. Betham was the recipient of a violent encounter when he was knocked out by a king hit from behind in Auckland six years ago. He got into MMA to build his confidence back up after the assault.

“I let them know it is ok how I look. It is what I love doing as a sport.”

“My sons, they ask me questions. They are caring and give me lots of hugs...”

Betham works at an Auckland public pool. A month ago, when he was due to have his first competitive fight, he forewarned his boss and team.

“I said that I might be coming in like Scarface. My boss just gave me a word of encouragement and said ‘Just show up to work. Doesn’t matter what you look like.’”