Inverness MMA fighter Ross Houston credits his last working assignment in France with giving him the impetus to launch his unblemished professional career.
Houston will make his long-awaited Bellator debut in Paris tonight, when he takes on Englishman Michael Page in the promotion’s first French event.
The trip across the Channel has triggered memories of a working trip to the French capital when he was employed in the oil and gas industry around five years ago.
Since Houston’s first professional fight in 2016, the 30-year-old has gone on to rack up an undefeated record of eight victories and one no-contest.
Houston takes pride in his rise, and he said: “I was working in the oil and gas industry.
“I came over on a job and was inspecting wells in the south of Paris.
“I was just doing manual labour at the time.
“I started all this for a bit of a laugh when I was younger, trying to get out of bother.
“I’m now sitting on the top floor of a fancy hotel looking out to Paris.
“I’m just enjoying the experience. There’s a lot of history being made in the event.
“I’m now coming to headline the first show in French history, which is being shown on the BBC. I feel lucky.”
Today’s fight will be Houston’s first for 15 months, since his bout with Dane Dalby was halted due to the amount of blood which had dispersed across the cage.
That proved Houston’s final Cage Warriors assignment, before he left to sign for Bellator in March.
Houston insists he was prepared to show patience in the wait for the right opponent, and he is eager to deliver a compelling result against Page, nicknamed MVP, who boasts an impressive record of 17 wins and one loss.
Houston added: “We could have got a different opponent, but I want the bigger names.
“I’m not here just to make up the numbers, I’m coming to get a belt.
“I want these big fights and MVP is as big as it gets in Bellator.
“Once I beat him I will be well on my way to that second world title.
“I don’t know what will happen, as current champion Douglas Lima has gone up to fight for the middleweight title.
“I don’t know what’s happening with the welterweight title, he might come back and defend it.
“I will get this job done and then we will play things from there.”
Houston says he is content with his preparation for today’s bout despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, adding: “It has gone perfect.
“The gym was closed due to coronavirus, but in a really selfish way that just allowed me to concentrate on my own training because I wasn’t coaching that much.
“The training has gone perfect, I have had a few sparring partners up and I feel good.
“I’m 100% confident I will get the win.”