Retired EFC veteran Dino Bagattin pondering next step

Nicknamed “The Lion”, the former champion and one of the pioneers of the sport is part of the Betway 12th man initiative geared towards helping retired athletes think beyond their days as professional sportsmen.

Baggattin told SABC Sport the opportunity was timely.

"I'm really, really grateful for the opportunity to start with as I've heard the story tonight, everyone is like, you finish your career and what now. So, I think this opportunity has come at the right time for me, perfect timing. I think that's the work of God there, so, yeah, I'm just grateful for this opportunity and I'm keen to learn and see what the future holds for me after this, to be honest," Bagattin said.

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Baggattin, who is UFC champion Dricus du Plessis’ teammate at gym CIT, believes the decision to rope in ex-mixed martial arts fighters into the program suggests they too have a massive role to play in their respective communities.

"My claim to fame is that Dricus beat me on the way to the World Championships, so I'm fortunate to have fought the man. I'm also his training partner now and I've seen what him winning this world title has done for the sport and it's propelled South Africa like you cannot believe. Now all of a sudden, we are spoken about in the world of mixed martial arts, which is massive," he added.