17 hours ago
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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."
