Didier eyes UFC fame after judo career
Australia's most intimidating Commonwealth Games athletes hope to lift the profile of their sports by transitioning into the lucrative Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The mixed martial arts (MMA) league's popularity has skyrocketed in Australia in recent years on the back of huge fan bases in the USA, Canada and Europe.
It's a high-profile, highly-paid movement that 100kg class judo athlete Duke Didier wants to be a part of.
The son of former Wallaby Geoff Didier, the 25-year-old says he is hoping to channel his dad's sporting success to earn a medal in his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow.
The man dubbed the Duke of Canberra also has his sights set on the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But after that, Didier says his focus will shift to the UFC.
And he isn't alone.
Australian wrestler Shane Parker also wants in on the cage-fighting league after he chases a gold medal in Glasgow to complement his Commonwealth silver from Delhi 2010.
Didier says he has spent his career doing the hard yards competing in judo in school gymnasiums and wants the dazzling heights the UFC can promise.
"Now I want to fight in front of big crowds and be on TV," Didier told AAP in Glasgow.
With an unbeaten 4-0 record already in professional MMA fights, Didier said it was his judo foundation that put him at a big advantage and the same could be said for wrestlers and boxers.
"You're not going to be able to walk into a gym, start mixed martial arts as a whole and be successful," he said.
"I've been so successful because of judo, which means I can take anyone down."
It's that solid grounding that Didier said he expected would help grow sports like judo, boxing and wrestling, which are normally considered minor events at multi-sport competitions.
"I've taken a few MMA fights and now people are coming up to me and ask how they can start judo," he said.
"I've taken on a few cage fights, but then make sure I give back to the grassroots sport."
Didier, who is contesting the same Games weight division as favourite and Scottish flagbearer Euan Burton, competes on Saturday.
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP?
Combination of Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, boxing, taekwondo, judo, Jiu Jitsu and Thai boxing
Two fighters compete over three five-minute rounds in an eight-sided cage
Competitors win by stoppage, submissions or a points system
Big name fighters like Georges St-Pierre earn between $4-5 million per fight
League broadcast in 130 countries.
