UFC hopeful Hayden Harbutt on how fighting helps him battle depression

If Hayden Harbutt wants a fight, he has to go 30 hours without eating. And for a week before that?

Maroubra MMA fighter Hayden Harbutt can lose up to 20kg to fight at flyweight. Picture. Phil HIllyard

If Hayden Harbutt wants a fight, he has to go 30 hours without eating.

And for a week before that?

"It's 100 grams of boiled chicken, three time a day," the Maroubra fighter says. "Often I'll add a little broccoli too, maybe a slice of cucumber ... I love and hate it at the same time."

A 23-year-old gym trainer from Sydney’s east, Harbutt is among the scores of Sydneysiders now devoted to the newest craze in Australian sport - trying to crack a spot with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Following a popularity explosion in Mixed Martial Arts over the past five years, a growing number of young athletes are now choosing to pursue a career inside the steel Octagon over more traditional goals like NRL and AFL.

Apart from having MMA gyms sprout up all over Sydney, the NSW Government is also currently trying to secure the next blockbuster title fight involving Australia's most dangerous man, UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker.

Maroubra MMA fighter Hayden Harbutt can lose up to 20kg to fight at flyweight. Picture. Phil HIllyard

A product of Sydney Housing Commision stock, Whittaker’s rise to superstardom is now being followed by an entire generation of fighters.

Boasting more than 50 amateur fights across a host of combat disciplines — including boxing, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu — Harbutt recently turned pro and now trains twice a day, fights for $500 purses and, to compete at flyweight, must drop almost 20kg.

Despite once wanting to star in the NRL — "I started playing rugby league aged three" — this youngster is now being driven both by the challenges of MMA and the success of Whittaker.

Importantly, martial arts also plays a vital role in the mental wellbeing of this UFC wannabe, who suffers from depression.

"So where I’d be without fighting, I really couldn’t tell you," Harbutt says. "I've found MMA, it’s perfect for battling my demons.

Harbutt is one of scores of Australians hoping to crack the UFC. Picture. Phil HIllyard

"Because even when you’re training, when somebody is punching you in the face, or throwing elbows, you're not sitting there thinking about your problems.

"You forget about everything else that's going on."

While he works as an instructor at 'The Vault' gym in Chippendale, Harbutt trains out of the Australian Top Team gym, Wentworthville — home to UFC fighters Nadia Kassem and brothers, Suman and Ashkan Mokhtarian.

And while he prefers to fight in the bantamweight division (62kg), a limited number of opportunities means the Sydney slugger who walks around as heavy as 76kg will also take fights at flyweight — which requires getting down to just 57kg.

World champ Robert Whittaker is a big inspiration to the next generation of Australian UFC hopefuls. Picture: AAP

"But even making weight, that creates a real high," he says. "And that's why I fight.

"Obviously, the UFC is the ultimate goal.

"But for me, fighting keeps me healthy — physically and mentally. Yes, it provides the lowest of lows, but also the highest of highs.

"And that's what I love.

"For me, it's all about collecting memories."

Originally published as UFC hopeful Hayden Harbutt on how fighting helps him battle depression