Daniel Crawford won the BAMMA featherweight title and has been signed with Bellator MMA, making his debut at the fight league's historic '200' event at Wembley on May 25.

You are now with Bellator but it was rumoured you were going to sign with the UFC. Why didn't you sign for UFC?

“It’s whatever, really. I think people get caught up in the three letters [of UFC]. It’s just about the money to be honest. We’re in this game for a short period of time. Maybe 10 years, if we’re lucky, making money. Bellator came for me. You’d be an idiot to wait on a promotion rather than take the chance to make a full-time living and the exact same money with another promotion. I'm happy...”

How did you get into fight sports?

“I was born and bred in Croydon. I started off boxing at 14, did that for four years. I’ve always been a fan of MMA. I always liked watching GSP. It’s kind of funny a boxer watching GSP, but I did. I looked at GSP and thought 'I can do that as well'. There came a point where I was just bored of boxing and decided to take up MMA. I didn’t know how to get into it. I was just at a recreational gym, lifting weights, when I met my wrestling coach Rahim Modarresi. He was a coach at Lions Pride MMA with Jimi Manuwa and that’s where I started.”