UFC star Ross Pearson misses the realness and rawness of MMA fighting in the UK after moving to Australia with his octagon-girl wife Kristie Pearson.

The Sunderland-born fighter says his one-year-old daughter will be in attendance for his fight against Dan Hooker in New Zealand on Sunday morning.

6 Ross Pearson (right) married octagon-girl Kristie Pearson (left) Credit: Instagram

The 32-year-old says if it wasn't for UFC he would never have met his wife - meaning he would never have moved to Australia for her, before having a child out there.

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Pearson is very thankful for everything UFC has done for him and his family.

Speaking exclusively to SunSport, he said: "If I wasn't fighting in the UFC I would never have met my wife, I would never have had my daughter in Australia, I would never be living here in Australia.

"So i appreciate those things more than anything."

But despite his move to the other side of the world from the North East, Pearson admits he misses fighting in his home country.

6 Ross Pearson moved to Australia for his wife Credit: Instagram

6 Kristie Pearson has a one-year-old daughter with the UFC star Credit: Instagram

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Pearson has competed in front of countless volatile atmospheres in the UK but believes that the sport has lost its fierce crowds as it has progressed.

Pearson added: "At times when you see silly things like fights getting stopped because of an illegal knee or bad refereeing.

"While back in the day when I was younger you would have just been told to stop the fight and then told to start the fight again and keep going.

6 Ross Pearson misses the atmosphere from his fights in the UK Credit: Getty Images

6 Ross Pearson's young daughter will attend his next fight Credit: Getty Images

"I miss that, I miss the real rawness about it. Everyone in the crowd was fighters, now it is spectators, fans, families and kids.

"My daughter, she is one years old and she is going to the show, she'll be watching.

"It [MMA] is going forward in the right aspects of business and for our careers and our for our livelihoods and money etc etc etc.

"But there's part of me that misses the old days and realness about it."

6 Ross Pearson (right) is set to fight Dan Hooker (left) in New Zealand Credit: Getty Images

Watch Ross in action at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Hunt, live on BT Sports 2 from 1am BST on the morning of Sunday 11th June or catch the Early Prelims exclusively on UFC Fight Pass from midnight on Saturday