Former Schalker and Duisburg resident Tomasz Hajto will soon be entering the ring as an MMA fighter. What’s behind it.

Tomasz Hajto used to defend for FC Schalke 04 and MSV Duisburg, but soon the 50-year-old will celebrate his debut in another sport. Hajto will enter the ring as an MMA fighter and fight a show duel.

His opponent is also an ex-professional athlete, it is the former volleyball player Zbigniew Bartman. The fight will take place on 5 August in the Polish capital Warsaw.

On his Instagram channel, Hajto is already stirring the promotional drum. “Gentlemen, we salute you after the first training. It’s hard,” Hajto explains in his Story, in which he can be seen together with coach Marcin Naruszczka. “We will practise, we have three weeks left. See you on 5 August.” His coach encourages him, “It’s not that hard. You can see that there is still a lot of electricity in Tomek. It will be all right.”

Hajto had ended his active career as a footballer in 2010. In 1997, the former central defender had come to Germany. After three years with MSV Duisburg, Hajto moved to FC Schalke 04 and won the DFB Cup twice with the Königsblauen. After relegation, he had still looked anxiously at his former club and demanded: “We have to get back up immediately, because Bundesliga without Schalke – that’s not possible.” In total, he can look back on 201 appearances in the Bundesliga.

Ex-Schalker Hajto: Expert job in danger because of MMA fight?

Afterwards, the 61-time Polish national player started a career as a TV expert. In the meantime, he has become a permanent fixture on the Polsat channel. However, after announcing that he would soon be stepping into the MMA ring, Hajto is apparently threatened with trouble with his employer.

According to Polish media reports, Hajto agreed to the fight without Polsat’s consent. According to the report, the broadcaster will give the former defender an ultimatum and threaten to terminate his contract if he actually takes part in the event.