Gareth Bailey - BBC Sport WalesThu, December 4, 2025 at 5:24 AM UTC·3 min read"I still tutor maths alongside being an MMA fighter, I do get a few jokes about that."
When it comes to problem solving, Welsh lightweight Ioan Harris is no stranger.
The Swansea fighter was finishing off his masters degree dissertation while also attempting to finish his opponents at the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) European Championships.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe passed both assignments with flying colours, returning from Italy as the welterweight division champion.
Now 25, Harris is set for his Cage Warriors debut against another former IMMAF champion, George Staines, who won the lightweight competition at the same event.
They face off at Cage Warriors 199 in Newcastle on 6 December.
"He's undefeated and a really big prospect," said Harris.
"I've been looking for this fight because I knew he'd be a big challenge and a big test and that's what it's all about for me.
"I know he's going to be in there for the whole 15 minutes and that's what I'm prepared for - 15 minutes of pure grind and graft and I'm ready to break him, full stop."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStaines comes into the bout with a record of seven wins in his pro career and no losses while Harris has five wins and two defeats.
Harris however, is confident he can be the one to take the Englishman's zero.
"I'm always looking for the toughest fights and I don't back down from any fight," he added.
"He's definitely a name that Cage Warriors really want to push, so if I take him off the list then it's got to be a title next."
Harris hopes his professional career can go from strength to strength in Cage Warriors, with his ultimate goal to join the ranks of the UFC.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I had a bit of a tricky start to my pro career, it was hard getting fights," Harris told BBC Sport Wales.
"Hopefully now I've signed with Cage Warriors there will be loads of boys willing to fight me and willing to get there.
"The goal is to get to the UFC, that's what I want to do and Cage Warriors is a great path to get me there.
"If I don't beat George Staines, I don't deserve to be in the UFC so I've got to fix something to come back, but I'm going to win."
Harris' focus swapped to mixed martial arts after showing early promise in judo.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I wanted to go to the Olympics but then didn't quite work out and I took a different path with MMA," he explained.
"My mate was doing it and I thought, 'ah that looks really good, I'll give it a go'.
"It's taken me down this whole self development journey and it's really progressed me as a person and it's great.
"I just want to see how far I can go with the sport."
An 'analytical mind'
Harris works as a maths tutor as well as coaching kids at Two4 Martial Arts in Swansea.
He believes his academic background has aided his fight game.
"I'm quite analytical with my mind," said Harris.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I always look at how I can be the best I can be, how I can strike the best, how I can hold someone down the best, how I can increase the squeeze in the submission.
"With an engineering and a maths degree, that kind of translates to that.
"Maths is solving a puzzle, fighting is solving a puzzle. What have you got in front of you? I've got to solve this.
"That's how it translates and I like solving problems."
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