Balotelli: I would´ve been a UFC fighter

Mario Balotelli says he would have liked to be an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor had he not become a footballer.

The Manchester City striker has seen his fair share of controversies as well as yellow and red cards in the past few seasons due to his fiery temperament and he has confessed that he is a fan of mixed martial arts.

“If I wasn’t a footballer, I probably would’ve wanted to be a UFC fighter. I really love it,” the flamboyant attacker said.

The 21-year-old also explained why he was wearing the number 45 jersey at City.

“My first game in Serie A, it was under (Roberto) Mancini, I also had number 45 because the younger players had numbers between 35 and 60,” Balotelli said.

“I got number 45 and scored two goals, so it became my lucky number.”

Balotelli recently returned from his break after starring for Italy at Euro 2012 where he netted three goals, helping his country to the final of the tournament.