Diego Demme, the 34-year-old former defensive midfielder, has switched to mixed martial arts just months after ending his football career.
During a four-year stint with Napoli, Demme helped the club win the Serie A title and later played for Paderborn, RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin.
Since retiring at the close of last season, he has been training up to five times a week at Berlin's Choke Athletics, noting that the early sessions left him "getting my butt kicked" because of the different strain.
He told Bild, "I couldn't get out of my opponents' holds and my arms were sore from all the gripping." He added that his first class where no one tapped him felt "awesome" and that he is preparing to join the evening class for intermediate to advanced grappling.
Demme clarified he does not intend to become a professional cage fighter, saying, "That's not my goal with this course. It's a reassuring feeling to know that you would be able to help others or yourself even better in an emergency situation."
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Personal trainer Saman Darvish, head coach at the gym, said Demme has been training there for four to five weeks and is progressing rapidly. "He's doing exceptionally well, learning rapidly, and is very physically resilient," Darvish said.
"Even during warm-ups, you can tell that a professional is at work. His willpower and tenacity are remarkable. This is likely related to his great ambition and his professional background in sports, as well as his enormous stamina," the coach added.
"There are completely new body movements for him, but he's absorbing everything like a sponge."
