Blake Harrison moved into a sports career that nobody expected after playing Neil on 'The Inbetweeners'

After becoming one of the most recognisable faces in British comedy on The Inbetweeners, Blake Harrison decided to make a drastic move into the sporting world.

There can be no doubt that hit comedy show The Inbetweeners is one of the most culturally significant television series ever made in the UK, with friend groups across the country seeing themselves in four lads.

Fans were therefore excited to hear that Simon Bird (Will), Joe Thomas (Simon), James Buckley (Jay) and Harrison (Neil) were all returning for a third movie reuniting the iconic group after pursuing various other projects, including Harrison's surprise sports career.

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Blake Harrison's love of MMA and how it inspired a career change

Since The Inbetweeners show and movies officially ended, Harrison, like his co-stars, has picked up various other acting roles in both comedies and acclaimed dramas.

But it's not just acting that Harrison has been pursuing in his post-Inbetweeners life, as he's also ventured into the world of sports podcasting, starting popular series The MMA Fan Show alongside co-host Stu Whiffen.

Harrison started the podcast in 2021 and has since filmed over 300 episodes, with the pair joking that they offer a unique, fan-led perspective to the sport as they are “ridiculously under-qualified” having never competed in MMA.

Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett, Alexander Volkanovski and comedian Lee Mack are just some of the big names who have come on the show as a guest, with thousands of fans tuning across various platforms.

Throughout his time on The Inbetweeners and long before, Harrison was a fan of the UFC, reminiscing about the early days of the combat sports organisation.

Speaking to MMA TV Live, Harrison said: “I remember the UFC being on Bravo back in the day. For a very long time, if there was ever an opportunity for me or my brother to walk up behind the other one, grab them in a body lock and shout ‘Matt Hughes,’ and slam them to the ground, we would do it. That’s what we thought was fun."

Harrison admitted that, at the time, he wasn't a 'hardcore' fan but revealed that there was one thing that finally 'hooked' him in to becoming a UFC superfan.

He said: “I wasn’t a hardcore fan at the time. I’d dip a toe in for Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz. But then there was a series of The Ultimate Fighter with Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones, and that got me super hooked.

"The timing worked great because that’s when Conor McGregor started his rise, and I got really into it and started watching it every week. It became an obsession."

Speaking about the decision to take a step out of his comfort zone and start The MMA Fan Show, he added: "I did Stu Whiffen’s music podcast, and we somehow stumbled onto MMA and spoke for over an hour and realised that neither of us had a friend that enjoyed MMA as much as we did, and in each other, we saw a kindred spirit.

"It was the pandemic at this time, so there wasn’t much work on for me, and because he knows a lot about podcasts, we thought, ‘Let’s give this a go’.

"It’s been phenomenal. We’re not journalists; we’re just fans who absolutely love the sport.”

Since then, Harrison's success with the podcast has opened the door for various other ventures in sports media, with appearances as a combat sports pundit on TNT Sports alongside Rob Beckett, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Carl Frampton.

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What would happen if Neil Sutherland was signed by the UFC?

Of course, Harrison's love of MMA begs the question, how would his beloved Inbetweeners character Neil get on if caught the eye of UFC boss Dana White and was signed by the organisation.

When faced with the prospect, Harrison admitted that Neil wouldn't have much of a chance, but there are two names that he could have somewhat of a chance against, including a former champion.

"Obviously, I’ve got a soft spot for Neil. I don’t want to see him get smashed up, even though he absolutely would," Harrison told MMA TV Live.

"I think Neil would have to cut a lot of weight and be a lot taller and rangier than his opponents. So, I’d like to see him against a short and stocky guy.

"Maybe he could cut down to bantamweight and fight Ricky Simon. I’ve interviewed Ricky, and he’s a lovely guy. Just to clarify, that’s Neil fighting him, not me.

"A short wrestler like Merab Dvalishvili would be good, too. Neil would have to stay away and keep him at range with his long limbs. But to confirm again, that’s a fictional character fighting Merab, not me.”

But don't expect Neil's potential UFC career fool you into thinking that Harrison himself plans to put on the gloves, as he's admitted that, despite enjoying training, he quickly realised that being hit in the face wasn't for him.

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