From striking to grappling, through a series of oxygen-denying holds and vicious kicks, mixed martial arts could be the most brutal form of contact sport you’re ever likely to see.

So why am I dressed in a fighter’s outfit at the Diesel Gym in Butchers Row, Shadwell as the “daddy” of Ultimate Challenge Mixed Martial Arts, Dave O’Donnell, puts me in a “rear naked choke”?

“I’ve only squeezed you,” says Dave, as I let out a noise I didn’t know I was capable of making and I start to see stars flashing before my eyes.

Dave, the 50-year-old former kick-boxer and president of UCMMA, lives and breathes a sport he says is “very addictive.”

This Saturday, he puts on one of his biggest events yet at the Troxy in Commercial Road, with six main card fights including a heavyweight title fight between Mark Potter and Oli Thompson.

Anyone who has seen cage-fighting, which is now regularly televised on Sky Sports, will likely have felt a twinge of hurt as a fighter is knocked out or choked into submission.

Dave said: “It’s the most real fight you’ll ever get but it’s protected.”

Once he’s finished scaring the life out of me, he explains some of the rules, including the moves which are outlawed such as striking the throat, eye-gouging or hitting someone in the groin.

Dave said: “Of course it can be dangerous.

“I’m very safety-conscious, we’ve been doing this a long time, and I know there are so many guys trying to earn a quick buck.”

Saturday’s show could help cement the sport’s reputation for providing entertainment in the East End.

He said: “The Troxy is probably one of the best viewing arenas. It’s very central, close to Canary Wharf and all the city boys and it’s just a very good atmosphere.”

Andy McEwan, who fights on Saturday’s card, said: “People thought it was two brutes getting into a cage together but we’re probably the most skilled fighters out there.”

Having spent just a couple of minutes in a cage with Dave, I can certainly testify to that.

For information and tickets visit www.ucmma.com.

And click on the top-right link for our gallery of behind-the-scenes UCMMA snaps.