Cage Warriors: Brothers Harry and George Hardwick on boss fights, eating 9000 calories and their UFC dream

For as long as brothers George and Harry Hardwick can remember, they have enjoyed boss fights.

As this interview takes place, the camera is balanced on an old pile of Playstation 2 games at the brothers’ home in Middlesbrough.

Among the games are Killer 7, the Thing and Half-Life, but it is the fighting game Tekken which has fuelled the Hardwick’s rivalry over the years.

It is a healthy rivalry which has spread from gaming to mixed martial arts, with the pair now flourishing in reaching the pinnacle of UK-based MMA promotion, Cage Warriors.

Harry, the oldest of the two siblings at 30, is the featherweight champion while George, 28, holds the lightweight title.

“There’s always been something geared in our brains towards games and actually for a job now, we do boss fights,” Harry tells BBC Sport.

“That’s essentially what we do for a living – we have boss fights.”

George, meanwhile, credits video games with having a positive effect on the brothers’ fighting careers.

He will defend his title against Lucas Clay in Manchester on 14 March, with Harry putting his belt on the line against Javier Garcia a week later in London on 21 March.

“Don’t underestimate video games – they are so good on the brain,” adds George.

“Anyone who does mixed martial arts or any sport give this a try – don’t go on social media when you’re chilling, play some video games.

“Play some Ninja Gaiden, Tekken, Dark Souls, whatever it is. And when you train, your mind is so much sharper.

“There’s a reason why [former UFC champions] Demetrius Johnson, Sean O’Malley and Max Holloway clock so many hours in video games.”

American Holloway has said he learned some striking combinations from playing the UFC video game early in his career, which he later implemented in his fights – something which the Hardwicks can relate to.

“There’s times we’ll say Demon’s Wrath on pads – it’s a move from the command list on Tekken. It’s left high kick to jab, to right low kick to left body shot,” says George.