There will be one notable absentee when the Wiltshire Under 18 football team kick off their FA Youth Cup final against Dorset on Saturday as captain Kent Kauppinen prepares for a very different kind of battle – in a cage.

As his teammates return from the final, the 17-year-old from Chippenham will be competing in his debut mixed martial arts fight – a mixture of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing, amateur wrestling and judo – for the Caged 2 promotion at the Christie Miller Leisure Centre in Melksham.

The talented Bemerton Heath Harlequins goalkeeper says it was a tough choice to decide between the two events.

“I’ve known about the fight for five months,” said Kauppinen. “Then a few weeks ago after we played Birmingham I was told when the Dorset game was.

“I asked my martial arts coach if we could move the fight and he said if it was any other day then we could but this one has been arranged for so long.

“I wanted to back the lads as we’ve done well this season but I finally decided after the game against Cornwall two weeks ago. But if I played football then it would mean getting up early, travelling and not getting back until six o’clock and I’d have no rest before the fight.

“You can be half-fit to fight, but the one thing you can’t be is tired.

“Now I’ll weigh in around 10 o’clock in the morning and have a relaxing day instead of a frantic one.”

Wiltshire Under 18s boss Pete Cooper said he was disappointed to lose his captain but understands the decision.

“Kent will be a loss as he’s a big character in the team,” he said. “He did try to move the weigh-in so he could do both but he’s been training all year for this and it’s just one of those things.”

Kauppinen, who trains with the Dragons Lair team in Melksham, will be competing under semi-professional rules in the U82kg weight class.

He says he now can’t wait to step into the cage and compete in front of his friends and family.

“I had no hesitations when asked if I wanted to fight and I still don’t now,” he said.

“1,100 tickets have been sold and I’ve sold some to people I know personally like like my aunt, uncle, my sister’s boyfriend and his mates.

“My mum won’t be coming to watch though.

“She’s a bit too scared that I might get hurt.”

Doors open for the event, entitled Stand Your Ground, at 6pm on Saturday and tickets are available by calling 01225 702826, at the Revolution Gym in Trowbridge or on the night.