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A rising star of mixed martial arts, Chris Bungard's nick-name is a harsh reminder of the mistake that set him on the path to sporting stardom.

"It was a dark day", says the thirty-year-old of the moment that earned him his menacing moniker.

Filmed in the lead up to the biggest fight of his life, in new documentary The Bad Guy, Chris reflects on how 'one punch' during a football match almost lost him everything but instead led to a seminal change-of-heart and what is now a blossoming career.

Reputation for aggression

"It's a sad story but it's the truth", says Chris who grew up in 'the rough area' of Holytown; 20 minutes east of Glasgow. Chris already had a reputation for aggression by then but it was about to get much worse.

"I played amateur football for years. I used to get a lot of stick, people tried to wind me up, trying to get me sent off and stuff like that."

"So I just played this game and I got hurt off the ball. This young boy just hurt me, volleyed me in the ribs."

"I turned around and I hit him. I hit him, one punch."

"He went to hospital, I got charged with assault."

It was a moment that could have sent Chris to prison for a long time.

"I turned round and when I seen him taking a seizure I just instantly thought... things were going through my head because he was in a bad way.

"If the worst happened, he could have passed away and then my life would've been over."

"I'd have been in prison and my life would have went a totally opposite way. Thank god nothing like that happened and he made a great recovery.

"It was a dark day but everything happens for a reason in life. I'm a big believer in that."

The incident earned Chris a lot of negative attention online. "I got all sorts of dog's abuse... I was called a scumbag." His reputation got so bad that one day someone called him ‘The Bad Guy’ and pointed out that's what he should call himself. It stuck.

Turning point

The event may have earned him his future fighting name but it brought new focus to Chris's life and a need to change his behaviour.

Chris grandpa says, "That's when he realised he had to get rid of his aggression somewhere else and he got fully fledged into this cage fighting."

Now Chris has been filmed in the run up to the most important fight of his life for a new documentary and he acknowledges that his tough upbringing has a lot to do with his success as a fighter.

"All that stuff growing up has helped me become the tough fighter that I am today. It translates into my training, mental toughness, cutting weight. Even in hard fights how deep I need to dig down and I think that's down to how I've grew up and how I've been brought up."

Being fired was a blessing

That 'dark day' on the football pitch wasn't the only life lesson Chris has endured.

"I hated and despised my job. I took a lot of sickies to train. Then all of a sudden I got called in for a disciplinary."

"When I went in this meeting my boss at the time had this folder and I just seen my face through this A4 bit of paper full of . She puts all these pictures and photos on the table and she says, "On this day you said were not well but here you are training with Celtic Football Club.""

"The next day I came in I was sacked. I was gutted."

"But it turns out it's the best thing that could've happened to me. I wanna thank her for sacking me because it made me focus on my fighting, going full time fighter and now I'm fighting for one of the biggest promoters in the world."

Now, after nine years intense training and years of self-professed difficult economic circumstances Chris has earned his place in front of the TV cameras.

If he can win an all-important fight against fellow MMA fighter Terry "The Dominator" Brazier, he's sure he will be financially comfortable for the first time in his life.