Meet the young men in Cardiff fighting homelessness and addiction through mixed martial arts

• ITV Wales journalist Issa Farfour reports

A young man from Cardiff wants to show other people like him that they can break the cycle of addiction and build a better future.

Mason Rodericks had a difficult start in life. He lost his mother to drug addiction, something many of his family have struggled with.

He bounced around foster homes as a child, eventually graduating to hostels when he came out of the care system as a young adult.

He began to use drugs himself, before a youth worker referred him to the fighting homelessness service, which uses boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) to help vulnerable people.

Since then Mason hasn't missed a session, getting a bronze medal in jujitsu last year, and has now made his MMA debut.

He said: "I can't believe it's happening really.

"I've never felt better, I feel healthier than I've ever been in my life."

Mason says that he was bullied as a child and never had a stable home, which could have left him choosing a very different path in life.

"I lived my life very on the edge," he said. "I was doing what I wanted, not caring for anything but myself, and then when I got into martial arts it showed me that you've got to show a certain amount of discipline to get where you want to be."

Robert Green, who runs the fighting homelessness service, says Mason can be an inspiration to other young people in his situation.

He said: "He's the first one to break the mould, so other young people will see him and now know that it's realistic to achieve these kind of goals."

Mason's come away from his experiences with one overwhelming feeling "The grass ain't greener on the other side, it's greener where you grow it."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…