But the 35-year-old self-employed arborist rather seems to like putting himself in harm’s way.
Kickboxing, freediving and even hunting are not exactly walks in the park.
"Yeah, I mean, the life insurance wasn’t cheap," he joked.
It is what he does for fun. But kickboxing is more than a hobby, though.
It is more of a lifestyle.
He took up combat sports when he was 10, "give or take".
"I’ve tried my hand at MMA, kickboxing now, and boxing as well," he said.
"I’ve sort of dabbled in a bit of everything over the past 20-plus years."
"It’s a healthy lifestyle. It keeps you out of trouble and it keeps you fit and healthy."
Eden will put that statement to the test this weekend when he competes in the King of the Ring in Auckland.
It is an eight-man kickboxing tournament that was founded in 2011 by six-time world kickboxing champion Jason Suttie.
It has helped launch the careers of the likes of Israel Adesanya, Carlos Ulberg and Dan Hooker.
There is $10,000 in prize money up for grabs.
It is a huge opportunity for the danger-loving tree doctor from Dunedin.
"It’s quite a lot of money for someone, you know, who is an amateur kickboxer.
"But, in saying that, it’s also probably the hardest-earned money that you could ever get as well.
"You know, $10,000 for three fights in one night is very hard."
The format is brutal.
It is a knockout format where the eight combatants will be drawn into two pools.
They fight what is essentially a quarterfinal. If they win that, they progress to the semifinals then potentially the final.
The bouts are three, three-minute rounds. If the judges cannot decide at the end, there is a provision for an extra round.
The overall winner could potentially end up fighting 12 rounds, and all in one night.
Just qualifying for the event was hard enough.
Eden had a fight-off with Jayden Kani, of Christchurch, for the spot back in March.
Eden improved his kickboxing record to 10-2 with the victory and kept his South Island title.
He is a three-time South Island light heavyweight champion and two-time South Island super middleweight champion.
"This will be my sixth title fight in a row over the past sort of three years. And, you know, five of those I’ve won. So I feel like my spot here has been well-deserved."
It is a very decent record but the competition will be stiff.
For Mike "Blood Diamond" Mathetha, the event is being billed as his swansong.
He is close friends with Adesanya.
The pair used to train together but Mathetha’s career took a different trajectory. He flamed out in the UFC but will be motivated to do well.
Eden, who has about 5kg to cut to make the 80kg limit, is not bullish about his prospects but he has quiet confidence.
"I think it just comes down to who arrives on the night. There’s some people in there that have got 80-plus fights on their record.
"So, I mean, the competition is not going to be easy.
"It’s a pleasure to be on the card and to be fighting in such a prestigious tournament.
"Anyone who’s fought before and knows the feeling of fighting and having a win, or just competing in front of a crowd, will know what it feels like.
"And I get to do it on the biggest stage in New Zealand, so I’m pretty lucky."
