Ostrava will see the round fortieth fight night of the Oktagon organization today. The top event of domestic MMA returns here after three months, but this time as part of the first round of a unique pyramid tournament project, in which David Kozma is the main Czech iron man. The press conference also featured a shootout between middleweight rivals Patrik Kincl and Karlos Vémola.
Tipsport Gamechanger, a pyramid of 16 wrestlers in the welterweight division, will start at the Ostravar Arena in Vítkovice today from 6 p.m. The fighters will start the year-long journey for a total reward of one million euros, the winner of the elimination competition will receive 300 thousand euros.
The promoters of the Czech-Slovak organization Oktagon present the project as something that has no parallels on the European scale of MMA. Either through an attractive system or a financial subsidy.
On Friday, in addition to the official weigh-in, the event was preceded by a long press conference, at which not only Gamechanger was addressed. Middleweight representatives Kincl and Vémola also appeared in a sharp exchange of opinions.
Their expected rematch at the end of last year was canceled due to Vémola’s health condition, the match was moved to May (in Prague).
Kincl was originally supposed to be among the sixteen fighters in the Gamechanger, but he preferred a rematch with his great rival Vémola to the sight of a tempting financial reward.
In Ostrava, the atmosphere between the two was really thick. Kincl alluded to Vémola’s repeated injuries, calling them fabrications. “You fucked up as a substitute opponent, while I was wrestling in Motola,” countered Vémola.
“I’ll end it in May in Prague. Your lawsuits and all your stupid bullshit will be over,” he continued. “Does anyone believe he’ll get on there?” Kincl scoffed. “You won’t have a title, there won’t be a Gamechanger either. You’ll be in f*deli,” added Vémola, after which his wife Lela joined in the shootout from the audience.
“That you are not ashamed as a man to say such things,” she shouted at Kincl. “Why are you yelling at me here at all? In the final, I feel very sorry for you,” answered the fighter.
On the other hand, the “trash-talk” between Kozma and his opponent in the round of 16 of the pyramid, the Pole Lukasz Siwiec, was more in the spirit of sportsmanship.
The pink favorite of the pyramid
“I want to wrestle for the Czech Republic as well, that’s my motivation,” declared the popular fighter from the Moravian-Silesian region, who lost his title in Ostrava in December, but his then-defeater Brazilian Kaik Brito is ultimately missing from Gamechanger.
It seemed that Kozma would be the only Czech in the pyramid, but Andrej Kalashnik should also be involved. And that instead of the Georgian Amiran Gogoladze, who had a weight problem before the duel with the Dane Louis Glismann.
The “Pink Panther” is still the main Czech iron. After all, Kincl and Vémola also named him a big favorite of Gamechanger.
“The boys will struggle with the weight, there will be injuries. It is difficult for anyone to withdraw voluntarily. It is difficult to predict the winner in advance. But I see Kozma and the Serb Bojan Veličkovič at the top,” Kincl tipped.
“The biggest favorite is home Kozma. I’m almost convinced that if he avoids injuries, he will win the entire Gamechanger,” added Vémola.
“Of course, money is a great motivation, but it’s primarily about sports prestige. To win among all the animals here, that would be something,” said 30-year-old Kozma at the press conference.
He will enter the match with the lesser-known Siwiec as a definite favorite. The opponent does not perceive the situation in this way. “I have finished all the matches so far before the limit and I do not intend to change that,” said the champion of the Polish organization Babilon.
“It’s more pressure when I’m such a favorite. I have a quality opponent, I certainly won’t underestimate him. I have to show my best,” Kozma acknowledged.
“Both of us will show our best, we will make a good show. I believe that it will not be the highlight of the evening only according to the program, but also according to what happens in the cage. And that at the end I will go up with my hand,” remarked Siwiec.
Fighter card of the round of 16 Gamechanger in Ostrava. Instead of the Georgian Gogoladze, the native Kalashnik should eventually start.
