Fans are looking forward to a number of stars, but of course the organizers have given them pets. Radek Roušal, Vladimír Lengál, Andrej Kalashnik and also Tomáš Hron. It is the elite postman Hron who is fulfilling his dream by participating in such a tournament, and it was supposed to be his farewell to an impressive career that has lasted for twenty-five years. “We planned it for the last match, but of course a person’s thoughts change differently depending on his feelings, his mood. After two years, my leg stopped hurting, my knee finally healed after the operation and I feel great,” said the 43-year-old Thai boxer from Brno to Deník.
According to the rules of the Oktagon Underground, he will face the Dutch fighter Fred Sikking in the 100 kilogram category. And probably how the match turns out can influence Hron’s thinking about extending his rich career. “I’m undecided. If it was the end, I’m glad that he will be in such a hall, at such a big tournament. I have to say I’m enjoying everything now that I see how Octagon is doing it. It poured energy into my veins, I’m looking forward to the match, I’m perfectly prepared,” said Hron.
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Although he became the first Czech fighter to wrestle in the famous organization Glory, and owns over ten world titles of various associations, under the banner of the largest Czechoslovak MMA organization, he receives the attention of a respected star that he did not know. “I’m enjoying the whole preparation, the media attention, finally someone is promoting our sport and doing events the way it should be. I wrestled in the world’s top tournaments, I beat names in the world’s top ten and no one knew it. It is demotivating to take an offer for a match that almost no one knows about, no one writes about it, no one is interested, the promoters are not interested in it, then you don’t enjoy wrestling. The Octagon is a different world,” he acknowledged.
A year ago in Prague at Heroes Gate, he defeated Sikking, a year older three-time world champion has now applied for revenge. “Fred is a rival who goes to war. He took a lot of shots last game, but he can handle a lot. He is a brawler and can be very dangerous in small gloves. I believe that we will make a good, attractive match,” said the graduate of the Master’s degree at the Faculty of Sports Studies of the Masaryk University in Brno.
Hron has before him the 132nd duel of his professional career, since its beginning October 2 will be twenty-five years old. It may be his last battle, in front of eight thousand mainly Brno fans, the atmosphere may get to him. “It won’t derail me. Emotions can come from a full hall, for many years it was my dream to wrestle in Ronda, but I have experienced so many events in my career that little surprises me anymore,” said Hron, who even missed a match in Germany due to a reported bomb. “I won the first duel of the pyramid of eight, I’m waiting for the second, suddenly the sirens sound that there is a bomb, we have to go away, leave things there. We didn’t come back for them until the next day, they didn’t even pay us anything,” recalled the elder.
If he says goodbye to his career in Brno, he will make his fans sad, but his parents will be happy. “After thirty years since the parents were apart, this is perhaps the only thing on which they both agreed. That the wrestling was enough,” smiled Hron.
But Oktagon 61 will not only be about him. Will he decide the finalists in the Tipsport Gamechanger Pyramid, where both millions and the title of Europe’s best lightweight are at stake? In the main match of the evening, Ronald Paradeiser will face the biggest surprise of the whole pyramid, which is Acoidan Duque from Spain. Former lightweight champions Losene Keita and Mateusz Legierski will square off in the other semi-final.
The big attraction of the tournament is the return of Makhmud Muradov to the Octagon after five years in the UFC. His opponent will be Scott Askham. Lucie Pudilová also returned from the UFC, who will face the talented Norwegian Cecilie Bolanderová.
Brno fans can’t wait for Kalashnik and jeho alter ego Slut. “I’m really looking forward to Brno. When I fought there for the first time, it was not sold out, now it will be even better,” said the fighter who defeated Joel dos Santos from Brazil on points two years ago.
Now he wants to dominate the fight with the Greek fighter Ioannis Palaiologos. “I’m going there to win, no bullshit. Last time in Brno, my performance was not up to expectations, I owe it to Brno and I want to have a great match,” Kalashnik promised.
He will also have a lot of support from the home scene, his mother will even come to see him for the first time. “She’s never been to MMA, she doesn’t watch my fights, she’s stressed like every mother, but she said that if it’s in Brno, she’ll come,” Kalashnik said. “There is a lot of interest in tickets, but the capacity is sold out and a lot of people have traditionally left it to the last minute, I can’t drag even family friends to the tournament anymore. Some reserved tickets may still go on sale, so there is still a chance. I’m really looking forward to that atmosphere,” he added.
