Slovakian MMA fighter Martin Buday defeats American Jak Collier at UFC Fight Night 223

The fighters went through hell, the match was extremely tiring for both. It took place almost exclusively in stance, the leitmotif being grueling fits on the mesh.

In the beginning, Collier developed the activity. He was faster, he held the center of the octagon. Buday did not manage to press the opponent to the mesh and work. In the last minute of the opening round, he hit a backhand but slipped. Collier got on his back and interfered.

The middle five-minute period was the most balanced. The tempo slowed down, the American showed more fatigue. Buday intervened with jacks and, as the final verdict showed, he convinced all three point arbitrators of his superiority.

The third round was mainly about the heart. Both fighters teetered on the brink of exhaustion several times. After a minute and a half, they were helped by a break when Buday poked the opponent in the eye. The end of the round was key, Collier fell and the Nitra heavyweight got to the top position on the ground. He beat his opponent, he had an excellent finish.

“On the one hand, I’m satisfied with the victory, on the other hand, I’m not completely satisfied with the performance,” Buday said in a post-fight interview with UFC: “I was definitely ready for a better performance than what I showed in the fight. The plan from the beginning was to put constant pressure on Jake and tire him out. Then shorten the distance and tie him up in the clinch. However, it didn’t go according to plan, I had to improvise.”

Buday achieved his 11th victory in a row, the third in the most prestigious organization. In the UFC heavyweight division, only Russian title contender Sergej Pavlovich (6) currently has a longer streak.

Who is Martin Buday?

“I am happy for the victory. Although for points, but that also counts. I am also happy that I have won all three fights so far in the UFC. Unfortunately, it was always on points. I will work hard to improve and deliver some KO/TKO,” the Slovak promised.

When will he try it next? “I can’t answer that now. When my face heals after this fight, we’ll see. I want two more games this year. I’ll go home, pull myself together a bit, and start working right away.”

But before that, he will celebrate the victory: “The first celebration will be here in Vegas with my team. Then home with the rest of the team and family. But no wilderness. Have a quiet celebration and then get back to work as soon as possible.”

Along with former light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházko, Buday is the only Slovak or Czech who has not yet lost in the “MMA Champions League”. The fighter from Nitra fell only once in his career, in 2017 in his second professional match against Spaniard Juan Espino. He got into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. Before that, he won the title in the Czech-Slovak organization Oktagon MMA.