MMA

Kincl vs. Vémola: Boring? No. The Inspector dominated the emotional and personal drama. Was the Terminator humiliated? The Octagon has a new king

COMMENTARY: It’s over. Patrik Kincl and Karlos Vémola fought a dramatic and emotionally exhausting battle. In the end, it was the Inspector who put his hands up and is still the middleweight champion. The Terminator, on the other hand, has quieted down from the scene and has some hard work ahead of him, especially inside his head. Has he been humiliated? And was the fight boring?

Published

2 years ago

22. 5. 2023

Pavel Langr

COMMENT: It’s over. Patrik Kincl and Karlos Vémola fought a dramatic and emotionally exhausting battle. In the end, it was the Inspector who put his hands up and is still the middleweight champion. The Terminator, on the other hand, has quieted down from the scene and has some hard work ahead of him, especially inside his head. Has he been humiliated? And was the fight boring?

A boring fight? Not a chance!

For five long years this duel had been awaited. The promo did itself. The interest was huge. There was a lot of speculation about how the fight would go. Two scenarios in particular were practically expected.

The first scenario was that Karlos Vémola would deliver takedowns at will and control his opponent on the ground, with the later rounds being decided by the fitness of both fighters. The second scenario was a quick KO/TKO that would see Patrik Kincl dominate the fight.

Basically, no one expected this to be some sensationally attractive fight full of ground position exchanges, stand-up shootouts. After all, we didn’t see anything like that. Yet many fans are rating the fight as boring. But would they be more entertained by, say, a five-round Terminator domination?

It wasn’t boring at all. All five rounds looked pretty much the same. Vemola always pushed Kinclo to the fence and tried to apply pressure and get him to the ground. But the Inspector fought back well and kept hitting the Terminator’s face.

Emotions, among other things, were supposed to provide the entertainment in this match. The chemistry between the two fighters actually carried over emotionally to the fans of both fighters. That’s why it was a big drama. No one knew how the judges would perceive the scoring. Any mistake or any hesitation by either fighter could mean the end or decision of the fight.

Even among the journalists after the fight, before the winner was announced, it was not clear who had won. According to the rules of modern MMA, Kincl should undoubtedly have won, but every judge scores differently, every referee sees the fight differently. And we have seen many times even in the biggest organizations that some referee scored the fight literally crazy.

So instead of the attractiveness of the duel, speculations about who should have won the match and the tension that could literally be felt and cut throughout the O2 arena during the match were what made it fun. The duel was definitely not boring. An incredible tactical battle and a proper emotional drama!

Was Vémola humiliated?

Patrik Kincl? He should have just waited for a mistake, he should have cracked under the weight of the pressure, he has no heart, no resilience in his head, he should have been thrown to the ground and the fans should have been surprised how quickly he would be finished. This is just a short list of what Karlos Vémola reported before the game.

But none of that actually happened. Yes, Kincl was down a few times, but he got right back up. He prepared fantastically. The Terminator could do virtually nothing in the fight except control the canvas. Then he just cashed in. His takedown attempts were the same, he didn’t try anything new.

To make matters worse, Kincl won the psychological war. Not only did he not break. He was so confident in his tactics that he waited for Vemola on the mat. He was able to encourage the fans to cheer during the defense, he was able to laugh in Vémol’s face and he never doubted his victory for a moment.

The Inspector beat the Terminator without the Olomouc native making any mistakes, which should have been the only way he would lose. He showed in full display Vémol’s single-mindedness and subsequent cluelessness when the one plan he is so proud of fails.

And the post-match statements, including Attila Vegh’s challenge, added to it all. As the Inspector himself said, he beat the Terminator at his own game. With full swagger, with complete clarity, and with no damage whatsoever. And yet to say that the match was boring even for him and that he wasn’t excited about winning? Hats off to him. A win all round.

Plus he managed to act like a professional compared to Terminator. He claimed Karlos was a quality wrestler and asked the fans to behave. Vemola, on the other hand, refused the handshake, walked away quickly and did exactly what he was bothered to do with one of Marko’s trainers after the boxing exhibition.

Moreover, in the first mutual fight with Kinclo, the Inspector showed respect for Vemola, appreciated him as a fighter and shook hands with him five years ago.

So was Vémola humiliated? It’s a very strong judgment. But his ego has taken a big blow. The pressure he’s put on himself will take a huge toll on him. But it’s a chance to show his strength again, to make new and better decisions, and maybe even learn a lesson.

Kincl the new king of the Octagon

Karlos Vémola claimed to be the only king of the Octagon. But after everything that happened, he lost his title. As the Terminator said, winning would take everything from the Inspector. Including this title. And so it was. Patrik Kincl has already publicly branded himself as such.

He’s the champion, he’s made two defenses, he’s shown that he’ll take any challenge, and he’s also definitely proven to himself that he can be a great face for the organization. And a very bright one at that. While Vemola has filled the pages of the tabloids with his personal life and various affairs, Kincl is the opposite.

In the packed O2 arena, a much larger part of the fans were on the Inspector’s side. He had more support than Vémola. Once again he proved to be a good man with character, a great fighter and a great role model. Even on the sporting side.

Kinc may still be unknown to many new MMA and Octagon fans. But this is his big chance. And just as big a chance for the Octagon. You just have to take it the right way.

The big advantage is that Kincl is a much more versatile fighter compared to Vemola. He can take on any opponent, he can adapt, his fights are much more varied and attractive. With him taking any kind of challenge, he could get very interesting opponents going forward.

Unless, of course, he has ambitions to try one more stint in one of the foreign organizations. Either way, Kincl also has a very interesting life story that could be nicely promoted in England or Germany, where the Octagon is trying to establish itself.