Fratricidal fight: former OFY partners want to spoil Christmas for each other

For over six years they met together on the mats of the OFA gym in Bratislava, spending time together not only during training but also outside of it. Now Robert Pukač will face his former partner Mark Bartel. A tough battle, this time in boxing, will be offered by the Fight Night Challenge tournament just after Christmas in Brno.

Originally, the organization, which specializes in boxing contests of well-known personalities from the world of MMA as well as other celebrities, was preparing a different opponent for Bartl. However, Karol Rysavy was injured at the Fabriq MMA tournament when Vlado Lengal took him out of the game for a long time with a broken jaw.

A repeat of last year’s fight between Bartel and Rysavy will not happen this time. However, an equally attractive opponent – Robo Pukac – has been called into action as a replacement.

He and his friend, another OKTAGON fighter Fero Fodor, decided to leave OFU this spring after many years of cooperation. Pukac’s relations with some members of the team went downhill, but according to Robo, Marek Bartl was not one of those individuals.

“The reason for my departure was not directly Marek, so nothing bad happened between us,” Pukac added to questions on the subject. “I don’t know what happened in OFA after I left. To tell the truth, I didn’t care about it at all, I started looking in a completely different direction. I had to deal mainly with myself and my life,” he added.

“Any change can be great in the moment, as long as it makes sense. But I think it was a bit unnecessary and hasty of Rob. Even though I don’t see it that much or know what was behind it,” Bartl thinks.

However, as both fighters are still not connected by the same coach Ilja Škondrič, there is nothing to prevent them from matching forces. But along with that, the question arises who has benefited more from six years of mutual sparring and who has the right recipe for their next opponent?

“We’ve trained together for six years, so I think we both know what may or may not work for each other. I think the advantage or disadvantage here is mutual. I know his weaknesses and I’m sure he knows mine,” says Marek Bartl.

This is his third fight in three months, but he enjoys the workload and adds that he would like to fight every week. He would like to fix his appetite now. In his last three MMA fights he left the cage as a loser, in the fourth case under Underground rules he lost to Radek Rousal. But experience will be on his side in the fight with Pukac, as Bartl told reporters.

“I see both of us as quality and experienced fighters. But I simply think I am more mobile, Marek is better at pushing forward. Now I need to work on pushing my game,” said the Diamond Chavo.

The bookmakers don’t have a clear favourite in this duel, the stats are slightly in favour of Pukac, who can also lean on his better form, having beaten Tomáš Meliš last time out.

Their mutual boxing duel will be offered by the Fight Night Challenge tournament on December 27 in Brno. The two will then appear under MMA rules on February 11 at the OKTAGON tournament in Munich. Diamond Chavo will try to tame Austrian Dominic Schober, while German Kevin Hangs is waiting for Bartel.

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