Give up? I didn’t even think about it for a moment, says Tichota about the injury in the fight with Keita. Where does he stand now?

Jakub Tichota is coming off a tough and unsuccessful battle for the interim featherweight title in which he was defeated by Losene Keita. However, the Czech talent gained respect as he fought most of the fight with a broken leg. Where does he stand now and how does he recall the course of the duel?

Bratislava saw some quality fights at OKTAGON 42. In the main one, Losene Keita and Jakub Tichota faced each other as they fought for the interim featherweight title.

Keita was a big favourite. Also due to the fact that Tichota took the fight just a few days before it took place. But hope dies last, and the Czech talent was confident he could find a recipe.

But his plans got a crack in the first round of the fight. Or rather, a fracture, specifically of the collarbone. “It came around the second takedown attempt. I honestly don’t even know how it happened. It was a coincidence,” says Tichota.

“At that moment, I felt something wasn’t right. I was trying to see what I could and couldn’t do with that arm. I was still hoping I could figure something out,” the up-and-coming fighter describes the situation.

It was almost a one-sided affair from Keita’s side after that. While the fans gave Tichot respect for what he endured and how much he stood up to, it is being discussed that he could have given up the fight after all and not risk aggravating the injury.

“I didn’t even think for a moment about giving up the fight. I was hoping that despite the injury I could come up with something that would win me the fight. André (Reinders, coach – ed.) gave me the best advice he could. I’m glad we went on and that he was still only concerned with how to win,” says Tichota.

And where does he stand now? “The bone seems to be healing well. We’ll see, surgery is still in play. I don’t know what the future holds. I definitely want to continue to pursue my dreams. But right now I’m concentrating on healing. When I’m healthy, I’ll think about what’s next.”

According to promoter Ondrej Novotny, Tichota will be out for at least six months. However, even he acknowledged the fighter’s qualities and praised especially the heart the talented Czech showed.

Source: Octagon MMA