MMA
He promised his grandfather a boxing match, now former champion Martinek is going to fight a legend
Three years ago he became the first ever OKTAGON champion, now Michal Martínek, currently in KSW in Poland, is preparing for his debut between the ropes. He will make the Christmas holidays more enjoyable in a boxing exhibition and before New Year’s Eve he will offer a spectacle to the eager spectators.
Three years ago he became the first ever OKTAGON champion, now Michal Martínek, currently in KSW in Poland, is preparing for his debut between the ropes. He will make the Christmas holidays more enjoyable in a boxing exhibition and before New Year’s Eve he will offer the eager spectators a spectacle together with another well-known name, the posturing legend Tomas Hron, specifically at the Fight Night Challenge 3 tournament.
Michal was encouraged to take up the sport from a young age by his father and grandfather. “I remember watching the legendary K1 fighters together, then of course the hockey I used to play. In between, my dad would let me play on the playstation, but only for an hour a day.
And the first personal contact with combat sports was mediated by my grandfather, who used to take me to the boxing league in Eden when I was thirteen. He loves boxing, so I want to dedicate this fight to him. He will be there with me,” Michal Martínek told our website.
According to him, the offer for an exhibition fight fits perfectly into his MMA training. In the last few days Michal has started preparing for his next fight in KSW, for which he hasn’t confirmed the date yet.
Blackbeard’s opponent at Fight Night Challenge will be Tomas Hron, a stand-up legend who doesn’t seem to want to grow old. “I see Tomas as one of the biggest pure striking focused personalities on our scene. We’ve known each other for a while. We have even sparred a little together and have always been fans of each other.
That’s where it’s different for me because for the last three years I haven’t faced a fighter that I knew personally, whether it was Poland, Russia or Vegas. So it’s a nice change,” he says.
The crowd-pleasing bout is sure to offer a showcase of the hard punches that both possess. What does Michal Martinek think will make the difference? “He’s used to working more from mid-range and closing with his feet a lot. I, on the other hand, am used to a smaller cadence with small gloves. So everyone has their strengths and weaknesses for a boxing match.
Tomas is definitely more used to big gloves than I am. But I can definitely use some good sparring in big gloves with Dan Skvor. My regular sparring partners were also Vinsh, Tuterev or Matej Penaz. So I’m used to training with stand-ups. ”
The Reinders Gym representative started with martial arts eleven years ago. At that time, he was still playing hockey, but he also used to patrol night venues in the centre of Prague.
“Gradually I found out that I needed to have sharp elbows to stand on the door and be ready for anything that might come my way, so I started martial arts,” he recalls of his beginnings.
The Fight Night Challenge 3 tournament, where Michal Martinek will face Tomas Hron, is scheduled for 27 December at the Bobyhall in Brno.
The event will also feature Slovak rap legend Patrik Rytmus Vrbovsky and two popular Slovak singers Aless Capparelli and Dominika Mirgova in their debuts in combat sports.
Source: Oktagon MMA, Ruik
