MMA
I still think I beat Velickovich. I’m looking forward to Štvanica, says Máté Kertész, who trained under the legendary Khabib
Máté Kertész is one of the stalwarts of the Octagon. He came in as a great talent, he has been showing us for four years that he is one of the best fighters of his weight in the organization. He’s fought for the title twice, lost twice. Most recently, he was controversially defeated by Bojan Velickovic in a title fight
Máté Kertész is one of the stalwarts of the Octagon. He came in as a great talent, he has been showing us for four years that he is one of the best fighters of his weight in the organization. He’s fought for the title twice, lost twice. Most recently, he was controversially beaten by Bojan Velickovic in a title fight. In an interview with Ruik, he revealed not only how he sees the loss in hindsight or how he is looking forward to Stvanica.
Losing to Velickovic? I still think I won, says Kertész
Máté Kertész is an excellent fighter. His fights tend to be attractive and he is almost inexhaustible in them. The champion David Kozma knows it too, as he has fought him twice, but also won twice.
The Hungarian sympathizer, who has been fighting in the Octagon for four years, was close to a third fight with Kozma, only to lose to Bojan Velickovic in a fight that could have moved him to a trilogy if he won, to everyone’s surprise. Even Velickovic himself was surprised by the win, Kozma also saw Kertész win.
Kertész did not hide his disappointment and anger after the match. In hindsight he accepts the defeat more calmly. “I talked to many people about the result, they all told me the same thing. It’s about the referees. Nobody can change the result. I’ve played the match back several times and I still feel I won,” Ruik revealed.
“I have to learn from this result and just move on. Next time I just have to leave the point judges out of deciding the winner. That’s the easiest thing to do in this sport,” Kertész added.
For the first time in Prague, Velickovic also faced his opponent
Now Kertész is looking to get back on the winning streak. After all, Velickovic beat him after he had three wins in a row. His opponent will be Vladislav Kanchev, who, among others, was defeated by Velickovic on points less than two years ago.
It will be the first fight for the Hungarian not only at Štvanice, but in Prague in general. “I am curious about it. For the first time I will fight in the open air,” he admits that he is looking forward to the new experience.
And what about his opponent? “I’m looking forward to facing him. He’s an experienced fighter who hits really hard. I think that’s what he’ll want to rely on,” Kertész let slip.
It’s worth noting that Kanchev has 12 wins, nine of which he’s finished by knockout, eight in the first round. However, he has also won three times by submission and three times in the first round. So he can be dangerous in all aspects.
He also trained under Khabib Nurmagomedov in preparation for the fight
The two-time undefeated title challenger is doing his best to get to the top. Now the 29-year-old fighter has even headed to the famous AKA Gym where he has come across many outstanding fighters, he has also trained under the legend.
“I met Khabib at the AKA Gym. He’s a really great guy. I trained under him with Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov and Luke Rockhold. It was a really great team,” admits Kertész with enthusiasm.
But in addition to that, the Octagon star was also able to test the legendary fighter’s skills first-hand. “Sometimes he wrestled and grappled with us. Primarily, however, he coached us,” says the Hungarian fighter.
I like the Octagon, but the goal is the UFC
As mentioned, Kertész came to the Octagon four years ago. In that time, he has become one of the leading faces of the organization. He came in as a great talent and despite the welterweight division being stacked with quality fighters, he still remains among the top.
Understandably, he’s noticed how the Octagon as an organization has grown. “I’ve been around for a while. I really like this organization,” the Hungarian admits.
But his goal is clear: “UFC, of course. If only for the prestige that everyone who gets into the UFC gets.”
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