MMA
Ion Surdu: I want to fight the best, don’t blink when you fight Paterno! Paradeiser wins Tipsport Gamechanger
Ion Surdu is one of the biggest discoveries of the year. He came to the Octagon thanks to Tipsport Gamechanger. He became a big fan favourite after his first fight. Attractive style, likeable off-cage demeanor, big ambition. He wants to go for the title. But on December 29th, he’ll face another obstacle. And it’s not the only one he talked about in an interview with Ruik.
Ion Surdu is one of the biggest discoveries of the year. He came to the Octagon thanks to Tipsport Gamechanger. He became a big fan favourite after his first fight. Attractive style, likeable off-cage demeanor, big ambition. He wants to go for the title. But on December 29th, he’ll face another obstacle. And it’s not the only one he talked about in an interview with Ruik.
Paradeiser will dominate Tipsport Gamechanger, believes Surdu
Before we get into how Ion Surdu is preparing for his fight on December 29 in Prague’s O2 arena, we briefly went back to Ostrava. At the OKTAGON 50 gala, the Moldovan fighter showed up as an escort for Ronald Paradeiser.
Both Surdu and Paradeiser train in Ankos, Poland, and have become friends. So Dracula came to support the Slovakian hope in person. And it helped. Rony defeated Ivan Buchinger to win the title for the first time. He’s the reigning lightweight champion.
“We help each other with the preparation. We have done a lot of work together in the last preparations for our fights. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised by what he did against Buchinger. I was sure he would finish before the limit. I know firsthand how hard Rony’s bombs are. His punches are very hard. I’m glad he handled the rematch and won the belt in such style,” Dracula said in an interview with Ruik.
I love a challenge, I want to fight the best, says Dracula
Ion Surdu has suffered only one loss since coming to the Octagon. Unfortunately for him in his very first fight. After they almost knocked each other out, he was beaten by Bojan Velickovic, who got his bearings quicker after falling to the ground. Since then, Dracula has been looking for a rematch. But he’s not obsessed with it.
He wants to go for the title, but he loves a challenge, so he faces it. That’s why he accepted a fight with Stefan Paterno, who has never fought in the Octagon.
“Yes, I’m a three welterweight, but when I got the offer I didn’t think about it. I looked at his record, I saw that he was one of the best in Europe and I accepted the fight. I love challenges, I want to fight the best. Besides, it’s a Gamechanger fight, it has nothing to do with rankings,” Surdu expressed.
“I have confidence in my skills. My primary focus is on them. The next match is another big challenge for me and the most important match of my career. My target is Paterno. If I get a chance to hit the finals, I will do my best. I will fight,” he is clear.
Recommendations for the fans? Don’t blink!
Ion Surdu is admittedly better placed in the world rankings than Stefano Paterno. But he doesn’t underestimate his opponent. “He is a high level fighter. He fought in Bellator, he’s a Venator champion, he was a Cage Warriors champion,” he acknowledges the Italian fighter’s qualities.
“It’s fair to say he’s going to be one of the most titled opponents in my career. He believes in what he wants to achieve. My job is to go into the cage with him and win. He likes to fight standing, but I think he’ll want to keep his distance with me and take me to the ground. I think I’m going to set up a surprise for him,” Dracula said.
The matches of the winner of the Romanian version of the reality show Survivor are always attractive. It should be no different now: “It will be another fight that we will be able to frame. I would advise everyone not to blink because you might miss the whole fight.”
For now, though, Surdu’s focus is off the scale. It’s not news that he’s huge for a welterweight. After all, fans marveled at his size, for example, at the photo of him with Karlos Vemola and Mach Muradov.
“Kilograms are fine. The weight is going according to plan. I will lose about 10 to 12 kilos like every fighter,” says Surdu. “But yes, I am quite big for a welter. But I am not planning to change weight category now. However, it may happen in the future. Watch me and see what happens next,” he said when asked if he would be tempted to hold titles in two weight classes.
Surdu feels love from fans, reacts to Prague shooting too
As already outlined, Ion Surdu has quickly become a fan favorite in the Octagon. That’s also why he’s now looking forward to fighting at the O2 Arena, where there could be 20,000 spectators.
“I’m excited and proud to have been chosen to fight here. I love the fans of the Octagon. I love fighting in front of the Prague crowd. The way theycelebrate me shows me that my work is not in vain,” admits Dracula.
“I’ve noticed that I’m becoming more and more popular and well-liked among the fans. It makes me work and toil even harder than before. It also makes mefocus that much more on getting to where I want to be,” he says.
The Moldovan fighter noted, among other things, the terrible event that took place in Prague on Thursday 21 December: “I would like to express my sincere condolences to all the families affected by this tragedy.”
Source: Ruik
