Karlos Vémola made it to the UFC 13 years ago! Let’s remember his first fight in the most famous MMA organization in the world

3. on July 2010, Karlos Vémola made his first appearance in the UFC. How did his first fight in the most famous MMA organization in the world turn out, where he had to face the weight superiority of Danish wrestler Jon Madsen?

In England, Karlos Vémola destroyed one opponent after another, thus the famous UFC

He is one of the most prominent figures in Czech MMA. He was the first Czech ever to join the biggest MMA organization in the world, the UFC, and he is the fighter who has done the most to popularize mixed martial arts in the Czech Republic.

His father introduced him to Greco-Roman wrestling before he took up bodybuilding, in which he found a huge love. And it was bodybuilding that made him go to England, which opened the door to other opportunities.

And it was at the door that he gained further wrestling experience, working as a bouncer in London clubs. In the islands, he then tried mixed martial arts, which became the love of his life.

His first steps were in the British organizations Cage Fighters Championship (CFC) and Ultimate Challenge MMA (UCMMA), where he earned seven first-round finishes and the CFC championship in seven fights. So it was no surprise that a lasso came from the biggest MMA organization in the world.

So 13 years ago came the first fight in the world’s top MMA league

So on July 3, 2010, at just 25 years old, the biggest challenge of his MMA fighter life thus far came when he opened the UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin gala card. His opponent was undefeated Danish wrestler Jon Madsen, whom he faced in the heavyweight division.

The Terminator flew into the match like a hurricane as he tried to pick his opponent up and throw him to the floor. However, the more than 15 kg heavier Dane withstood the initial pressure and after just a few seconds he shook Vemola with a hard punch. Towards the end of the first round, Madsen then took the Czech fighter to the ground and kept him there until the final bell.

Madsen then used his powerful physique in the next round and Vémola found himself on his back again. The Terminator, however, took advantage of his decent Greco-Roman wrestling background and didn’t give his opponent a chance to threaten him significantly.

All of Vémola’s efforts, however, failed against a well-prepared opponent who dominated all three rounds, and even the Czech fighter’s final guillotine attempt made no difference. It was no wonder that the judges awarded the victory to the Danish fighter.

“I came there as a wrestler, but he was better then and I had nothing to beat him with,” he accepted the qualities of his opponent in an interview for iSport years later. “I didn’t have the attitude at all then, I wasn’t able to throw him because he was a really good wrestler and harder than me.”

“I came in there really, really unprepared. The fact that I was throwing everybody easily and beating them up before, I wasn’t able to do that there,” he admitted of his unpreparedness for the top MMA league in the world.

Vemola then fought five more fights in the UFC, winning only two of them, and had to part ways with the overseas organization. Still, he paved the way for other fighters and contributed a huge part in making the sport famous in our country.

Source: Wikipedia, iSport.cz, Sherdog, Youtube channel – Marek Ciahotný