Marcel Grabinski: I’ve been to a lot of UFC tournaments, but the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as good as at the Octagon

I found out about it right away because it was announced that two German wrestlers would be participating in the tournament. Participating in such a big tournament sounded very interesting to me, but at the time it was unthinkable because I was under contract in another big organization.

The tournament has seen many changes for several reasons. When did the organization approach you with an offer to be one of its members, although still under reserve wrestling?

It was a crazy week. First I was called up to the reserve in the tournament and immediately took the chance, then a few days later in fight week a fighter dropped out of the main event so I was offered to join. Of course I didn’t miss the chance and accepted the fight right away.

First you had to prepare for Palaiologos, but a few days later you were already among the elite 16 fighters and your opponent was Kertész. How difficult was the change in terms of preparation?

I’m still in training, no matter if I have a fight or not. I’m a complex fighter who can adapt to any fighter, even if it’s on short notice. It’s also a huge opportunity, so I didn’t think twice about accepting the fight and didn’t consider who I was going up against.

You were a big unknown to the Oktagon fans, which is why it was a surprise to many how sovereignly you handled the fight with the popular Kertész. Did your performance live up to your expectations?

For the audience I was an outsider, they didn’t know me yet. However, I knew I could beat Kertész because I have more experience and I am a more complex fighter. But it was good to be the underdog and convince the fans otherwise.

Were you surprised by how much Kertész stood up to? It’s generally known that he can take a lot, but you hit him with a knee and even after a punch that you thought was a knockdown, he immediately tried to grab your leg and wanted to continue the fight.

Kertész definitely has great qualities, it’s amazing that he recovered from the first knee. After the last fall that led to the win, he still instinctively grabbed my leg, but I didn’t want to continue because I saw he was already KO’d, but the referee didn’t intervene, so I had to follow up.

The win has moved you significantly forward in the Fight Matrix rankings, you’ve reached your peak and you’re ranked 121. How much do you value the win over Kertész from that perspective as well?

It was a very important fight for me, not only for advancing in the tournament, but for my whole career. Especially after my last match and defeat, in which I was quite out of it. In the match with Kertész everything went according to plan and it showed in my performance.

Did you see the other matches in the tournament? Which wrestler impressed you the most?

Everyone impressed me in their own way. It’s a very exciting tournament with the best wrestlers, but I also saw that every fighter is beatable and I see myself in the finals at the end of the year.

After the tournament we saw the expected determination of the quarterfinal matches. You didn’t get to choose, in contrast, Greece’s Michailidis chose you. Did you expect him to go straight to you?

To get to the finals, I have to beat each of my opponents, so I didn’t care who chose me or who I went for. Of course, there are fighters or opponents you more or less want.

I see my opponent as one of the strongest in the tournament. I want to fight the strongest, so I was glad for his decision. It was his decision and not mine, so he decided and chose for me.

Do you know him from the past? How tough an opponent can he be for you?

I saw his fight back in the UFC against the current champion, so I knew him a little bit from the past. He’s fought in big organizations and always against strong guys. He’s definitely going to be a tough opponent for me, but I see myself as better in almost all areas.

I was able to watch the fight live in the arena from the second round. After it was clear that he was my next opponent, I of course watched the fight again at home. He’s a very strong fighter and it’s sure to be a tough fight. However, I have a very good team and coach behind me, so we will be 100% ready for our opponent.

There is a lot of talk about where the next fights will take place. You said after your win that you would like to meet Jungwirth from Oberhausen. In the end, you won’t be facing each other there, but your matches will probably actually be there. How are you looking forward to that?

It is now certain that I will fight in Oberhausen on June 17, I am really looking forward to the event. I’m going to pick up where I left off and go one step further. After all, Oberhausen is 15 minutes from my home…

Have you visited any of the three Oktagon tournaments in Germany in person? Are you surprised how well the tournaments are selling out?

My first event I visited since Oktagon was the first tournament in Frankfurt. The atmosphere was unique. I’ve been to many UFC tournaments in Germany with the same number of fans, but the atmosphere was not nearly as good as an Oktagon event.

In general, how do you feel about Oktagon’s entry into the German market? Fighters who are already in the organization praise it. Including the Oktagon Challenge projects. How do you like the work that Oktagon is doing in promoting MMA in Germany?

I think Oktagon has established itself very well in Germany and is moving MMA in Germany far forward.