MMA
The fight of the boys at the gala of the Czech MMA organization caused a stir. But for both, a dream comes true, negation stems from ignorance, parents and IAF chief agree
The I Am Fighter (hereafter IAF) organization came up with an interesting idea. They decided to put a fight between two young boys, namely eight-year-old Nikolas Novak and one year younger Milan Fleger, at their gala. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that the announcement received only positive responses. But how does the organization itself and the parents of the two young fighters feel about it?
The I Am Fighter (hereafter IAF) organization came up with an interesting idea. It decided to put a fight between two young boys, namely eight-year-old Nikolas Novak and one year younger Milan Fleger, at its gala. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that the announcement received only positive responses. But how does the organization itself and the parents of the two young fighters feel about it?
The fight was supposed to take place in April in Prague at the IAF 4 tournament, but due to the illness of one of the players the fight was postponed to June in Pilsen, where the IAF 5 gala will be held.
The announcement of the match was met with mixed reactions. Some are praising the move, but there is also a large group of people who see the match in a completely different light. Understandably, some ignorance is to blame for this, as not everyone knows the rules under which such fights actually take place.
The rules of this duel were explained to Ruik by the founder of the organization and legendary fighter Petr “Pino” Ondruš: ” The rules of children’s MMA are very strict both in the stance and on the ground. For example, no head strikes at all, no knees, no elbows, nothing. On the ground, the techniques are also very limited, and you’re still not allowed to tighten the technique 100%. This is carefully monitored by the referee.”
And how did the fight actually come about? “Quite spontaneously. We’re helping amateur MMA get from the depths to the surface of viewership. We follow the old Sokol motto “in a healthy body a healthy spirit”. MMA is a beautiful sport and we think that if other children and their parents see that it is possible to train this sport from a young age and gain discipline, body coordination, strength, everyday movement and maybe learn to fall, we will bring them sooner not only to this sport, but to the whole “core” of today’s problem,” Ondruš let himself be heard.
The former superb fighter sees “training” on video games, bingeing on sugary drinks and a less than varied diet as the “core of today’s problem”. He has been involved in various sports since the age of seven, including gymnastics, which he says is great for developing the whole body. After all, that’s why it is one of the main elements in children’s MMA classes.
“There are far more dangerous sports than MMA, like hockey, and kids play it. Why? Because it is popular and they have their idols. Whether it’s a parent or a kid, they can see the Jag in themselves. MMA already has a pretty big following, too. Everybody knows who Conor McGregor or Karlos Vemola is. If these guys are taught from a young age that it’s a beautiful sport, there will be less of a need for them to show up on the street as fighters,” Ondruš is clear.
Besides, he revealed that starting from the new season, the IAF organization will be hosting an amateur MMA league and wants to project it in a good way. He intends to promote other talents as well. The amateur league would be held during the day, while in the evening the best would get a chance to present themselves at selected IAF tournaments. “We are making their dreams come true, we are looking for the next Jirka Prochazka, the future UFC champion,” he added.
Testimonials from the parents of the two young fighters
As explained above, any fears are due to ignorance or unnecessary prejudice. There is no real risk of injury to the boys. After all, that is why their parents support them in their hobby.
And it is they who have brought their sons’ story and dreams to Ruik. The story of Nikolas Novak was told by his mother, in the case of Milan Fléger by his father.
First and foremost, however, it is worth mentioning that both sides agree in their praise for the IAF organization. Milan’s dad considers especially great the fact that the organization gives chances to amateurs and small fighters, Nikolas’ mom appreciated the perfect communication and arrangement. Not a bad word was spoken.
Nikolas Novak:: MMA is his passion, banning him from training would be a punishment
Whenever we hear a conversation with professional fighters, we usually hear that mom didn’t like it. “ He sees it very positively. I’m glad he enjoys it. He lives it to the full and my boyfriend and I support him. We’re glad that he’s mainly moving. On the other hand, we have to tame him a bit in training, he would like to change all the gyms.”
Nikolas has more gyms now. He trains at Star Team in Most, in Teplice he attends Kravec Gym and in Chomutov he goes to Artur Omar, a great fighter in Greco-Roman wrestling, or Jiri Zak, who trains muay-thai.
“We are parents and we are primarily concerned about the health of the child. We have to correct him a little bit. If he enjoyed bowling, we would support him, but he has put himself this way, so why not support him?” nikolas’ mom is clear.
And how did he get into combat sports? His parents wanted him to move. He liked to move, so the choice naturally fell on judo. Then Nikolas saw a few MMA fights and liked it. And now he can look forward to his first really big fight in a great atmosphere and in front of a big crowd.
“I don’t want to speak for the other parents, but from our side, it’s about giving the kid a try. It’s definitely not in our interest to send a child to a cage with the intention of crippling them. Nikolas can’t wait, he feels like a fish in water in the cage, he really enjoys it. We are very happy about it, so we want to support him as much as possible,” she added.
In order to at least partially break down prejudices, the Novaks are making a mini-documentary that will prove that MMA can be combined with school. They see their son as more mature than his actual age. He has been listening to coaches since he was young and is said to be more mature physically, mentally and emotionally.
Nikolas’s mom praises the whole environment around martial arts. So far, she says, they’ve only found good coaches. Nikolas himself is particularly impressed with Artur Omarov: “He is a man with a heart on his sle eve. He is very human and kind, he speaks calmly. Nikolas couldn’t be happier.” Praise, however, was heaped on all the aforementioned gymnasts.
And the vision for the future? “Above all, let the sport come to the fore. It’s a beautiful sport. And if Nikolas is good at it, I believe he will get somewhere. Of course, his dream is the UFC. We’ll just be happy if he does well,” she concluded the interview.
Milan Flégr:: He’s looked up in MMA, enjoys working with the IAF to the max
Questions about seven-year-old Milan Flégr were answered by his dad Milan. Of course, he didn’t avoid the question about how his mother is taking it all.
“My wife is happy that my son is doing what he enjoys. Of course, as a mom, she has some concerns. She’s a mom and a wife, so she will worry about him even if he does anything and at any age,” Milan’s father expressed to Ruik.
He, of course, sees it very positively. In particular, he is happy that his son will get the chance to fulfil his dream in this way. “I am not afraid of negative consequences. I think that when people look at this children’s game, in which children have different rules than adults, they will change their minds,” he is clear.
Milan has been involved in combat sports since he was four years old. It was his dad who brought him to it. He’s been watching combat sports since he was a kid. “When Milan was little, he started watching it with me. He enjoyed it and looked up to it. He wanted to try it so badly, so I tried to take him to train. He got into it right away and started enjoying it,” he spoke about his son’s beginnings.
The seven-year-old currently attends three gyms, namely RPG, OLYMP Praha and Monster Gym. However, he is also involved in other sports, but he does so more in his free time. He has already had several fights in grappling, Greco-Roman wrestling, muay-thai and one fight in MMA. And now he’s looking forward to the second one, ” It’s a big dream of his to be a professional MMA fighter.”
With several fights already under his belt, Milan’s dad expects his son to handle his first fight in front of a bigger crowd without too many complications. He attends tournaments every month. ” He would like to be a champion in the UFC, so it ‘s going to be a long road.”
And the greatest experience? Milan meets and trains with big stars such as UFC star Makhmud Muradov and Czech legend Petr “Monster” Knize.
“Other experiences also include winning tournaments. Now he has won the 1st place in Austria for the last time. And of course, he is now having a lot of fun with the IAF organization, whether it is shooting medallions or other things,” Milan’s dad concluded the interview.
Source: Ruik, I Am Fighter
