Since his very first fight, BRAVE CF 70 headliner Marko “Lionheart” Drmonjic (10-10-1) established himself as a fierce competitor who refused to cherry-pick fights in hopes of protecting his record. Today, 21 fights later, “Lionheart” is one of Slovenia’s most-respected athletes and will be one half of the main event of the country’s biggest-ever MMA show – he takes on Bosnian superstar Erko Jun (5-2) at BRAVE CF 70, which goes down in Ljubljana on April 23, in association with leading regional organization WFC.
Coming up the ranks during the early days of European MMA, conditions were not always favorable for professional fighters. The lack of a structured amateur system and tournaments did not help Drmonjic manage his fighting career. This reality – coupled with his fearlessness and eagerness to face anybody at any time – saw him dive into deep waters with experienced and lethal mixed martial artists right off the bat. Drmonjic made his debut in 2007, at a time when future opponent Jun had just turned 16 years old. In only his third fight, “Lionheart” made the huge jump and faced the respected Anthony Rea, who was 14-10 at the time. It was a matter of sink or swim, and soon the Slovenian found his feet and started flourishing by going on a four-fight win streak taking him to WFC middleweight contendership in the process.
Drmonjic will admirably stay true to his philosophy of “fighting anybody at any time” when he faces Bosnia and Herzegovina’s KO machine Jun, who makes his BRAVE CF debut next month. In a clash of generations, “Lionheart” will draw on his experience to douse the rising flames of “The Bounty Hunter” who has taken the world by storm with his incredible 100 percent KO record and celebrity status.
“Erko does not have that much experience in MMA. He has never been into deep waters like I have. Nonetheless, he is still dangerous. I couldn’t bring someone easy to make me look good in my last fight. I chose him, and he also chose me. He’s on the rise, and I’m just finishing my career. I know he’s got granite in his hands, but I’ve got it, too,” said Drmonjic, who has also become a commentator in the last couple of years, which has helped him tremendously in being more analytical towards his fights with a winning streak dating back to 2019.
Jun is indeed a rising star of the European light heavyweight division who will look to mark his global debut with a big win. In comparison to Drmonjic’s 21 bouts, the “Bounty Hunter” has only fought seven times in professional MMA – his first fight taking place in 2018. Drmonjic is a fan of Jun’s fight style, characteristic of a young “Lionheart.”
“Erko Jun has no fear,” he said. “I see him being very aggressive. I like that, I like aggressive fighters. Erko is also strong. I think that is his biggest strength.”
Jun showcased his power in his last bout when he finished Poland’s Szymon Wrzesien via knees and punches in the third round and will look to build on that when he enters the most-global MMA arena for the first time.
“Regardless, my prediction for the fight is that I will win. Erko, I hope you will be healthy. Everyone in Slovenia and neighboring nations is waiting for this fight, so please come ready,” added Drmonjic.
