The Brits are heading to Bratislava and they are aiming to take over the city while definitively announcing their arrival in OKTAGON MMA.
Bryan Lacey is back with another episode of “OKTAGON HYPE” ahead of the top European promotion’s return to Slovakia this Saturday night. On the show, he previews OKTAGON 42, which is headlined by an interim featherweight title fight between undefeated Belgian sensation Losene Keita and top Czech talent Jakub Tichota. All four of the British fighters on the loaded card are also featured as they finish up their preparations before they head into enemy territory.
Shem Rock (8-1) is gearing up to make arguably the most anticipated debut in OKTAGON MMA history despite his original opponent withdrawing due to injury, while Callum Mullen (5-0) hopes for a statement victory against a significantly more experienced opponent. Former BAMMA and EMC heavyweight champion Stuart Austin (16-8) wants to immediately enter the title picture, and James Lewis (8-4) intends on making it two stoppage victories in as many outings. Significant quotes from the athletes and the full episode can be seen below.
Rock: “I go through eight opponents a fight camp. They look at my record, they look at all of the first-round finishes and they look at every fight being a main event or a co-main event. When you fight me, you’re going to be in front of the cameras. You’re going to be on the big stage – you’re going to have eyes watching you and if you’re not ready, you’re going to get finished quick.”
Mullen: “I don’t care what (Dohnal’s) record is. I’m there to do a job and that’s it. Obviously, I’ve got respect for him. He’s an athlete at the end of the day and he trains – I know how hard it is. I’m coming for the finish and his record doesn’t make a difference to me.”
Austin: “There’s no reason why I can’t fight for the title after this fight in my opinion. My previous experience speaks for itself. I’m happy to fight for the title after this or if they want me to have one more, I’ll have one more, get another win and then fight in the U.K..”
Lewis: “The fans can expect another finish. I’ve only been the distance once in my career which I enjoyed and had a good war but our grappling style is so dangerous. Our striking style and everything about the training we do at Blackledge MMA is to finish.”
“OKTAGON HYPE” is a magazine show for international audiences featuring the latest news, exclusive interviews, event recaps, card previews and much more. It also allows MMA fans from all around the world to learn about the backstories of the promotion’s biggest stars (many of which are mainstream, household names in different regions) through different insight segments. Every two weeks, a new episode is released on the OKTAGON MMA UK & Ireland YouTube channel.
