Dvorak will face Zhalgas Zhumagulov in the co-main event of OKTAGON 81 on Sunday for the flyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and Dvorak is happy to see it happen as he admits he wanted this fight in the UFC.
“Zhalgas is a really good opponent. I know him from the UFC,” Dvorak told BJPENN.com. “A few years ago I wanted to fight him in the UFC Octagon, but the UFC said no. So I’m very happy that our fight can finally take place, and for a title. … I asked UFC for the fight against him, but they said no. We were never offered it.”
Although both Dvorak and Zhumagulov have been released from the UFC, he believes both have improved. Dvorak said he has revamped his training since leaving the UFC, and a key part was improving his cardio.
“I changed a lot of things. I trained a little more, especially on my cardio,” Dvorak added. “When I was at a normal training camp I had about 12 workouts a week, but now I do 16. They’re better too, so it’s about quality and quantity. We’ve been doing a lot of cardio training.”
David Dvorak expects a tough fight against Zhalgas Zhumagulov
As Dvorak fights for the title at OKTAGON 81, he is prepared to go five rounds against Zhalgas Zhumagulov on Sunday.
However, Dvorak believes he has all the tools to secure an injury-time victory. But he is preparing for a very tough, technical fight.
“He had a lot of good fights in the Octagon and lost a lot of fights by split decision,” Dvorak added. “He lost via split decision to Joshua Van, who is now the UFC flyweight champion. … I see a win. But this fight will be very difficult because we both have a lot of experience. In the big leagues it will often be a chess match. Every detail will be important; whoever makes the first mistake, it could be over.”
Should Dvorak win, he will become the OKTAGON flyweight champion, which he knows is a big deal. He also knows he can make a name for himself outside of the UFC, especially in Europe, by winning the title.
“It would mean a lot to me. The last title fight I had was 10 years ago. I would like to be the only Czech champion within OKTAGON. … The UFC is of course the Champions League. But OKTAGON is great. The show is really big in Europe. Being a champion results in fame, a lot of sponsors, sometimes OKTAGON is a much better place than the UFC, because OKTAGON can pay very well and you can earn a lot of sponsors,” Dvořák concluded.
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