Dragan Pesic reveals everything about his role models, his expectations when it comes to the new FFC season, everything about his training camp, hobbies and why he would like to fight a certain fighter – Pesic would like to fight himself.

New FFC season brings new Pesic's match. “Little Wonder” is to return to the FFC ring after his match with Darko Banovic got cancelled twice. In the end they fought in another organization and Dragan failed. In his new FFC challenge he is to face Lemmy Krusic in featherweight division.

Finally, you have a new match in the FFC and it is not very likely your opponent would cancel, at least not without a good reason. How frustrating is the fact that it took so long to finally do a match with Darko Banovic?

I am a very calm and cool guy. I talk and I think very fast and I do not focus on things I cannot influence. The only thing that frustrates me in stupidity, but I learned to ignore that with time since it is all around us.

Banovic was to be a turning point in my career for the first, second and third time the match was scheduled. But in the end it made me gather my wits and make me wonder why I lose important matches. Why do I even pressure myself over an important match? I do this because I love it, not because I have to. And this is how I will approach it from now on.

In the end you fought Darko Banovic at AFC and lost via stoppage in the first round. Did he surprise you? What do you think you did wrong?

I did this match against Darko very poorly for the reasons only I know. I do not want to talk about it because I did my training camp like never before. I trained in Hamstad MMA team with Alan Carlos and Bruno Carvalho, with my friends from Subotica from the former Ultra team as well as with Wonders. I've never been more prepared when it comes to strength and tactics. However, it was all in my head as well as when I fought Bilic. The only person I could call my coach, Mark Lajhner, told me: 'You could take down GSP and play with him for five rounds, but you can also lose to your two-year old son, because your biggest enemy is your head!' Darko is a great person and I hope we will meet again, maybe on some BAMMA event.

What was it like to fight at AFC and can you compare it with FFC?

Nebil Sebai really made a brand of out of AFC. I have to admit that the way they treated fighters and the business side was very highly organized. Event was at a high level. Although I have not done anything in the ring, I still left the impression that I am a professional and I negotiated two more matches for AFC.  Nebil Sebai was really professional and I have to emphasize we made a deal to cooperate thanks to Heavy Duty Fight Management and I will do my preps for the upcoming FFC in Gym23.

Nevertheless, you decided to return to matches really fast and defeated Mladen Ponjevic this month. How did you feel after that bout?

Yes, for a local promotion called Kratos Fighting Challenge and I really have only the best words for the organizers who do their best to create something in the Republika Srpska. Punjevic is a good kicboxer and he landed a couple of quite solid punches on me. I felt it. But I dominated on the ground and won quite quickly. I left the ring with only a couple of scratches. Next weekend I also fight for the Kratos FC against dangerous fighter from Slovakia. I just have to say the FFC leaders have nothing to worry about. Defeat is not an option, but whatever happens, I would fight Lemmy even with a broken leg.

After your match with Manuel Bilic you said you lost because you were stupid. Do you think you became any smarter in the meanwhile?

No. I will never get any smarter! I enter the ring with open heart and I take things very emotionally. But the most important is that I gathered my wits. I found my inner peace, if I may say so. We will see if that works next weekend. That peace of mine… And the unrest… Whatever that is, I dunno.

You have not fought in the UK for quite some time now.

It's different in the UK. I was offered to fight for some very good local promotions such as M4TC, FSC, UCMMA… But my management is working on a deal with BAMMA in bantam, because I am bantam and not featherweight in the end. So I wait. I also wait to get my UK work permit and I do not mind being home with my family.

Your opponent at FFC 19 will be Lemmy Krusic, an experienced fighter who also got a title shot. Do you think he will be your toughest opponent so far?

I am my own toughest opponent. Lemmy is just a number. So…  Let's roll, brawl and drink beer!

Can we expect your standard game plan? Attacking from the very beginning and imposing your pace?

No! Expect the unexpected. It is boring to expect something expected. Hope for the unexpected!

How will you respond to Lemmy's excellent ground game in case he manages to impose his style?

You do not have to be a nuclear physicist to understand Lemmy's tactics. He will try to take me down and make me tired with his ground n' pound, like he always does. But I want to exchange punches. I hope we will make it a good fight, no game plan and too much thinking.

You love beer and one might think your role model outside the ring might be Donald Cerrone. Is he your role model in the ring as well? Or are there some other fighters whose matches you love to watch and whose style you try to copy?

Donald is a great guy. He is honest, not a poser at all. But my role model is Genki Sudo.

If you defeat Lemmy it would definitely launch you to the FFC top. Is there a fighter you would especially like to fight?

You mean WHEN I defeat Lemmy? Please, make my clone. I would like to fight myself in the ring. That would be a real war! I would make myself pay for everything I screwed up in life.

This will be your second match in the FFC and both times in Austria. Would you like to fight somewhere closer to where you come from? Did you talk about it with the FFC leaders?

I do not know where I come from and where I belong anymore. In theory, I am a nomad, but I would desperately like to fight in Athens, if FFC organizes an event there. I have many fans in Greece, they would come with a couple of buses and that would feel like home.

You spent your summer fighting and training. When do you plan to have some rest? What does your rest look like?

Rest? Well, I will have to plant some pear trees in my garden. That will be my rest. Next year expect some homegrown pears!