In the main event of the kickboxing part of Final Fight Championship that is to take place September 18 in Linz, David Keclik will have his farewell match. His opponent will be one of the best middleweight division fighters – Jason Wilnis.
David Keclik will retire from the sport of kickboxing after his upcoming match at FFC 19. His opponent will be Glory's Jason Wilnis, a top middleweight category fighter. Keclik wanted to do his farewell match in his hometown and FFC was a perfect occasion.
"FFC is a big organization that makes top events. So I could not even imagine a better farewell fight,“ said David Keclik to Fight Site.
Keclik started to train kickboxing when he was 14. Back at that time kickboxing events were not that common, but one day his coach asked him if he wanted to fight.
“I actually had no idea what that mean since I've never seen a kickboxing tournament. But I said I wanted to and that's how it started. After that I got a chance to fight again, and here I am now, ahead of my last match.“
During his career he had many interesting and tough opponents among which he could not select a single one as the most dangerous.
“Your opponent is dangerous if you're not well prepared. All fighters have good and bad sides. They have their qualities and flaws that you can use to finish them. But it is not an easy task to put your opponent in such a situation. I never cared about titles and belts. I always cared about doing my best. Then I was happy and then I knew I did what I wanted to do. Kickboxing defined my life. I travelled a lot because I am a kickboxer, I've been to places I would never be go otherwise. I met a lot of people and learned I have to respect everyone. Through this sport I find out what true love means. I would not change a single thing in my career. I made it all through hard work and with my heart. I does not matter if it turned out good or bad. I would not change a single thing.“
When fighters are about to retire they often start to think about past, they start to calculate and think about whether they accomplished everything they wanted to.
“I never dreamed about becoming a fighter. It just happened. There were times I had my chances, when I did my best and sometimes I accomplished my goals. I am actually proud of my career. When I started I had no coach and I made it all by myself. When I think about past, I realize I accomplished everything I wanted to.“
Despite the fact that he is to retire this September, David Keclik will still stay in the sport he dedicated his life to.
“I will be in kickboxing forever. I opened my gym eight years ago and I will help young fighters reach their goals.“
But before focusing on young fighters, David has to do his last professional match. His opponent will be Jason Wilnis. The preps are going fine and David has everything under control. He also studied his opponent.
“He is young and he is one of the best fighters in this division. This is the only thing I need to know. I have more experience and I will try to use my height as an advantage. I will also have my hometown audience cheering for me there. It is always nice to fight in your hometown. I haven't fought that often in Linz and now after my last match, I'd like to thank everybody for the support.“
When David Kecklik enters the ring, the audience is never disappointed and it will probably be like that this time as well.
“The audience can expect tough fight as I always provide it in the ring. That's why I wanted a tough opponent in my last match. I will do my best and I believe we will deliver a great fight.“
So David is to fight his farewell match in front of his hometown audience and we wonder whether these two factors put even a bigger pressure on him.
“I don't feel special pressure. Same as any other match. I know this is my farewell match and I will start a new chapter of my life after it“, said David Kecklik in the end.