FFC Press Conference on the occasion of the FFC 16 event that is to be held tomorrow in the Austrian capital of Vienna was held yesterday at Gym 23. The stars of the fighting spectacle also participated in an open workout after the conference.

Fighters such as Alessio Sakara, Austrian kickboxing icon Fadi Merza, Shkodran Veseli, Philipp Schranz and Nicole Wesner were joined by the FFC President Orsat Zovko and Fight Channel Editor-in-Chief, Marko Petrak.

Zovko: I hope we will return to Vienna soon

Mr. Orsat Zovko opened the press conference and announced the FFC 16 spectacle that it to take place this Saturday in Vienna and which he hopes would be the biggest fighting spectacle Austria has ever seen.
“We are glad we came to Vienna since we are completely prepared now. The event is to take place in the brilliant new hall Multiversum Schwechat. The fight card is great. It is absolutely the best fight card we ever had and I believe it will be a real spectacle this Saturday. I hope this is not the last time we visit Vienna. I sincerely believe we will come back soon”, said the FFC President.

He was also asked about Nandor Guelmino who was supposed to headline the event but cancelled only a couple of days before the show.

"Nandor had problems with his knee a couple of weeks ago. But we all believed he would be able to do the match and that the injury is not that serious. Last week his injury got worse again and the medial tests showed that both his meniscuses are in bad shape. He is to undergo a surgery in January and then he will have to take some time for recovery. I believe he will fight again soon because want to re-schedule this match of him and Perak. Since there was little time to find Perak an adequate opponent, Sakara and Browarski are the 'main event' now."

Sakara did his preps with Petrosyan and Cro Cop

The day before, a special DMAX TV crew also arrived to Vienna on the occasion of the FFC 16. DMAX cameras are here to follow every step of the Italy's biggest MMA star Alessio Sakara who raised the most interest at the press conference.

"I feel great and this is finally my real weight class. Now I'm in lightweight division and now I can finally show what I can do. I like pasta and pizza and in this competition I can enjoy my favorite food and still compete. FFC is a very professional organization, everything is organized and they are a top level promotion. When it comes to Browarski, I don't really think about him. I checked him out, that's all. I think only about my performance. I don't think about my opponent“, said Sakara who has lately been training with two giants when it comes to the fighting sports – Giorgio Petrosyan and Mirko Filipovic.

"Giorgio is a friend of mine. I've learned from him a lot when it comes to boxing. He is great when it comes to technics and it was a precious experience. I spent a couple of days with Cro Cop as well. Of course, whole world knows about Mirko and it was a great honor. I liked the way he trains. I always like to take every opportunity to train with great fighters like him. I also liked Croatia very much and I can't wait to come back!”, concluded Sakara.

Veseli: My deeds will talk in the ring for themselves!

The headliner of the kickboxing part of the event is Shkodran Veseli from Albania. At the moment he lives and trains in Switzerland, but he has also been living in Vienna for a long period of time where he is surely to have a lot of supporters. He also has a special motivation when it comes to this match – revenge. Namely, he lost to Douli Chen a couple of years ago and this is a perfect opportunity for him to even the score.

“I don't want to talk much now, my deeds will talk in the ring. I am well prepared and I can't wait for the match. Originally I was supposed to fight Paul Daley, but he cancelled. I am very sorry about that. I lost to Chen three years ago and I believe it will be different now. I want to thank the FFC for inviting me again to fight in this top promotion“, said Veseli briefly.

Merza: If FFC comes back to Vienna, I might come back to fighting!

The biggest star of the event, together with Sakara, is definitely the icon of Austrian fighting sports, Fadi Merza. As he said himself, this will be his 164th match and the last fight in his career Why did he chose the FFC ring for his farewell match?

“After 20 years of career I wanted to finish this chapter in a big, professional organization such as FFC. I did a lot of matches, this will be my 164th match and I think it is time to say goodbye to professional fighting. But if FFC comes back to Austria, I will think about my comeback, it would be a different story. However, first I have to do this match on Saturday“, said Fadi Merza who has numerous fans and supporters in Austria while his farewell match raised a lot of interest in media.

Schranz: I hope for the title shot

While Fadi Merza is at the end of his career, Philipp Schranz is yet to kick start his. This will be his FFC debut and he is to test his skills with dangerous Slovenian fighter Lemmy Krusic. However, Philipp already gave the title a though.

"I know I only joined the FFC, so I do not expect the shot right away, but maybe I could get a chance next year since I believe I will win now. Of course I want the belt, we all want it, especially in this top promotion. I look forward to my debut. I'm ready and I believe I will win," said Schranz who is to fight against Lemmy Krusic who fought for the title in his last match but lost to Racic.

"It all depends on Mr. Zovko and FFC. First I must win this match and then I can think what's next. But I hope I would get a title shot next year.”

Wesner: If I focus only on myself, the titles will be mine

The last but not the least, Nicole Wesner also spoke to the media. Before the official FFC 16 event, the Austrian boxer will fight for WIBF and WBF titles. The match is to start at 7 PM and it will be a great introduction to the FFC event.

“My team and I are full of confidence, although I had a lot of problems during my preps. It actually started well, I did 10 rounds of sparring with no problems, but then I caught flu. Unfortunately, I spent 10 days in bed which was very bad for my conditioning. But I made it all up and now I feel well. My opponent is fast and maybe slightly atypical since she moves a lot. But I want to impose my rhythm and focus on my strengths. If I manage to do that, the belts will be mine,” concluded Wesner.

The official FFC 16 weigh-ins will take place Friday 2 PM at Austria Trend Hotel Pyramide, while the event is to take place Saturday, December 6 at Multiversum Schwechat.