A fighter who will definitely not disappoint the audience in Athens is Slovenia’s Samo Petje. FFC kickboxing champion in lightweight division will open the FFC season February 19 at Faliro Olypic Hall.
In Athens Petje is to defend his FFC title for the third time. And even though it seems that it all became a routine for him now, the pressure has never been bigger. Top performances bring big expectations and Petje will have to justify his FFC status and confirm his quality since this year he is also to fight in the world’s leading kickboxing promotion Glory.
Petje did his last FFC match at FFC 21 in Rijeka, Croatia, where he faced his toughest opponent up to that point, Tigran Movsisyan. Slovenian fighter won via judges’ decision while ‘The Armenian Tiger’ suffered his first FFC loss. This time Petje will fight on his opponent’s turf. Meletis Kakoubavas is one of the best fighters coming from Greece, but Petje does not feel any pressure and he believes he will deliver yet another top match and continue with his development into elite fighter.
What did you do since your last FFC match and where did you do your preps for this match?
“I had a week break and then I started to train again once a day so I did not get too relaxed during the winter break. After the New Year, I started to train twice a day and I prepared everything with my coach Jure Cesar. I did some basic trainings with my strength and conditioning coach Tomaz Brinc and I also worked on my boxing techniques with well-known boxing coach Slobodan Andelic in boxing club Tivoli. I spent one week with Misa Baculov in Novi Sad, in Serbia, and I sparred with guys from Ronin Carnage Global Team. When I came back I visited Zagreb Yokkao Centre headed by Srdan Spirk where I did my last sparring with Jasmin Bajrovic who will also fight in Athens. As I always do, I also visited the coach of Petrosyan brothers, Alfio Romanut where I did some last fitness preps before the bout. I would like to thank all the guys who trained with me and all the coaches who invested a lot of time and effort in me.”
What did your match with Movsisyan look like from your perspective? Do you think the match was tight?
„It was not tight since I was better and I have not been in danger in any point. I controlled the match from the very first second and I stuck to my game plan. In that way I never let Tigran use his combinations when he wanted to.“
So you think that the 4th round was not necessary?
„I won all three rounds. I never let Tigran develop his game plan and I never let it go to brawl. If we fought 10 times, I would win 10 times.“
What do you know about Meletis Kakoubavas?
„I know everything I need to know. My coach studied him and he came up with our game plan. So I know everything I have to do against him to win the match.“
How will you approach this fight?
„Same as I approach any fight. I fought several times on my opponent’s turf and it will be nothing new to me. I believe it will be much harder for him to prove himself in front of his hometown audience.“
Do you think Kakoubavas will be the toughest test in your FFC career?
„It is hard to say now. We will have to wait for this match to be over to see if he was the toughest opponent I ever had in the FFC.“
You won the FFC title and you defended it a couple of times. What motivates you to keep fighting for this title?
„FFC is a serious organization that is getting bigger every day and it will soon get to the top when it comes to fighting sports promotions. I am honored to be the FFC champ and to be able to promote FFC in the very best light possible. FFC roster is awesome, every fight is a new challenge to me and it makes me become a better fighter. Of course, my big motivation are my fans, my friends and family who are proud of me and they want me to succeed.“
Robin van Roosmalen is to have his MMA debut at FFC in Athens. Last year some other kickboxers like Verhouven and Souwer also switched to MMA. Why do elite kickboxers opt for MMA? Do you think it is about money, fame or simply new challenges?
„MMA is getting bigger and more popular in general. Therefore, it also brings more money than some other combat sports. Of course, it’s not all about money. For every kickboxer MMA is also a new challenge.“
What about your plans with Glory?
„As you know, Orsat Zovko is my manager and we’ve been negotiating with Glory for quite some time now. So I hope I will do more than one match in Glory this year.“
So what would you say to combat sports fans in Athens, why should they come to see FFC 22?
„They should come to see FFC 22 because there will be lots of awesome matches. I will leave my heart in the ring as I always do and I guarantee no one will be bored.“
One could say you care more about your appearance than other fighters. Will you surprise us with something new in Athens?
„I think you should make a poll and ask female combat sports fans. Whatever they decide, so it shall be,“ said Petje laughingly.