Slovakia’s Radovan Úškrt will soon be competing at OKTAGON 40 against the highly skilled Melvin van Suijdam in the opening round of the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament.
Radovan Úškrt is a top-ranked fighter in OKTAGON who is looking to continue to climb the rankings with a win on March 4. Úškrt is a hard-hitting athlete who has earned victory in all of his bouts by way of first-round KO/TKO. The heavy-handed Úškrt will look to stop the veteran MMA fighter, and former LFL welterweight champion, Melvin van Suijdam when they face off at OKTAGON 40.
16 fighters will be competing in the prestigious €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger tournament. This is the largest cash prize of any European MMA organization in history. Úškrt will look to leave his mark and take a step further in this grand prix.
Ahead of his March 4 tournament showdown, Radovan Úškrt sat down with Tim Wheaton of MMA Sucka for an exclusive interview:
Radovan Úškrt Exclusive Interview
Thanks for your time today Radovan Úškrt! How’s training coming along for the upcoming match?
Hello, actually I’m in camp almost one year nonstop, since June 2022 I was preparing for my fight Oktagon in Brno, then I took another fight for December 3, where my opponent missed weight by 5kg so I didn’t take it, then I had fight on December 30th and right after the fight I started the camp for gamechanger. Only change is I’m now going down to welter, but I’m originally welter so all good.
Tell us more about how much wining the fan vote meant, you’re a crowd favorite!
It means a lot to me. Actually I was expecting that im gonna win. I was only Slovakian in vote and two Czechs spited Czech fans.. and also I think people like my fight style, but I’m pretty happy and very thankful to be chosen one.
What’s the gameplan for your upcoming opponent Melvin van Suijdam at OKTAGON 40?
I guess all the people who knows me already know what they can expect for my gameplan.. Fireworks in the beginning but would be also good to show fans my ground game and jitsu… So perfect scenario could be rock him and submit.
Any beef with this opponent or is it all business?
Not at all.. first time I heard his name was when they announced him for game changer, I checked him he is well rounded, also I noticed he is the LFL welter champ.
Winning most of your matches via knockout, do you want more in-cage time to develop or are you happy with quick finishes?
Most? haha so far all my 7 wins is 7 first round knockouts.. and yes that’s how I like it…
How soon would you like to compete for a world title?
Oktagon is the best European promotion so I think im fighting worldwide
Would you consider a career in Muay Thai or is it MMA from here on out?
Never say never, but for now it’s MMA… I feel comfortable in mama so I’m gonna stick with it for while…
How is the growth of MMA been in Slovakia? How do people in the nation view the sport?
In my eyes MMA is actually the second most popular sport in Slovakia also Czech… only football has more fans… YET!
Tell us about your origin in MMA, how did you start in the sport?
When I was 15 I started with box and Thai box… then in 16 I moved to wrestling and grappling… and then I connected it together which made me MMA fighter 🙂
Were there any fighters you looked up who inspired you in MMA?
Yes it’s Martin Buday, even he is HW but we hang out together for many years, I’m also one of his coaches and his main corner in UFC. This dude inspirits me a lot and only few people know all his passion for this sport.
Where YOU, the MMA fighter, going to be in five and ten years from now?
in 5 I see myself fighting in money fights and in 10 I’m having a big wooden house in the forest and hunting the animals 🙂
Do you have any advice for others entering this sport?
This sport is a lifestyle… help your mind and body, and like Oktagon quote is: There is a fighter in each of us.
€1 million Tipsport Gamechanger welterweight tournament at OKTAGON 40
In a press release, OKTAGON offered more details on the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger welterweight tournament which begins at OKTAGON 40.
“The biggest tournament in the history of European MMA is about to kick off!
Sixteen fighters representing fifteen different countries will battle it out for their share of €1 million in the Tipsport Gamechanger – the most prize money ever awarded in a European MMA tournament. OKTAGON MMA stars will compete alongside UFC, Bellator and PFL veterans in the Champions League of MMA at OKTAGON 40 on Saturday, March 4. Ostravar Arena in Ostrava, Czech Republic will play host to the entire eight-fight opening round of the welterweight bracket as well as two reserve bouts on a truly landmark card in the history of the top European promotion.
In the main event, David Kozma (30-12) looks towards a new challenge after losing his OKTAGON MMA title in December when he faces Babilon MMA welterweight champion, Łukasz Siwiec (8-1), in the Tipsport Gamechanger. ‘Pink Panther’ was the longest reigning belt holder in the promotion and defended his crown five times, fending off all challenges until he ran into Kaik Brito at OKTAGON 37. Kozma remains one of the biggest stars in the organisation but Polish finisher, Siwiec, wants to prove he can make the step up to the summit of the European food chain and silence his opponent’s adoring crowd. Will Kozma begin his path back towards the top while flying the flag for the Czech Republic or can Siwiec cause a huge upset?
Former interim OKTAGON MMA middleweight champion, Samuel Krištofič (16-4), was enjoying his run at 185lbs but the draw of the life-changing cash prize in the Tipsport Gamechanger has made him drop back down to the welterweight division. At OKTAGON 40, ‘Pirát’ will represent Slovakia in the co-main event opposite Bellator veteran, Alex Lohoré (22-8), who was born in France but raised in the UK. ‘Da Killa King’ cemented his place in the bracket after a vicious knockout of Matúš Juráček in his last outing and after joining Great Britain Top Team, he feels that now is the time to achieve his sporting potential. Can Lohoré become the first man to finish Krištofič or will ‘Pirát’ sail through to the quarter finals?
Also on the main card, German warrior, Christian Jungwirth (13-6), enters the tournament after picking up a victory over Denilson Neves de Oliveira in Munich three weeks ago. He will square off with Tato Primera (18-12) who was awarded a place in the bracket after winning the final participant fan vote with big support from his home country of Spain.
In arguably the best matched contest of the opening round, lethal submission artist, Louis Glismann (9-2), travels to Ostrava from Denmark to try and progress in the project over Georgian prospect, Amiran Gogoladze (14-3). Furthermore, Leandro ‘Apollo’ Silva (26-10-1, 1NC), is the only non-European in the Tipsport Gamechanger and will proudly fight for Brazil against Greek athlete, Andreas Michailidis (13-6).
Elsewhere in the field, the best Hungarian welterweight, Máté Kertész (13-5, 1NC), clashes with Germany’s Marcel Grabinski (22-7) and UFC veteran, Bojan Veličković (21-12-2), will represent Serbia when he takes on the man known as ‘Dracula’, Ion Surdu (12-4), from Moldova. Slovakian knockout machine, Radovan Úškrt (7-3), won the fan vote to replace the injured Christian Eckerlin in the bracket and looks to continue his 100% first round finishing streak when he faces LFL welterweight champion and top Dutch fighter, Melvin van Suijdam (13-5). John Hathaway has had to withdraw from the opening round due to an injury he has suffered.
No matches in the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger tournament can end in a draw so if the points are even after three rounds, the judges must decide who the overall winner of the bout is. Once the opening round has been concluded in Ostrava, the eight fighters who progress to the quarter finals will randomly draw numbers from 1-8 and place themselves in the next round of the bracket. Therefore, some competitors will decide who they face in the quarter finals.”
