Oktagon MMA women’s strawweight champ Katharina Dalisda didn’t plan on a career in MMA, and didn’t watch the sport before coming into it “by surprise more or less.”
Dalisda (10-3) was a longtime judo practitioner who decided to try kickboxing for fun, “but I didn’t have a mind to fight or go into MMA,” she told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of Oktagon 53, where she will make her first title defense. At the gym one day, she couldn’t find a training partner for kickboxing sparring, but there was an open mat for grappling. “I thought okay, I have a judo background, I can try it. And that was the point where I said okay, I really want to do grappling also.”
Things blossomed from there. So much so that Dalisda will look to become the most successful female fighter in Oktagon history on February 10, 2024 when she takes on Eva Dourthe.
“She’s a really tough opponent. She’s well rounded, she’s dangerous in wrestling but striking as well,” Dalisda said of her opponent, who she’s quite familiar with. “We have to be ready in every discipline and be very focused, to show what I’m made of. I’m really looking forward to the fight because she’s tough and I’m sure we will deliver an action-loaded fight, so it will be fun for us and also for fans.”
Katharina Dalisda and Eva Dourate have met before, first fighting three years ago outside of Oktagon. Dalisda sees both herself and her opponent as having improved since.
“I think she’s more flexible now, and seems to look a lot better than before. She’s also a tough wrestler, but I think she’s just more flexible, and she optimized in every discipline as well as me. So we both are a few steps further than a few years ago.”
As for her future, whether it’s in Oktagon MMA, the UFC, or elsewhere, Dalisda just wants to keep improving.
“I’m not so focused on where I’m fighting, I just want to fight good opponents. Improve myself more and more,” the German champ, who will be fighting at home this weekend, told us. “I just want to see a development from fight to fight, to stay on an optimization streak.”
Watch our full interview with Oktagon 53’s Katharina Dalisda above.
