Part of Oktagon 70 welterweight Andrej Kalasnik’s more recent success has been learning to simply have fun with fighting.
Kalasnik (12-5), who enters a fight with ex-title challenger Mate Kertesz this Saturday, sits on a two-fight win streak, and could find himself in the title picture himself with one or two more. Speaking with Cageside Press ahead of the event in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, “AK-47” explained that his change in mentality came with the birth of his son.
“I started to enjoy more, MMA. Even when I had a seven fight win streak, I was like, ‘I cannot lose,’ and my fights sometimes were boring,” Kalasnik admitted, adding that in some fights, he was essentially looking to simply score points to secure wins. “But right now, I started to enjoy the fights, enjoy the process, enjoy the fight life. I already have this win streak of two wins, I enjoy the fights, enjoy the entrance. Maybe after my son was born, I don’t take things so serious, and it’s better for me.”
Being entertaining as a fighter is now a huge factor for Kalasnik, who hopes he can be entertaining enough to land a title shot. “This is the most important thing for me. MMA is a sport, but it’s show business. At the end of the day, you need to put on some show in the fight, or before the fight.”
So far, so good on that front. The feedback he’s been getting has been positive. “I see it from the fans or I see it from the internet that they like me more, so I’m grateful for this.”
A native of the Czech Republic, Kalasnik is a longtime friend and training partner of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. The pair met back in high school, and Kalasnik was there for Prochazka’s rise through RIZIN and then the UFC.
“You try just to stay alive in the spar. You try to stay alive, because he’s hunting for you every time. Even [though] in sparring, you try to go a little less, but he’s a machine. He’s crazy. So sometimes I have some broken stuff, some broken bones after sparring with him, but he’s such a nice guy. He’s such a nice guy.”
Part of what Andrej Kalasnik respects about Prochazka is that he doesn’t “make some sh*tty trash talk,” and “if you call him, he’s ready to help. He’s one of the biggest motivations for me, because I know him personally, so he motivates me a lot.”
As for his own fight with Mate Kertesz this weekend, Kalasnik has two things in mind: a Fight of the Night bonus, of which he has three, and a finish. Or as he put it, “Money on my mind and the finish on my mind.”
Watch our full interview with Oktagon 70’s Andrej Kalasnik above.
