There is a lot of buzz these days around Slovak wild boar Vlast Čep, who is successfully mowing down one opponent after another, and his activities in the cage are understandably monitored by the famous UFC. At the same time, it was not long ago that the fighter with Serbian roots received an offer to the show Dana White’s Contender Series, where the 28-year-old shooter would have a chance to fight for his dream contract. But at the moment, plans are more important.
“The offer came to us at the turn of July and August. It was short notice, the match was supposed to be in a week. It would be a big problem to meet the weight limit and it’s true that we decided within a minute because we have a signed match in Bratislava in October. We dismissed it at that point. We swept it under the table mainly because of the Octagon and secondarily because it was too hasty,” the wrestler’s manager Marián Jakubík explains to Sport.cz the reasons for the rejection.
Another luxury opportunity is looming for Čep. If he were to manage the already mentioned fight in Bratislava, he would most likely have a title shot with middleweight champion Patrik Kincle. “Ondra Novotný (co-founder) and I have agreed that as soon as October turns out successfully, we will accept the challenge for the title match with Patrik Kincle. We will act immediately after the match. But at the same time, we are dealing with the UFC,” explains Jakubík.
The goal is to sign a direct contract with the elite league. “I’m pushing Vlast to sign a direct contract with the UFC, because I think he already has those qualities and didn’t have to go the DWCS route. Of course, we are waiting to see how the October fight in Bratislava turns out. If we succeed, I think we are very close to signing the contract,” revealed the manager, whose client already knows the opponent for the tournament in Slovakia. He will be the Egyptian Ahmed Sami.
There is a chance, however, that the Slovak fighter would have time to both fight for the title and go overseas. “If the offer to the UFC came, it takes a while before it is signed and before they offer you the first possible fight. That would probably be based on the first quarter of the following year, so there would be time for the title match against Kincl,” he describes the plans, stating that the battle for the title belt will most likely not take place until the beginning of 2024. “Vlasto is in a long preparation and also he needs to rest. But of course the match will be on the condition that he manages to win in Bratislava,” says Jakubík.
But he doesn’t have to stay with the seasoned Čep. The same offer was waiting for the hot Ronald Paradeiser, whose ride also commands respect in the Oktagon MMA organization. After all, the only twenty-six-year-old Slovak representative has lost only once in the last four years, namely in the title battle for the lightweight belt with the later Belgian champion Losen Keita. It didn’t meet with success here either.
“I hope the manager doesn’t kill me. “I got an offer for the Contender Series, but I already have a new contract in the Octagon, where there is no clause to leave,” Paradeiser confirmed on social media. “I don’t know, well, I thought about it. The Octagon is moving forward and I still have some work to do there. I want to beat Keita and I want to become the champion. Then we will talk about it if my contract expires,” he added.
According to Martin Buday, currently one of the two Slovakian fighters among the elite, there could be a chance for another name as well. “The closest to Contender is probably Štefan Vojčák, my sparring partner. I saw some articles that he should be the closest to it. But I don’t know… He’s a heavyweight, although he lost to a very tough opponent last time. Maybe this loss pushed him away from Contender, but if he adds maybe 2-3 wins, he can easily get there. It’s just my guess, let’s be surprised,” he revealed a possible option for Sport.cz.
2023-09-11 18:00:33
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