That’s exactly the case for Irish fighter Will Fleury, who holds belts at both heavyweight and light heavyweight and has been looking simply unstoppable for some time now.
The pound-for-pound number one in the Oktagon rankings gave us an exclusive interview ahead of his title defence in Berlin, where we discussed his preparation for the big fight, his shocking triumph over Martin Buday, and the fact that mixed martial arts are still in their infancy in Ireland.
In December last year, Prague’s O2 arena was looking forward to a heavyweight clash. On one side, the dominant champion Fleury, on the other, the returning Martin Buday - the Slovak giant who once held the heavyweight title, but later decided to swap OKTAGON for the prestigious UFC.
He did well among the elite, racking up seven wins and just one loss, but despite that, he wasn’t offered a new contract. After four years, he returned home with a single goal - to win back the belt he never lost. But Fleury had a very different idea…
The Irishman absolutely demolished Buday just 1:33 into the first round, first catching his kick, then landing a punch to the face that really shook the Slovak. He then finished the job against the cage, winning by TKO.
"I know I was the underdog, but I believed I could finish Martin. I know what I’m capable of as a fighter, and I’ve watched a lot of his fights. So I wasn’t surprised.
"I was pleased with how it turned out, but I’ll admit, I didn’t expect the fight to end so quickly or to land so many shots. But then I wanted to make the most of it, and I’m happy with my performance," he reflected on his big win at the start of his interview with Flashscore.
Fleury’s first fight of the year is coming up on June 20th in Berlin, where he’ll headline Oktagon 90 against German representative Kasim Aras.
"As for Aras, I think he’s a bit underrated. He’s been performing well in Oktagon and deserves the title shot more than anyone. I’m looking forward to it. Berlin is a great city."
Aras remains unbeaten under the yellow and black flag, having defeated Poland’s Adam Palasz and Italy’s Simon Biyong. The former Elite MMA Championship and Fair Fighting Championship titleholder is known for his aggressive fighting style, combining powerful strikes with strong wrestling. Is Fleury, who is also still undefeated, motivated by the chance to hand him his first loss?
"I study my opponents a lot. Not so much the stats, more their fights, but yes, the chance to end someone’s unbeaten streak is extra motivation. But mainly, it’s about me, not him - about putting in a performance worthy of myself and showing I’m clearly the best guy in Oktagon," the Irishman said.
The native of Cahir doesn’t want to leave anything to chance and has been preparing with some of the biggest names on the world MMA scene.
"Preparation is going well. I was at a camp in Las Vegas and trained with Sean Strickland (current UFC middleweight champion) and Johnny Walker.
"Also in Manchester with names like Ateba Gautier and Abraham Bably. I’m happy with how it went. I’m looking forward to the fight."
Although Oktagon has long since expanded beyond the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Czech capital still holds a special place in the Irish fighter’s heart.
"So far, my most special moments have been in Prague - the fight with Karlos (Vemola), the incredible atmosphere in the O2 arena, and the fight with Buday was also very special. So if I had to choose, my favourite city to fight in is Prague," he admits.
We also asked Fleury if he plans to go for a third Oktagon title. At the moment, it seems that everything he touches turns to gold, and although the organisation has had several "double champions", no one has ever held three belts at the same time. It would be a historic achievement.
"If the opportunity comes up, I’d like to go for a third title. But first, I want to 'clean out' the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions of all challengers and make sure they’re secured. Only then will I think about another belt," he replied.
Fleury finds himself in a rather unusual situation. While in countries like Germany, Czechia or Slovakia, he’s a huge sports star, things are different at home.
He’s said before that it would be amazing to have an event in Ireland, but for now, that remains just a dream. MMA is not a globally popular sport, and while it’s booming in places like Germany, other countries like Ireland are a different story. For example, the French only legalised mixed martial arts in January 2020.
"People in Ireland still don’t really recognise me. I’d really like MMA to be shown on free-to-air TV one day, because we don’t really have a platform, and a lot of Irish fans don’t even know about it.
"MMA is in a strange situation in Ireland. I feel like if people saw what I do - because I think I’m doing something special - they’d be really excited.
"But it just hasn’t caught on at home yet. I get recognised more in Prague or most other cities in Central Europe where I spend time," Fleury admitted.
The two-time Oktagon champion also attracts attention because his partner in both life and training is Czech fighter Lucie Pudilova, who will have a chance to win the bantamweight title in August against the unbeaten Slovak Lucia Szabova. If she succeeds, she and Fleury would become the first couple in the organisation’s history to hold both the men’s and women’s titles at home.
"I’m really excited for that fight, because she’s wanted this opportunity for a long time, and I’m just glad she can show the fans how good she really is.
"The idea of us both having belts as a couple isn’t something I think about much, but it would be great. But sport is sport, you have to take things as they come.
"No one knows how it’ll all turn out, but it would be amazing if it happened, and funny too, but I don’t think it would make that much difference to our relationship," he added at the end of the interview with a smile.
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