Nandor Guelmino Ready To Defend Against All Comers
“I’m very pleased, because I waited for over one-and-a-half years for this. To be the WFC heavyweight champion is big for me, because it took hard work and hard fights to get here. I stopped three champions: Ben Smith, who won six in a row prior to fighting me, Ajlin Ahmic, who was unbeaten, and Emil Zahariev, who’d won nine fights in a row. That’s enough reason to be proud of winning the belt.
“It’s my gift to myself for all the hard training and the discipline in the last three years. You wouldn’t believe it, but I’ve never had time for anything else; only for my work, training and one or two hours with my girlfriend after the training before bedtime. ”
With a combination of patience, tough training sessions and the mentality of a champion, Nandor Guelmino, whose words can be read above, lifted World Freefight Challenge gold at WFC 17: ‘Olimp Live & Fight,’ defeating Emil Zahariev by decision. ‘The Hun,’ knowing the skill set of his opponent, approached the bout with caution, a strategy that paid dividends and saw him crowned at the Hala Tivoli.
“The fight went like I wanted it to, but wasn’t what the people wanted to see,” admitted Guelmino. “It’s very difficult to fight somebody who doesn`t want to fight. He always went back and waited, giving absolutely no attack. However, his strongest assets are the counter attack, overhand left or the takedown. That’s how he won his last fight by KO. When people start booing, some fighters rush in and lose.
“I didn’t want to make the same mistake. The plan was to hit him from the outside and hold back, not rushing in. I’ve never been booed in my life, but he has in a few from his fights, so it’s very difficult to make a fight out of it with his fighting style; nearly impossible without risking a loss. This was my most important fight, a title fight, so there was to be no playing around and risking; winning was the plan, and it worked out.
“I know that it wasn’t the most spectacular performance for the people, but it was a tactical chess game and at this level, you make one mistake and you lose. Everybody who doesn`t understand this, go and watch World Wrestling Entertainment!”
Moving forward, the Austrian is ready and willing to defend against all comers and is eagerly awaiting his next bout.
“Who my next opponent is will be decided by WFC president, Zlatko Mahic,” stated Nandor. “It’s a pleasure to have this belt and this isn’t a musical request programme. I must and will defend it, no matter who the next opponent is. I hope that you will enjoy my next fight more. Thank you for your support.”
Who would you like to see Guelmino take on next? Tell us on Facebook or tweet your view to @WFC_si.
By Dean Parr