Michal Fijalka (6-1) after his loss, if we can call it a loss, with Hans Stringer (16-4-1) at Beast of the East 2 is still a top light heavyweight in Poland. The fight ended up with a technical submission. We know it was a mistake because as it turned out, kimura that Stringer had locked didn’t make a big impression on Michal. His frustration after the fight was caused by the referee’s decision to stop the fight. It is his first loss in MMA. Below, a short interview we did with Michal just after the fight.
Was the kimura that Stringer locked that tight and did the referee made the right decision to stop the fight? I’ve watched it several times and you didn’t tap. Did you feel any pain? I suspect you had an idea on how to escape from it?
Of course my mistake was that I even allowed him to catch my arm!! Kimura was locked correctly but I didn’t feel pain and what’s more my arm was leant against one of the ropes. My idea was to roll to the side so that Stringer would look to change the position. Unfortunately the referee erroneously, in my opinion, decided to end the fight. I’m an experienced fighter and coming into a fight I know what risk I take and if I didn’t tap then the fight should be carried on.
As Maciej Glabus said, Hans Stringer is a very promising fighter in the Netherlands. You are considered very promising as well and you had a chance to beat him. If you had won that fight you would have probably got new offers and could have developed even more, unfortunately you lost. How will you spend the following months and is there any element or elements you would look improve more?
I’m going to work hard and I want to enter the ring as soon as possible, I feel very unsatisfied!
Did you and your coach have a chance to draw any conclusions from this fight? What did he tell you after the fight?
He was as mad as I but it’s a competition, things like that happen.
When do you expect to go back to the ring? Would you like a rematch with Stringer?
Of course I think about a rematch, I was thinking about it 3 minutes after the fight. Nothing is settled tough but I’ll be waiting impatiently!
As usual you prepared with your coach Piotr Baginski and rest of the fighters from Berserkers Team. Did you suffer any injuries during preparations? Did everything go according to your plan?
Preparations were as always hard and very professional what I always emphasize. I had a few injuries. The most significant one I sustained a week before the fight. I strained a sinew in my right leg, fortunately I managed to recover.
Would you like to thank anybody?
Of course, as always I would like to thank my coach Piotr Bagnski, colleagues from Berserkers Team, Grappler Info :), PIT BULL, and OPTICUM and everybody who believes in me!
