Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Lucie Pudilova has
patiently toiled away for her opportunity at a world title. But
despite the setbacks and injuries, she vows that her sacrifices
will pay off gloriously Saturday night.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for the opportunity to have this
fight,” Pudilova told Sherdog.com. “I’ve battled through my
injuries so I could be ready as fast as possible and still I’ve
been kept waiting. But now I’m here. Finally.”

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Former UFC veteran Lucie Pudilova says years of injuries and
postponed fights have prepared her to challenge unbeaten Oktagon
champion Lucia Szabova

Pudilova aims to shock the world when she challenges unbeaten Lucia
Szabova for the Oktagon
bantamweight title at
Oktagon 92 at Stvanice Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic. This
fight is six years in the making as Pudilova (17-11) has had the
Oktagon flyweight and bantamweight double champion in her sights
since 2020. Twice they were scheduled to fight, and both times
their fight has fallen apart, but Pudilova says nothing will keep
her from getting her hands on the champion this time around.

“This is a great opportunity because her hype is high and mine is
not, so I feel like I will head into this fight with a
surprise.”

But it will be hard to stun the Oktagon double-champion. Szabova
(9-0) is a silent killer who has stopped her last three opponents
and she has some bad blood with the challenger. When the two were
originally scheduled to fight in December 2024, Szabova pulled out
of the fight with the flu on days notice, much to Pudilova’s
dismay.

Luckily the fight would be rescheduled for the following summer,
but Pudilova’s career would take an unexpected turn after she
suffered a devastating knee injury in training. Tearing her
meniscus and multiple ligaments would force her to withdraw and
watch from the sidelines as Szabova added another title around her
waist.

Szabova’s star burned bright as Puidlova grinded through the
darkness of a difficult rehabilitation. As a two-time UFC Fight of
the Night recipient, Pudilova is no stranger to digging deep and
coming back from adversity, but her disdain for Szabova was a jolt
of jet fuel to her fire.

“I do actually feel extra pressure,” she added. “I feel really
excited to fight in front of a home crowd, but this is good. I want
to feel pressure before the fight. It’s not good to like feel
nothing.”

With her chance to stun the world and become the first person to
defeat Szabova, Pudilova understands the stakes of this fight.
Headlining Oktagon 92 in her home country is a dream come true
after a lifetime of scraps. Pudilova has fallen short against the
likes of Liz Carmouche, Ailin Perez and Joselyn Edwards, but has
never been knocked out. She’s waited long enough for her moment,
and Saturday could be the night where her career changes
forever.

“[Szabova’s] opponents come in and they don’t look like they
actually want to win. They see her film and they come into the
fight scared. But this will not happen to me. I’m not scared of
her.”

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger