FNC 13 pre-fight exclusive: Eight interviews, twelve matches, and a clash of the best Croatian amateur heavyweights
The participants from the event in Belgrade will announce the spectacle, and we will also witness some of the best amateur fighters from the region and beyond
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We are just two weeks away from the FNC 13 spectacle in Belgrade. Preceding that, we have the Fight Nation Championship pre-fight show, featuring a total of 12 amateur matches along with interviews of eight participants from the event. All of this will take place on Sunday, October 22nd, starting at 6 PM on the FNC YouTube channel.
We'll have five 'preliminary fights', followed by matches featuring some of the best amateurs from Croatia and the wider region. Below is a list of the matches and a bit about each fight in the 'main part' of the pre-fight show. It will all culminate in a high-level heavyweight clash between Tiriel Luka Abramović (22, 7-1) from the American Top Team in Zagreb and Marko Perković 'Thompson' (20, 3-1) who trains at the Pantera Team, often alongside FNC's light heavyweight champion Matej Batinić (31, 20-5).
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Among the fighters scheduled for interviews are Francisco ‘Croata’ Barrio (34, 11-3), Aleksandar ‘Mlata' Vukosavljević (30, 0-0), Ivica ‘Terror’ Trušček (39, 42-38), Nikola Joksović (29, 12-1), Savo Lazić (34, 11-6), Marko Bojković (21, 4-0), Vaso Bakočević (34, 43-23-1), Ognjen Babić (22, 4-0).
FNC 13 PRE FIGHT SHOW
Tiriel Luka Abramović (22, 7-1) – Marko Perković (20, 3-1) -120 kg
The heavyweight showdown between two of Croatia's best amateur heavyweights will be the crowning event of the evening. Fierce knockout artist Abramović will face Perković in their third encounter, with each fighter having one victory under their belt so far. Following Tiriel's monstrous knockout in the last pre-fight show, this time he faces a man who has already defeated him, and evidently knows the winning combination.
Marko Ančić (20, 6-1) – Nikola Dimovski (21, 8-5) -70kg
Ančić is one of the biggest assets of the Zagreb-based American Top Team, holding multiple European and world medals in BJJ. However, he has been improving in striking as well, and perhaps this cost him in the last pre-fight show, where he didn't engage too much in takedowns and suffered his first loss. Nonetheless, he's coming back stronger than ever, facing a fighter from the Omladinac club in Montenegro, which is also the home of Lazar Kukuličić. Additionally, this matchup features two fighters who have won awards as the best fighters in previous FNC amateur tournaments.
Denis Kovačević (23, 8-3) – Patrik Šebek (21, 22-5-1) 80 kg
After a loss to Ognjen Babić (22, 4-0) in 'Armagedon,' Denis joined the Car Dušan Silni team from Novi Sad, and now he's making his return to the FNC cage. As the winner of several FNC amateur tournaments, he will be facing one of the best Slovakian fighters and a national champion.
Luka Radulović (19, 15-2) – Toni Parać (19, 8-2) -77 kg
Luka comes from the Montenegrin Prometej gym and is one of the best amateur fighters there. In the last pre-fight show, he defeated Croatian MMA representative Jan Gojsalić (20, 5-1). On the other side stands Toni, who comes from the Valens MMA club in Vinkovci, Croatia, and has gained amateur experience in tournaments in Croatia.
Ognjen Radaković (20, 8-7) – Dalibor Dragojević (19, 20-5) -77kg
Ognjen is a fighter we remember well from the previous amateur tournaments, and he represented Croatia at the IMMAF amateur World Championships in Belgrade. His opponent will be a Montenegrin fighter from the Omladinac MMA club, whom we also saw in FNC amateur tournaments, where he earned his spot on this pre-fight show with excellent performances.
Jan Gojsalić (20, 8-1) – Marko Cetina (19, 0-1)
Jan is the Croatian MMA champion and brought home the first victory in history for the country at the amateur World Championships in Belgrade. He fights for the Gladijator club in Zagreb, and in the last edition of the pre-fight show, we saw him in an excellent match against Luka Radulović. Marko Cetina comes from the Panther Team, and he has experience in savate, grappling, and MMA tournaments.
Marino Dugandžić – Duje Vuković -93 kg
From the Mostar-based Slava MMA club, Marino comes, who competed in one FNC tournament and - won. On the other side, he will face Duje, who has been training MMA for a year at the ATT in Zagreb, and this will be his amateur debut.
UNDERCARD
Franko Jerković – Petar Ražov -75kg
Markos Jaković – Roko Milotić -77 kg
Niko Martan – Maks Vojvodić -75 kg
Petar Mujkanović – Matej Matošević -66 kg
Nikola Perić – Patrik Kožul -57 kg