Ivica Truscek Delighted To Retain Belt; Hallmann Next?

A stellar performance saw Ivica Truscek retain his WFC welterweight title last Sunday at WFC 17: ‘Olimp Live & Fight.’ To do this, he had to get through Sergei Churilov, a much feared Ukrainian who many see as a future star of mixed martial arts. In anticipation of the bout, Truscek told WFC.si his view that if his foe couldn’t get the better of him on the feet, he was doomed. The 24-year-old proved this to be correct, with a rip-roaring second round stoppage now added to his list of wins. On the fight winning gameplan, the ‘Terror’ noted,

 

“I studied his fights and hadn’t seen a single takedown attempt by Sergei. On Sunday, he did three.

I didn’t dominate the stand-up as I wanted, but I was getting there. I was setting him up for a beating, and had he not felt it coming, it would have been a good one. However, he’s smart guy with a good corner.

 

“He saw where things were going, so turned the tables and suddenly became a wrestler, which, unfortunately for him, did not serve him well either, as I was able to get on top at one point, and from there I don’t need a lot of time to finish even BJJ black belts, let alone a boxer.

 

“He’s great fighter, no doubt about it.  He was undefeated in all of his ten fights, beating some very good fighters along the way, but was unable to adjust to my style, and you could see he was uncomfortable standing with me. He has a nasty right hand, and he didn’t even get a chance to throw it.

 

“His wrestling surprised me though. One moment we were exchanging punches, and the next I was flying through the air like a ragdoll. There were really good takedowns on his part, which I didn’t expect. I thought he would strike with me to the end, even if he was losing the fight.”

 

Truscek’s best performances to date have come in his fights for WFC gold. Does he see this as a coincidence?

 

“No way,” retorted Ivica. “Ljubljana is a two-hour drive from my home, so the whole Croatian Top Team, my striking coach Krešo Mercep and my brother Matija can all be in my corner. That’s why I perform best in the WFC ring, just doing what they tell me to do. My corner is the key ingredient, and I owe my success to them.”

 

Moving forward, the under-77kg kingpin has his eyes on another strap to add to his collection. He said,

 

“At welterweight we need some fresh blood to challenge me for the title. Until that sorts itself out, I heard some new Polish guy was impressive in my natural weight class, and what would be better than having the belt, than to have two of them?”

 

To wrap up, Truscek had some final words to add for the fans.

 

“Thanks a lot for coming to the Hala Tivoli and showing strong support, I will always do my best to give it back and entertain you. I bust my ass for two months every single day so I could perform well, so I hope you weren’t disappointed. Next year I will be even better.”

 

Would you like to see Truscek vs. Hallmann? Tell us on our Facebook page or Twitter.

 

WFC 17: ‘Olimp Live & Fight’ can still be watched on WFCTV.com. Be sure to check out the action if you missed it on the night!