Milan Zerjal: ‘Everything Went To Plan’
The opening bout at WFC 17: ‘Olimp Live & Fight’ saw two of Europe’s best prospects battle in the lightweight division. The winner of this contest was Milan Zerjal, a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who used these skills to finish the fight late on, forcing his opponent to tap 4:37 into the final round. This result delighted the Serbian, who admits he was well aware of the pressure on his shoulders entering the Hala Tivoli.
“I was a little bit nervous, but confident and focused on the fight,” stated Milan. “I learned to control my nerves. I’m happy with how the fight went. I had a good strategy. Everything went to plan.”
In a truly back and forth encounter, Zerjal could not afford to take a second to rest. He feels this was beneficial to him though, and that it was a great learning experience. Milan said, “I expected Arbi Mezdihov to be tough, and he was very tough. He did not give up. He fought hard until the end. It was a long and tactical fight. It was a big experience for me. For my first pro fight, this was very valuable.”
Zerjal now wishes to remain active in his career progression, and hopes to return to the World Freefight Challenge on an upcoming show.
“I’d like to fight often, and I’d also like to fight for the WFC again,” stated the under-70kg competitor. “It’s one of the biggest organisations in Europe and people in the WFC are very professional. I also want to thank the WFC fans for supporting me.”
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