Ray Sefo versus Valentijn Overeem
It’s not mixed martial arts, but both ‘Suga’ Ray Sefo and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovi? are both legends in their own rights. Filipovi? certainly found more success in mma than Sefo has, earning a PRIDE championship and competing in the UFC.
Now both of these legends are set to meet in a K-1 rules kickboxing match this weekend in Filipovi?’s native Croatia, headlining the K-1 Final Fight event from the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb.
Both men are not as quick as they once were, with Sefo turning 41 last month and ‘Cro Cop’ turning 38 in September, but both still possess knockout power in their strikes.
In an interview with Fighers Only Magazine, Sefo says it’s that power that each of them still has in their striking that will end this fight quickly, predicting an end with someone layed out on the mat by the end of the night.
FO: Obviously ten years ago you were both younger and therefore faster and more explosive and so on; can we expect a classic fight?
I’ve watched pretty much all of his fights. I agree to a certain point that he has lost some speed, I don’t feel I have lost speed or power, I move just as fast now if not faster than my last four years of K-1 because I work with a strength and conditioning coach now.
It depends how you train, I live in the gym. People might think I am old for the game but I don’t drink, I don’t smoke I don’t do drugs I don’t party. I don’t do drugs. I live in the gym, six times a week, twice a day. I’m always in the gym. So I can last a lot longer, I think, than a lot of people.
We will not see the final bell. I guarantee you one hundred per cent. One hundred per cent. No decision. Not at all.
FO: You’re predicting a stoppage win for yourself then?
Oh I have no doubt in my mind. I am confident, I know that I am going to be very aggressive, my training has been tremendous. I am a fast starter, a fighter that is in your face, and CroCop is a very slow starter and is a ‘mover’. I think I am a really bad match-up for him.
Well yeah when you have been fighting as long as I have you are always going to be carrying some battle wounds and so on, but its mind over matter. You get in there and you do your thing.