David Dvorak expecting a ‘chess match’ against Zhalgas Zhumagulov for flyweight title at OKTAGON 81

David Dvorak is ready to bring a world title back to the Czech Republic.

Dvorak is set to take on Zhalgas Zhumagulov on Sunday in the co-main event of OKTAGON 81 for the flyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and one Dvorak is glad is happening as he admits he wanted this fight in the UFC.

“Zhalgas is a really good opponent. I know him from the UFC,” Dvorak said to BJPENN.com. “A few years ago, I wanted to fight with him inside the UFC Octagon, but the UFC said no. So, I’m really happy that our fight can now finally happen, and for a title. … I asked UFC for the fight against him, but they told me no. We never got offered him.”

Although both Dvorak and Zhumagulov were released from the UFC, he believes both have gotten better. Dvorak said he revamped his training since his UFC departure, and a key part was improving his cardio.

“I changed a lot of things. Training a little bit more, especially on my cardio,” Dvorak added. “When I was doing a normal training camp, I had around 12 training sessions a week, but now I’m doing 16. They are also better, so it’s quality and quantity. We have done a lot of cardio training.”

David Dvorak is expecting a tough fight against Zhalgas Zhumagulov

With Dvorak fighting for the belt at OKTAGON 81, he’s prepared to go five rounds against Zhalgas Zhumagulov on Sunday.

However, Dvorak does believe he has all the tools to get a stoppage win. But, he’s preparing for a very tough, technical fight.

“He had a lot of really good fights in the Octagon and lost a lot of fights by split decision,” Dvorak added. “He lost by split decision to Joshua Van, who’s now the UFC flyweight champion. … I see victory. But, this fight will be very hard because we both have a lot of experience. A lot of time in the big leagues, it will be a chess match. Every detail will be important; whoever makes the first mistake it can be over.”

Should Dvorak win, he will become the OKTAGON flyweight champ, which he knows is a big deal. He also knows he can make himself a name outside of the UFC, especially in Europe, by winning the belt.

“It would mean a lot for me. The last title fight I had was 10 years ago. I would like to be the only Czech champion inside OKTAGON. … The UFC is the Champions League, of course. But, OKTAGON is amazing. The show is really big in Europe. Being the champion results in being famous, a lot of sponsors, sometimes OKTAGON is a much better spot than the UFC, because OKTAGON can pay really well, and you can earn a lot of sponsors,” Dvorak concluded.