MMA | Premiere. MMA is heading to Czech TV screens, maybe even President Pavel will come

It must be added that this will not be a traditional gala evening of combat sports, but an event with a charitable undertone to support war veterans and their families. Professional wrestlers with professional soldiers or police officers will go to the event. Government officials and members of the Army of the Czech Republic will also visit the Prague arena as guests of honor.

“There’s a lot of work behind it. Basically, more work than I could have imagined. However, I believe that the result will be worth it. We’ve done some races a few times, but it can’t be compared to this. Here we have a huge responsibility, and we go to the market with our skin. And even if we make some mistakes, we’re doing a charity gala that’s only meant to help, and nobody gets anything out of it. If some mistakes happen, people will forgive us,” fighter David Dvořák, one of the main organizers of the event, tells Sport.cz.

Boxing and MMA matches will be interspersed. Fans can expect fighters Dominik Humburger, Jan Široký, Jaroslav Pokorný or David Dvořák. “Since they are all extreme hearters, it’s easy to work with them. We didn’t even have to convince them, they also want to help. They are close to veterans. We connected with the promoters under whom these guys wrestle, no one threw sticks under our feet,” says the 31-year-old native of Hořice, who himself had to obtain permission from the UFC organization, where he wrestles.

“If I get injured, it can be a risk, but I take risks every day in training. For me, this means a huge chance to perform in front of people and go through the nervousness again and go through all the phases like before games and help the veterans at the same time. It’s a huge motivation,” says one of the four Czech representatives in the world’s most famous fighting league.

It will be an exhibition. “All matches are under amateur rules, but even if it’s an exhibition, a lot of guys will go hard. I myself have it set up so that I prepare honestly. I went on a diet and lost some weight. For that to be the whole process that I go through before fights with the UFC. I take it as preparation for the match because I’ve been standing for almost a year now. I want my head to repeat it,” says Dvořák, whose unspecified back problems sidelined him from fighting in the cage for many months.

The main card of the gala evening will also be broadcast live by Czech Television, for which it will be the premiere of MMA matches. Two years ago, cooperation with the domestic giant Oktagon MMA was discussed, but it did not work out. “Given the fact that there will be a lot of important people there, whether from the army, the ministry or ambassadors, and overall the project is very well received, which is also very interesting for Czech Television. At the same time, we also have it in quotes as a social event, where people will not go to the table in sweatpants and a sweatshirt,” Dvořák is pleased.

The Fighters for veterans gala will start on Monday, May 6 at 8 p.m. The live broadcast on the Czech TV station will start one hour later.