Viktor Pešta
| Viktor Pešta | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1990 Příbram, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Other names | Takedown Machine [1] Poor Honza (Czech: Chudý Honza) [2][3] |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (2010–2019, 2023-) Light Heavyweight (2020–2022) |
| Reach | 77.0 in (196 cm) [4] |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Team | Kill Cliff FC Penta Gym Prague |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Website | http://www.viktorpesta.com |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Viktor Pešta (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvɪktor ˈpɛʃta]; born July 15, 1990) is a Czech mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #6 in the KSW Heavyweight rankings.[5]
Pešta was a Gladiator Championship Fighting Heavyweight Champion, WASO World Heavyweight Champion, Oktagon MMA Light heavyweight Champion and he competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[6] He became historically the second UFC fighter from the Czech Republic, after Karlos Vemola.[7]
Mixed martial arts career
[edit]Early career
[edit]In 2006, Pešta started training Traditional Musado under the leadership of Vít Skalník.[8] Traditional Musado is the civilian version of Musado, the close quarters combat system used by the Military of the Czech Republic.[9] In 2008, he started training MMA under the leadership of Jiří Vesecký in the gym in Příbram, Bohemia.
Pešta moved to Prague to study at university and to pursue MMA career. In Prague, he began training in Penta Gym. He began amateur fighting at age of 18 and made his professional MMA debut in 2010.
His last fight in GCF was with longtime GCF Heavyweight Champion Lukáš Ťupa for the GFC Heavyweight Championship on December 7, 2013 at GCF 26: Fight Night. Pešta won in the first round by his signature move, strikes from the (side) mounted crucifix position and he became the new GCF Heavyweight Champion and #1 in Czech heavyweight rankings.[10]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
[edit]Pešta became internationally well known for his website, letmebeyoursparringpartner.com. In February 2014, Pešta was offered a contract with the UFC.[6]
Pešta made his debut against face fellow newcomer Ruslan Magomedov on May 31, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 41.[11] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12]
For his second fight with the promotion, Pešta faced touted newcomer Konstantin Erokhin on January 24, 2015 at UFC on Fox 14.[13] Pešta won the fight by unanimous decision.[14]
Pešta faced Derrick Lewis on October 3, 2015 at UFC 192.[15] He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.[16]
Pešta faced Marcin Tybura on August 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 92.[17] He lost the fight via head kick KO in the second round.[18]
Pešta was expected to face Damian Grabowski on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103.[19] However, Grabowski pulled out of the fight in late December for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Alexey Oleynik.[20] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.[21]
In May 2017, Pešta was released from the company.
Fight Nights Global
[edit]He signed a contract with Fight Nights Global in the second part of year 2017 after one match at home organization XFN.
OKTAGON MMA
[edit]In 2019, Pešta signed with OKTAGON MMA and made his promotional debut against Mike Kyle at OKTAGON 13 on July 27, 2019. He won the fight via first-round submission.
He then challenged Michal Martínek for the OKTAGON MMA Heavyweight Championship at OKTAGON 15 on November 9, 2019.[22] He lost the fight in the first round due to an injury.
Move down to Light Heavyweight
[edit]Pešta was expected to face Csaba Hocz at OKTAGON 16 on September 26, 2020. However, Pešta tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by Alexander Poppeck.
Pešta faced Ildemar Alcântara at OKTAGON 20 on December 30, 2020.[23] He won the bout via TKO in the first round.
Pešta faced Riccardo Nosiglia at OKTAGON 24 on May 29, 2021. He won the bout via TKO after ground and pounding Nosiglia.[24]
Pešta faced Stephan Puetz for the OKTAGON MMA Light Heavyweight Championship at OKTAGON 28 on September 25, 2021. He won the bout via doctor stoppage after the doctor ended the bout after the third round due to a nose injury.[25]
Professional Fighters League
[edit]Pešta faced Omari Akhmedov on April 23, 2022 at PFL 1.[26] He lost the bout after getting knocked out in first round.[27]
Pešta faced Rob Wilkinson on June 17, 2022 at PFL 4.[28] He lost the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.[29]
Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
[edit]On January 9, 2023, it was announced that Pešta signed with KSW, with him making his debut at KSW 86: Wikłacz vs. Przybysz 4 on September 16, 2023 against Filip Stawowy, in a bout that saw him submit his opponent in the first round via rear-naked choke.[30]
Pešta faced Szymon Bajor on December 16, 2023 at KSW 89: Bartosiński vs. Parnasse, losing the bout via split decision.[31]
Personal life
[edit]Pešta's signature move, the (side) mounted crucifix position, was nicknamed/called "Bába pod kořenem (English: The crone under the root)" by his fans, after the famous Czech TV Nova's report about an elderly woman who gets stuck for 11 hours under the root of a tree overnight, 50 meters away from her rented hut in the forest and her friends.
Poor Honza, Pešta's Czech nickname, is a Czech fairy tale hero, similar to the English Jack, the German Hans (or Hänsel) or the Russian Ivan.[32]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- OKTAGON MMA
- 2021 OKTAGON MMA Light Heavyweight Champion
- World Association of Sporting Organizations
- 2019 WASO World Heavyweight Champion
- Gladiator Championship Fighting
- 2013 GCF Heavyweight Champion
Mixed martial arts record
[edit]| 28 matches | 19 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 6 |
| By submission | 7 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 19–9 | Szymon Bajor | Decision (split) | KSW 89: Bartosiński vs. Parnasse | December 16, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Gliwice, Poland | |
| Win | 19–8 | Filip Stawowy | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 86: Wikłacz vs. Przybysz 4 | September 16, 2023 | 1 | 2:12 | Wrocław, Poland | Return to Heavyweight. Submission of the Night. |
| Loss | 18–8 | Rob Wilkinson | TKO (punches) | PFL 4 | June 17, 2022 | 1 | 3:03 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 18–7 | Omari Akhmedov | KO (punches) | PFL 1 | April 20, 2022 | 1 | 1:25 | Arlington, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 18–6 | Stephan Puetz | TKO (doctor stoppage) | OKTAGON 28 | September 25, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Prague, Czech Republic | Won OKTAGON MMA Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–6 | Riccardo Nosiglia | TKO (punches) | OKTAGON 24 | May 29, 2021 | 2 | 0:50 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 16–6 | Ildemar Alcântara | TKO (punches) | OKTAGON 20 | December 30, 2020 | 1 | 4:06 | Brno, Czech Republic | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Loss | 15–6 | Michal Martínek | TKO (jaw injury) | OKTAGON 15 | November 9, 2019 | 1 | 2:49 | Prague, Czech Republic | For the OKTAGON MMA Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–5 | Mike Kyle | Submission (rear-naked choke) | OKTAGON 13 | July 27, 2019 | 1 | 1:59 | Prague, Czech Republic | Catchweight (212 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 14–5 | Ivan Vitasović | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Night of Warriors 15 | April 6, 2019 | 3 | 3:16 | Liberec, Czech Republic | Won the WASO World Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 13–5 | Alexander Emelianenko | TKO (punches) | RCC: Russian Cagefighting Championship 3 | July 9, 2018 | 2 | 3:52 | Yekaterinburg, Russia | |
| Win | 13–4 | Alexander Gladkov | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Nights Global 84: Deák vs. Chupanov | March 2, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |
| Win | 12–4 | Alexei Kudin | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fight Nights Global 79: Pavlovich vs. Sidelnikov | November 19, 2017 | 1 | 4:52 | Penza, Russia | |
| Win | 11–4 | Michał Kita | TKO (punches) | XFN 3 | June 25, 2017 | 2 | 4:39 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Aleksei Oleinik | Submission (Ezekiel choke) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn | January 15, 2017 | 1 | 2:57 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 10–3 | Marcin Tybura | KO (head kick) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres | August 6, 2016 | 2 | 0:53 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 10–2 | Derrick Lewis | TKO (punches) | UFC 192 | October 3, 2015 | 3 | 1:15 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Konstantin Erokhin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson | January 24, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 9–1 | Ruslan Magomedov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi | May 31, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Berlin, Germany | |
| Win | 9–0 | Lukáš Ťupa | TKO (elbows) | GCF 26: Fight Night | December 7, 2013 | 1 | 2:18 | Prague, Czech Republic | Won the GCF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Yosef Ali Mohammad | Decision (overturned) | Heroes Fighting Championship | March 23, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Halmstad, Sweden | Originally a split decision win for Mohammad; overturned later by SMMAF. |
| Win | 7–0 | Saša Lazić | TKO (punches) | Heroes Gate 9 | December 28, 2012 | 1 | 1:53 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 6–0 | Christian Colombo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | European MMA 1: Casino Fight Night 2 | September 15, 2012 | 2 | 1:07 | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Win | 5–0 | Zoran Krpan | TKO (elbows) | GCF 12: Cage Fight Brno | May 11, 2012 | 1 | 2:16 | Brno, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 4–0 | Lukáš Olejník | Submission (rear-naked choke) | GCF 8: Back in the Fight | February 10, 2012 | 1 | 1:01 | Příbram, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 3–0 | Alexander Uhlíř | TKO (punches) | Warrior Night 3 | December 15, 2011 | 1 | 3:59 | Kladno, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 2–0 | Štefan Krajčí | Decision (unanimous) | GCF 2: All or Nothing | February 20, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 1–0 | Vít Mrákota | Submission (armbar) | GCF 1: Judgement Day | December 5, 2010 | 1 | 1:49 | Prague, Czech Republic |
Amateur record
[edit]| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1-1 | Josef Říha | Decision | Twins Cup - Czech National Championship in Thaiboxing and MMA | May 23, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Prague, Czech Republic | +96 kg weight class;[33] |
| Win | 1-0 | Petr Horňák | Submission (guillotine choke) | Twins Cup - Czech National Championship in Thaiboxing and MMA | March 28, 2010 | 2 | N/A | Prague, Czech Republic | +96 kg weight class;[34][35] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ @ViktorPesta (20 August 2015). "It's official!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Pohádka o chudém Honzovi se stala realitou - Viktor Pešta míří do UFC!". Powerlifting.ronnie.cz. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night v Berln: 'Poor Honza' jde na věc! - RingNews.cz". Ringnews.cz. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Gustafsson vs. Johnson". UFC.com. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ "Rankings". KSW. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ a b Zane Simon (2014-05-21). "Report: UFC signs Czech heavyweight Viktor Pesta". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
- ^ "V UFC bude bojovat další Čech. Karlose Vémolu nahradil Pešta". iSport.cz. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "VIDEOROZHOVOR: Viktor Pešta". YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Historie Musado". army.cz (in Czech). n.d. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- ^ Daniel Malachovský. "MMA ranking apríl 2014". Fightnews.sk. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ Matt Erickson (2014-04-03). "Magomedov-Pesta added to UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ Dann Stupp (2014-05-31). "UFC Fight Night 41 results: Ruslan Magomedov tops Viktor Pesta in curtain-jerker". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
- ^ Elina Nilsson (2015-01-12). "Viktor Pesta fights at UFC on FOX in Sweden". shootersmma.com. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2015-01-24). "UFC on FOX 14 results: Viktor Pesta survives rough start to top Konstantin Erokhin". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- ^ Jeremy Botter (2015-08-20). "UFC 192: Hamilton out, Viktor Pesta faces Derrick Lewis". blog.chron.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
- ^ Brent Brookhouse (2015-10-03). "UFC 192 results: Derrick Lewis fights past takedowns, pounds out Viktor Pesta in third". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
- ^ Staff (2016-06-15). "UFC Fight Night 92 gets five new fights, including Kawajiri vs. Swanson, Camozzi vs. Leites". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
- ^ Ben Fowlkes (2016-08-06). "UFC Fight Night 92 results: Marcin Tybura gets vicious one-kick knockout of Viktor Pesta". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- ^ Dave Doyle (2016-11-04). "UFC returns to Phoenix; three fights announced". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
- ^ Richard Mann (2016-12-28). "Oleksiy Oliynyk to fill in against Viktor Pesta at UFC Fight Night 103". adcombat.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (2017-01-15). "UFC Fight Night 103 results: Aleksei Oleinik stuns Viktor Pesta with first Ezekiel choke in UFC history". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
- ^ Bryan Henderson (November 6, 2019). "Out of Obscurity: Road FC 56, OKTAGON 15 and KSW 51". combatpress.com.
- ^ Bryan Henderson (December 28, 2020). "Out of Obscurity: Oktagon 20". combatpress.com.
- ^ "Oktagon 24 Results: Kozma Defeats Silva in Slugfest, Retains Title". Combat Press. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
- ^ "Oktagon 28: Pešta získal titul, súboj ukončil lekár". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ "Manfio vs. Madge to headline PFL season kickoff". ESPN.com. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ Marrocco, Steven (2022-04-20). "Video: UFC vet Omari Akhmedov throttles Viktor Pesta in first-round knockout in PFL season-opener". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ "Collard to face Martinez in PFL second round". ESPN.com. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ "Pešta schytal technické KO už v prvním kole a sezona v PFL pro něj končí | TN.cz". tn.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ "KSW 86 results and highlights: Title fight ends in rare draw via technical decision". Bloody Elbow. 2023-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ Cieśla, Bartosz (2023-12-16). "XTB KSW 89: Szymon Bajor wygrywa niejednogłośną decyzją z Viktorem Pestą". MMA PL (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Konstantin Erokhin vs. Viktor Pešta na UFC w Szwecji | myMMA.pl". mymma.pl. Archived from the original on 2015-02-07.
- ^ "C.M.T.A - Česká Muay-Thai Asociace TWINS CUP-MCR THAIBOXING A MMA 23.5.2010". Czechmuaythai.cz. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "C.M.T.A - Česká Muay-Thai Asociace TWINS CUP - MČR THAIBOXING a MMA - 28.3.2010". Czechmuaythai.cz. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Viktor Pesta victorious at amateur league Twins Cup in Czech Republic | Shooters MMA - Mixed Martial Arts". www.shootersmma.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
