Q. Welcome back to Japan!
Branko: Thank you.
Q. You’re known as a K-1 legend with great acheivement as a fighter in Japan. Any good memories here?
Branko: I have many good memories from Japan. You have the best fans in the world, very good food, and I have made many good friends here. I love Japan very much – this is my second home and Japan is always in my heart.
Q. This time you bring your MMA team from Croatia to fight in Pancrase 286. Tell us about MMA in Croatia?
Branko: Now we have more and more MMA clubs and fighters. There are about 20 MMA clubs and we have very good fighters.
Q. You made a partnership with Pancrase to promote Pancrase in Croatia. How was the first event last November?
Branko: Yes, I am very honored to make this partnership. The first event was very good, we had good fighters and great fights.The crowd loved the show.
Q. How do you expect to develop MMA in Croatia?
Branko: MMA is already developed to a high level in Croatia. We have many European based fight clubs and local promotions. I want to bring our MMA scene to another level by bringing the Japanese fighters and style to Croatia. Being an official manager for Pancrase Croatia it is an honour; to organise events for young fighters to live the dream and fight for glory in Pancrase and Japan.
Q. Please tell us about your three Croatian fighters starting with Matija Blazicevic, the lightweight tournament winner.
Branko: Matija Blazicevic, my first fighter trains with American Top team in Zagreb He has a record of 10-9. However, he has won 6 by submission which shows his expertise in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is also a great stand up fighter like most Croatians. Eight of his loses were by decision and most of them were very close matches.
Q7. Anton Radman, the welterweight tournament winner.
Branko: Anton Radman – another Croatian stand up fighter with solid ground game. He’s a strong fighter who has achieved 10 submission wins of his 14 so far. He trains with UFK Novi Zagreb. Both him and Matija are exciting fighters that will look to finish the match early through striking attacks and submissions.
Q. Marko Brusic, the featherweight tournament winner.
Branko: My third fighter representing Team Cikatic is Marko Burusic – the youngest one on the team. In his 14 fights he has only been knocked out once. He has 4 TKOs and 4 submission wins on his 9 win record. He trains with UFK Novi Zagreb. Another exciting fighter who will look to close the gap early and finish the fight in style.
Q. Good luck to your team. Please give the fans a message.
Branko: The fights will be hardcore snd strong. I invite the Japanese audience to witness this and to enjoy these Croatian stand up artists with high level ground game. My fighters will show their skills and set standards. Looking forward to see you all there.
