I had the opportunity to interview Croatian MMA fighter Zelg Galesic prior to his upcoming title fight in the UCMMA promotion. Galesic is an MMA veteran and has fought all over the world, including in Pride and the Dream promotions. Galesic also held the Cage Rage promotion title and is known for his aggressive striking prowess in the cage. Tune in to Galesic’s light heavyweight title fight on February 2nd, 2013 at UCMMA 32 from London, England.
Croatian Crippler– Tell us about your martial arts background and what region of Hrvatska you are from?
ZELG– I’m from Pula, Istra region. I’ve been fighting since I was 9 years old in Taekwondo-do, Kickboxing and Boxing before going into MMA.
Croatian Crippler – Have you had a chance to train with any of the other Croatian MMA fighters such as Mirko Crocop, Igor Pokrajac or Goran Reljic, to name a few?
Zelg– They are all my friends and I train with all of them. It is always good when you can find such class fighters at home.
Croatian Crippler– Have you been following the Croatian National Team?
Zelg– I follow all Croatian sportsmen and Croatian sports.
Croatian Crippler– How many training sessions do you do in a normal day? And what gym are you currently training at?
Zelg– I train 2 to 3 times a day and currently training with London Shoot-fighters. I try to get as much training in as I can when I’m in the UK.
Croatian Crippler– If you could train with anyone once, alive or not, who would you train with?
Zelg – I would love to train with Marvin Hagler, the famous boxer.
Croatian Crippler– To date, what is your biggest accomplishment in MMA?
Zelg– For me it would be my title with the Cage Rage promotion and 3rd place in the World Dream GP.
Croatian Crippler– What do you prefer: the stand-up game or the ground game?
Zelg– Stand up for sure as it just comes naturally to me.
Croatian Crippler– If you weren’t involved in MMA, what would be your dream job?
Zelg – If I wasn’t fighting I would be a trainer or manager as I love the sport.
Croatian Crippler– Do you have any heroes or people you look up to?
Zelg– Not in particular but I enjoy listening to the opinions of more experienced people.
Croatian Crippler– How would a three round bout between Zelg Galesic and The Croatian Crippler end?
Zelg– It wouldn’t go 3 rounds.
Croatian Crippler– Where did the Nickname “BENKEI” come from?
Zelg– It came from my Cage Rage days as I look like the famous samurai.
Croatian Crippler– On February 2nd 2012 you are challenging Linton Vassell for the UCMMA title, how did that fight come to be?
Zelg– My team gave me the time and place and I don’t ask any questions.
Croatian Crippler– What do you know about your opponent Linton Vassell and how have you changed your training for this fight?
Zelg– I know he is a big guy with good wrestling. I’ve trained hard on my cardio and my take down defence for this fight.
Croatian Crippler– What do you think your advantage is in this fight versus Vassell?
Zelg– I think I’m faster than him.
Croatian Crippler– Any predictions on how the fight will end?
Zelg- Me with the belt.
Croatian Crippler– You have fought all over the world. What is your best memory during your travels?
Zelg– I love fighting in Japan as I always had a great time there. And fighting in the UK is great as I think of it as my second home.
Croatian Crippler– Do you play any other sports and do you follow any other Croatian athletes?
Zelg– I don’t have much time unfortunately for anything else but I follow all sports as much as I can.
Croatian Crippler– Favourite Croatian Music?
Zelg– I like Let3, TBF and Alen Vitasovic
Croatian Crippler– Anything you want to say or add for your Croatian fans worldwide?
Zelg– Malo nas je al nas ima srusit cemo snove svima.
Zelg Galesic Fight Video
Music Video from Galesic
Interview by Mike “Croatian Crippler” Rozic
You can follow me on Twitter @ Crocrippler and on Facebook @ Croatian Crippler
I’m not a huge MMA fan but Zelg seems like a class act (naturally – all us Istriani are) and has excellent taste in music (Alen Vitasovic)
sve najbolje, Zelg! hvala za izradu Istra ponosni!
Who gives a fuck about Sammir
Sammir the great Croat! He can’t even get into the vip section of a belgrade club these days because no one recognizes him. The great Croat has been rumored to be on the wagon again banging serbian chicks now, including the serb presidents daughter. The great soccer Croat is rumored to crying because he’s the best Croat soccer player and couldn’t get into the vip section of the club. I hope he stays there. http://www.jutarnji.hr/-zar-pijanac-da-nas-proziva—lazes-sammire–bio-si-gost-nocnog-kluba-u-beogradu–/1082005/
@Crippler
Cheers, i’m a crocop fan till the day i die, fight or not, blokes stood face to face with the toughest motherfuckers on the planet and i will never tell him how to live his life, i trully wish him all the best in Zagreb!
@Kreso
Yes that is a 100% true that the K1 Finals is going to be held in Zagreb in March. This is huge for Hrvatska as it opens the door to other big events including the UFC if all goes well. I was actually going to do a story on it in the up coming weeks. Also Mirko is in the Final 8 and it would be epic if he could pull off the win on home soil.
Also I’m going to try my best to use my connections to get a interview prior to the event with the Croatian legend Mirko Crocop so stay tuned.
Samo naprijed, Zelg!
Crippler i read that the K1 finals that were meant to be in New York in december are being held in Zagreb march 15, any truth to this? crocop is in the final 8.
Good luck Zelg.
I was walking around Pula with my brother a few years ago, and I see this guy walk past us wearing an air boot, kind of crooked nose with a short mohawk and just looked mean as fuck, that he could kill you with his pinky. He was smiling, joking around with the guy he was with, but just looked mean. I turned to my brother and said, that has to be fucking Zelg Galesic. Turned out it was Zelg after one of his Dream fights. Best of luck man