Karlos Vemola Talks ‘Life Or Death’ Approach To Final MMA Fight Dubbed ‘Rematch Of The Century’

Karlos Vemola. Photo via Instagram (@karlos_terminator_vemola)

Karlos Vemola has been a staple in European MMA and the face of the sport in his native Czech Republic.

Over the past decades, the mighty fighter put fear into his adversaries all over the world with his natural punching power and wrestling skills. Now, he’s got one goal left to achieve before hanging up his gloves for good.

Defeating long-time rival Attila Vegh, that is.

Billed the “Rematch of the Century” by OKTAGON MMA, the epic fight will go down at Prague’s Eden football stadium in front of 30.000 fans on June 8.

In an exclusive interview with Frontkick, the 38-year-old combat sports veteran explains the need to defeat Vegh.

“I’ve been fighting for over thirty years, and this is my last fight,” Vemola says. “I will fight like it’s life or death, and I will definitely be victorious.”

What would it mean to beat Attila Vegh this time?

“It will mean everything. The main thing it would mean to win is …”

Vemola stops for a second to find the right words.

“I know I’m saying that this is my last fight, but deep down I don’t want it to be. So, I have to beat Attila Vegh. For me, for him, and for the fans. Because the only fight I’ve said I’m coming back for is if Attila Vegh asks for the trilogy, after I beat him. Because when I asked for the rematch he gave me the chance. If he asks for a rematch, I’m not going to say no. That’s my only way back into the ring.”

Karlos Vemola: “The cards are open for this one”

The first fight between the rivals was the biggest fight the country had ever seen and helped boost the popularity of MMA in the Czech Republic.

“When I beat him we will be 1-1. Everybody will want to see the trilogy. ‘Who is the better fighter?’ If Vegh wants to fight again then we will do it. If he says that it’s enough for him, and he doesn’t want to fight anymore, I will respect that and it will be my last fight too. We will see. The cards are open for this one.”

Since the loss against Vegh, “Terminator” has gone 9-2 with wins against the likes of Thomas Robertsen, Alex Lohore and Aleksandar Ilic to name a few. During the years he has become one of the biggest stars in OKTAGON, while asking for a rematch against his rival.

Will a win against Vegh cement your legacy as one of the biggest in European MMA?

“Well, I think that nothing is going to change since it’s my last fight. I’ve got nearly 50 professional fights and I think I left a mark on Czech MMA. I was the first guy from the Czech Republic who got into the UFC. I have been in all the biggest fights on Czech soil.”

Huge impact on European MMA: “I think I’ve done my part”

Karlos Vemola is a true veteran of the game, with more experience than most fighters could ever dream of. It’s fair to say he played an important part in making MMA reach enormous popularity in the Czech Republic, and central Europe in general, as well as help building the brand of OKTAGON MMA.

Talking about the final fight of his career, the 38-year-old can’t help but remembering the good old days and how it all began. After a successful wrestling career as a young kid, Vemola turned to MMA and made his pro debut in 2008.

“We started in small venues. I’ve been in the small halls, small hotels, ice hockey stadiums and now finishing my career in a football stadium in front of nearly 30.000 people. The biggest event we ever saw over here. I can say that I’ve done them all.”

Photo via Instagram (@karlos_terminator_vemola)

Selling out a 30.000 seat arena is an achievement not many fighters could ever dream of. Vemola claims that with him gone, it will take quite some time for some other European fight to build up the kind of crowd to sell out such a big stadium as Prague’s Eden football stadium.

Win or lose – the 38-year-old expects an epic night, and intends to make his last shot count.

“I think I’ve done my part with my long career. I think I can pass it over to the youngsters. The young boys can build the legacy of MMA now. I think I’m done. Too many fights. I’ve been fighting all over the world. In the UK. In the States. In Brazil. This is the last one. The epic one. In the biggest football stadium in the Czech Republic. I can’t wait!”

Read more: Exclusive interview! MMA star Attila Vegh talks ‘Rematch of the Century’

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