Sweden
Enes Kollari interview: 26-year-old doctor becomes pro MMA fighter: “Fighting comes naturally to me”
Enes Kollari. Photo: Patrik Persson
Swedish MMA is red hot at the moment. With fighters competing at the world’s biggest stages, as well as in local promotions around Scandinavia, the sport is flourishing, reaching new heights every month.
Next Swede to turn pro is the exciting striker Enes “The Doctor” Kollari, who will make his debut on Zone 4 in November. In an exclusive interview with Frontkick, the Gothenburg fighter opened up on turning pro in front of his hometown crowd.
“I’m facing someone I fought before, and it feels perfect. I’m just happy to fight, wherever I am – Gothenburg or Stockholm – it doesn’t matter! However, it’s great to fight in my hometown, family and friends will come to watch me fight, it’s gonna be a good show for them,” Kollari says.
Talking to Frontkick, “The Doctor” is stuck in a traffic jam heading towards the Bulldog Training Center. A gym that he spent hours and hours preparing for the upcoming fight on November 26.
“I haven’t been training much MMA lately, so boxing at Bulldog has been enough for me to stay active since I have been busy with alot of things coming up. I probably should do more MMA and I will.”
The 26-year-old has a passion for striking and competed in boxing and Muay Thai as well as MMA over the last years.
“It’s fun to compete in boxing once in a while. I basically just love to train and compete, and striking is the best. I train with the best boxers and MMA fighters in Gothenburg at GBG MAC and Bulldog Training Center. I stand toe to toe with everyone that’s willing to trade with me.”
Enes Kollari is a doctor in the making
It’s not just Kollari’s solid striking background that makes him stand out in Swedish MMA. In fact, the young Swede is doing something that makes him quite unique in the world of professional fighting.
In parallel to training and competing, Kollari is now finishing his studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, where he is studying medicine. At age 26, he’s actually just one semester away from becoming a doctor.
While former top ranked UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov retired to study medicine, the Swede splits his focus between the cage and the books.
How are you able to combine your studies with your fighting career?
“I’ve trained everywhere that I’ve been studying or doing internships. It started in Riga my first year as a medical student with my first MMA coach. Then in Karlstad, Örebro or wherever I’ve been, I found a gym to train. BJJ, boxing, MMA – whatever they got! For me it’s been great to get experience from many different gyms. Fighting comes naturally to me and I’m always ready to go up against anyone.”
One who can confirm that is Daniel Högström, Kollari’s manager and president of Bulldog Training Center.
“Doctor is the wildest doctor in the world and the hardest working doctor in the universe,” says Högström.
Enes Kollari at Fight Club Rush 13. Photo: Patrik Persson
“Main event in Gothenburg – I would have killed him”
Kollari’s final outing as an amateur took place on a steaming hot tropical night at FCR 13 in Stockholm. Here he defeated the tough Rafael Kveldstad in a gruelling back-and-forth battle.
Even though the arena was boiling, it wasn’t the heat that bothered Kollari.
“I definitely beat him up but it was not my best performance. I had to lose a bit too much weight because I ate too much candy and snacks ahead of the fight, but it all worked out fine. I didn’t even feel how hot the arena was since I spent so much time in the sauna dropping weight,” he says with a laugh.
After the hard-fought win, the Gothenburg striker took the microphone to call out Stockholm’s own Nabbe Malki, who competed on the same card.
Do we have a Swedish derby coming up?
”Nabbe, I knew he would not want to fight me. It was more like a joke. However, if he dares to face me it would be fun. Main event in Gothenburg – I would have killed him,” Kollari says.
