It will be Dvořák’s first duel this year. The last time he appeared in the cage was last December, when he not only suffered a defeat from a duel against Manel Kape, but also suffered a number of health problems. “I’m already completely fine in terms of health, nothing restricts me. I only have a small scratch on my finger,” he makes light of the situation.
Dvořák lost twice after his first three wins in the UFC. But he doesn’t accept the pressure. “For me, it’s still the same as when I went 3-0. I’m not under pressure. And that I should fly to fight for a new contract? I don’t allow these things. I’m going there to win,” reveals the Czech fighter, who also went to Spain for training. However, he spent a much larger part of it in domestic gyms.
“Technically, I didn’t change that many things, but I worked a lot on recovery and diet. We started the diet a fortnight earlier, I write everything down in charts,” he reveals minor changes in the management of the preparations. “We even moved the time schedule 14 days before the departure to prepare for the flight and the trip. There are many things that can be done do better,” he realizes.
At the UFC 289 tournament in Vancouver, he will face eighth-ranked flyweight Matt Schnell, who has been in the UFC since 2016. During that time, he has won six times, lost five times, and once the duel was evaluated as a “no contest”. “Stylistically, he is similar to me. He’s complex, neither a grounder nor a stand-up guy. We think he’ll want to box, like me,” he muses.
“He should be lighter in quotes than Manel Kape because he’s really thick. Regardless of the fact that he is now dating Figueiredo, which is already a massacre. I had a good match with him, same with Nicolau. I’m not ashamed of losing. I think I’ll beat him,” Dvořák, who currently has a two-fight contract in the UFC, is confident.
He also flew to Canada with his partner and trainer Patrik Kincle, who last weekend successfully managed a rematch against Karlos Vémol. Five days before the match, a pair of coaches, Jan Maršálek and Jan Stach, will also join the team. “I will be in Canada for the first time. We will be staying there for another four days after the tournament, we would like to see some places there. It won’t be anything big,” he reveals.
Dvořák will thus be part of the tournament, the main battle of which will be the fight for the women’s bantamweight belt between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Irena Aldana. Former lightweight king Charles Oliveira of Brazil will also make an appearance.