Cage machine Engizek fights for the title in Frankfurt

The MMA spectacle Oktagon 62 from Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt will be historic. Kerim Engizek from Düsseldorf will also make history. He looks back on an eventful childhood and can crown his career with the middleweight title at the stadium event.

For Kerim Engizek, mixed martial arts is more than just a sport. For the 33-year-old from Düsseldorf it was a way out. After a difficult childhood, he found perspective and structure in life, first through boxing and later through MMA. Now he will be a role model for younger generations and is facing the biggest fight of his career.

Engizek will fight Patrik Kincl for the middleweight title at Oktagon 62. The historic event with around 60,000 spectators in the Frankfurt stadium will be shown exclusively on RTL+ (with a premium monthly subscription from 8.99 euros).

However, the scenery is not a big problem for him. “I’m not driving myself crazy. Last time there were 20,000 in Cologne, now there are 60,000 viewers,” says Engizek in an interview with ntv/RTL.

He partially ignores it. On the other hand, he would enjoy the entrance into an arena and the euphoria of the audience. “You have to love this. Very easy. And I’m fine with that. All this pressure. But once the fight begins, the tunnel vision begins.”

For the Turkish fighter he will be the “strongest opponent of his career”. He describes the Czech, who is listed by Oktagon as the organization’s best fighter across all weight classes, as an all-rounder.

“He is very experienced and has already fought fights over five rounds. I never have. He may have advantages there, but that won’t be of any use to him in the end.” The Düsseldorfer shouldn’t lack self-confidence either. He has been undefeated in 14 professional fights, a streak that has now lasted more than ten years. A scary series.

MMA: Engizek will no longer be “naive”.

Can he remember his last defeat against Rafal Lewon? “Of course,” says Engizek. “The last one was also the bitterest defeat. “It was a good thing that it happened back then,” he explains. Otherwise many things would not have changed. He learned from it. His opponents wrestled him for three rounds and took advantage of Engizek’s weakness at the time.

“I just thought I’d knock everyone out. That was naive of me, after all it’s called mixed martial arts. Of course the wrestler took advantage of his strengths and kept me on the ground for three rounds. From then on I said to myself: Now I’m going to wrestle regularly and work on my weaknesses.

Engizek with a large fan base in Germany and Turkey

The 33-year-old has personally experienced that sport has enormous potential to positively influence the character of young people. After growing up with his brother in a children’s home and being part of a youth gang, he found his way into an orderly life through martial arts.

“MMA ultimately saved me from a lot of stupid things,” says Engizek looking back. “That’s why my goal is to be a good role model, especially for the next generation and young people. I didn’t have an easy past. And if I had had someone as a mentor, I would have been grateful. Now I want to be a good role model. Show young people that there is a way off the streets and you can lead a disciplined, decent life.

The fighter from the UFD Gym in Düsseldorf has built up a large fan base in Germany and Turkey in recent years. “The positive feedback and recognition have been enormous,” he says. Even if the sport in Turkey is not yet as big and well structured as in Germany, people in Turkey would also notice when an Engizek fight is coming up.

“There are smaller events there, but Germany is a little ahead. Now the good fighters are just developing in Turkey, but I am sure that we will soon see many from Turkey who can do it.”

Great MMA potential – misrepresentation of the fighter?

But he also sees potential in Germany for the sport to reach a new level. The streaming deal between Oktagon and RTL is the next step.

“MMA has already arrived in Germany, but like classic boxing it should be allowed to be broadcast on television at 8 p.m. It’s a tough sport, but also the most complex in the world. Many often forget that it’s not just brutality and bashing heads. There is much, much more to it. You have to master all martial arts, you have to wrestle, kickboxing, boxing.

Only the portrayal of the protagonists bothers him. That is often too superficial. “From the outside, it’s always portrayed like this: they’re just antisocial people and thugs. “But that’s not the case,” says Engizek. “They are very sensible, decent boys. I train in the UFD with chemical technicians and law students – it’s all there.”

Of course there are people who have a past, but something positive has been made of it. That’s the most important thing that you can show, okay, there is another way. There is not just one way.” And Engizek’s path to the top of the octagon should be a dazzling example of this – for that he only has to do one thing: continue his scary streak in the cage.

Michael Bauer, ntv

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