CAPE TOWN - In the fighting game, the technical, toughness, and physical sides all play varying roles in what makes a fighter great. But then you also have the human factor, the manner in which a fighter grows or breaks.
Some fighters live off confidence; untouched and unblemished for a long time, they thrive off success until they get rocked. Some of them come back stronger, and some don’t. And then there are some who take their adversity on the chin, study their mistakes, and grow from there. That is something you can’t learn from studying an art.
It is something you nurture inside of you as a human being. And I see that fighting spirit in Regis Muyambo. “Win or lose, I am getting better and better every time I come in there,” said Muyambo ahead of his fight with Bruno Mukulu at EFC72 at the Grand Arena on; Saturday.
The manner in which he spoke of his last opponent, Roedie Roets was admirable. Fighting out of the FFM gym, Roedie (carrying a 100% finish rate before the fight) was tipped to put the Regis fight to bed based on his lethal groundwork. With all due respect and credit, Roedie dominated the fight, and eventually got the 'W' via unanimous decision, a true reflection of his renowned wrestling ability. But the magic was in the manner in which Regis subdued Roedie’s threat every time the FFM warrior went in for the kill.
“Roedie was a great opponent, and an amazing wrestler, I was really worried which made me hesitant to do anything but I fought my heart out and I gave it my best and you learn a lot from that kind of experience,” Muyambo said of the contest.
This weekend, Regis ups the ante when he takes on a go-forward machine in Bruno at welterweight in a fight that could be more stylistically complementary for the Silverback athlete. “Bruno is a great opponent for me to show my striking and grappling skills, it’s going to be a great fight. I fought with him before as an amateur. I got my hand raised and I feel like lightning is going to strike twice, and I have been working really hard.”
You could not have asked for a fight that includes more gentlemen-like warriors. Bruno, an extremely tough character, but on the flip side, a genuine family man with kids does not make it easy for any fighter and will test your endurance.
“He is a big strong guy and I am looking forward to showcasing my skills against him. We know him quite well and we have trained together a few times before and we have watched a lot of tape. I feel like we have a good game plan going for him. I want to put on a good fight for the fans and if it means finishing him in the first minute or last minute of the third round that’s what I’m going to do,” added Regis.
@juliankiewietz