Cage Fight Series

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Fists will be flying again at the Cage Fight Series at Schwarzlsee.

(Bild: CFS)

Curtain up for the cage madness! On Friday, the 13th edition of the Cage Fight Series will take place in Premstätten near Graz, and "Krone" PLUS subscribers will once again be able to watch the preliminary fights live from 6pm. Already on Thursday (7 pm) on krone.at: the weigh-in and face-off of the international MMA fighters.

"It's going well here, the cage is already set up, the tension is rising," Gerhard Ettl radios to the "Krone". Things are boiling in the leisure center at Schwarzlsee. The president of the local MMA association, who helped build up the red-white-red mixed martial arts scene together with his trainer brother Michael, is hosting the prestigious event for the 13th time on Friday.

UFC veterans such as Ricco Rodriguez (US) and "Brasilo" Wagner Silver Gomes once took part in the Cage Fight Series. Amateurs see the series, which is highly regarded in Central Europe, as a springboard into the professional ranks.

Second fight after fleeing the war
Aleks Kuzmytskyi also opens the Prelims, which start live on krone.at at 6 pm on Friday. The 18-year-old Ukrainian fled the war in Zaporizhia and the Ettls took on the talented fighter at their Champions Gym in Graz. He lost his debut last November at the CFS 12. "He first has to earn his spurs," says Gerhard Ettl, who wants to see a solid fight (-64 kg) against Zaki Niazi from Vienna's Basic Sportsclub.

The 13th edition of the Cage Fight Series at a glance. Plus subscribers can again watch the preliminaries on krone.at.

(Bild: CFS)

The first fight card of the evening features four amateur and four professional fights. The capital duel in the lightweight division between Vienna's "Cage Wolf" Nico Schwarz and the experienced local hero Anas Hamdoui promises to be just as exciting as the pro fight between the Bosnian Sladan Dobras and the Dutchman Noach Blyden (-86kg). The latter will be coached by none other than Thai boxing legend Ivan "The Hydro" Hippolyte.

Bonus for the "Krone" community
Everything is set for an MMA spectacle in the Octagon. "Advance sales are going great - and the 'Krone' community will once again get its money's worth at the prelims," promises Gerhard Ettl, who has once again put together an illustrious line-up for the main card. The duels there can now be seen via UFC Fightpass (American streaming provider), which means that the local "cage warriors" can also attract the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's decision-makers.

Bogdan Grad in particular is expected to become the second Austrian after Aleks Rakic in the world's largest MMA organization. His featherweight opponent is the Peruvian Renzo Mendez. "The number one in Latin America, ten fights won in a row - will be a tough nut to crack," says Ettl. "But if Bogdan gets a clear win, the door to the UFC could open for him!" In addition to Florian Aberger, who faces the strong Moldovan Ion Taburceanu in the main fight, Daniel Schordje will also be in the spotlight in his professional debut against Vojo Katanovic (Srb).

Illustrious round to watch in advance 
The weigh-in and match-up of all the cage heroes will be broadcast for the first time on krone.at from 7pm on Thursday. Get an overview of the illustrious round!