Recently there has been a much welcomed explosion of UFC fighters from outside the USA. We have been blessed with an abundance of talent from South America; no one can deny Brazil is loaded with top notch competitors. Asia has also produced a litany of high level fighters too long list, and now it appears that Europe is letting us know that they are on the map and they are looking to start a revolution.
The European countries are producing some of the best fighters on the roster, from Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson and the Netherland’s Alistair Overeem, to Ireland’s Conor Mcgregor, and Iceland’s quiet killer Gunnar Nelson. Now it seems that Poland wants to showcase their talent. Poland has given us Jan Blachowicz, Krzysztof Jotko, and now most recently BJJ phenom Marcin “Bomba” Bandel.
Marcin Bandel is from Lodz, Poland and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under Robert Drysdale. Marcin has won over thirty national and international BJJ titles, including the Polish BJJ Championship and the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in Bucharest where he won two gold medals. “Bomba” has been competing in MMA since 2009, has an impressive 13-2 record with most of his wins coming by way of first round submission. Bandel is known for his ability to chain together submissions until he forces a positional error from his opponent.
I had the good fortune to talk with “Bomba” Bandel, who makes his UFC debut against Mairbek Taisumov on October 4th in Sweden, and get his thoughts on his inaugural fight in the octagon.
Aaron Robbins: Marcin, thank you for taking the time to talk with me today, let’s get started. Marcin, there has been a recent influx of European fighters, and a willingness of the UFC to search broader horizons to find talent. Give us your thoughts on this current trend.
Marcin Bandel: “I think it’s because there are so many different types of fighters in Europe, there are BJJ champs in Poland, Sambo fighters in Russia, boxers in Germany, and I think now with MMA everybody wants to compete and see who is superior. We want to show the world what we can do. I also believe it has to do with the growth of the sport itself. Fighters are seeking opportunities with MMA that they wouldn’t get in other sports. Some of the European styles are dying and pure BJJ doesn’t get the attention that MMA and the UFC receives. I am very proud to be part of the UFC and to show the American fans what Poland has to offer to the sport.”
AR: That’s a great answer, speaking of opportunities in MMA; tell the fans how your training has been effected since you signed with the UFC.
MB: “The training in America has been fantastic. Here you have a complete system for training MMA. In Europe you have to travel from one gym to another to train each individual skill, they are all separate. Now I train at Midwest Training Center in Illinois. I am training with Coach Alex Trujillo, who owns MTC, I have Dan Finnegan for my strength and conditioning. I can focus on my nutrition with Robert Kaleal, and train with some of the best fighters, like Stipe Miocic. In Poland we work on technique, there isn’t so much focus on things like diet or strength training.”
AR: That must make the training a lot more effective, having it all in one place. Marcin, you are known for your world class BJJ, are there other areas of you skill set that you are trying to improve?
MB: “Yes, of course, I am working to improve in everything. My Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is good, but I am always learning and getting better, I believe my BJJ could be twice what it is now. Right now though, I am focusing in on my wrestling abilities, I believe that is the skill that I need to improve upon the most.”
AR: It’s hard to believe that your Jiu Jitsu could be twice as good as it is now, you are very successful on the mat, and you have the reputation of being very offensive with your grappling, rather than defensive. Is that something that you and Robert Drysdale train for?
MB: “No, everybody has a different style of grappling, I don’t plan to go after a choke or an armbar, I just remain patient and I take the opportunities that my opponent provides. My style of BJJ is very effective for MMA.”
AR: Marcin, you have your UFC debut in October against Mairbek Taisumov in Sweden. What do you know about your opponent and do you believe this is a good match for you?
MB: “I know that my opponent has vast experience, he has over twenty fights. Mairbek is Russian so I know he has a solid wrestling background, he also trained in Thailand for his Muay Thai. Taisumov has a large fan base where he is from and I think he is good in many areas. I do, however, believe that my style of fighting is going to be difficult for him. I have a high level of skill and I don’t think he will be able to keep up with me, especially when the fight goes to the mat.”
AR: It sounds like you have confidence in your corner and you’re ready to get at it. Seeing that you are new to the American fighting scene, is there anything that you would like to tell the fans here in the U.S.?
MB: “Yes, first and foremost I want the fans to know how grateful I am for the opportunity to fight for them in the UFC. I plan on putting on a great show for the fans. I am a hard worker and I’m going to showcase that in October.”
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