Arek Zapart | Evolution Fighting Championship

Summary

Join us at EFC 11 as I chat with amateur K1 fighter Arek Zapart after his crushing win! We talk about how training with bigger sparring partners helped sharpen his striking weight-cuts and cardio routine lessons learned, mental game tips for staying calm and focused inside the…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Applause] Everyone, EFC 11, I have Mr. Eric Zapart. Zapard. Zapart. Right on. First of all, congratulations on that win. Thanks very much. Um, as a spectator, it sound like you were just throwing hammers in there. You're a big dude. Um, what you know, what what was it like? Obviously, your opponent, he's an equally big dude. You know, what what was that like, you know, kind of getting hit with that? Good. Good. Good. There's not many big lads in my gym where I train, you know. And number two, whenever I do spar someone that's equally my same size, height and stuff. Yeah. It's very hard to judge my striking. Okay. When it comes to my my strength, like, you know, if I hit them too hard, they back down. They don't want the spar. Okay. And I don't mean it. So, it's it's kind of comes to the territory of being a big guy. Yeah. But I don't mean to be, you know, like I'm a gentle giant. Like wouldn't hurt to play, but it's just it's hard to get someone equally big as me. That doesn't mean you or anything, but it's just to be able to get a hit by someone to feel the punch, you know, instead of just getting jabs here and there. And often I just stand there and just take them just to get used to it. this guy me like he's a big guy you know I was able to throw this lap you know but if you're big you have to take it as well like you know what I mean so it's a it's a big thing like you know yeah absolutely you looked um you looked well in there uh I think after with the first round um you know kind of had your hands up on the cage we you know he didn't look too tired or anything like that so what what do you do to kind of keep that cardio up you know so you can maintain the second fight okay I have had a fight two weeks ago Yeah. Which like I walk around 100 kilos. Okay. So this is a big 5 kilo coat. Like I was in the sauna today for half an hour wearing a big massive pennies jumper and trousers trying to sweat it out and onto a bike for half an hour, you know, trying to lose an extra kilo like you know. Gotcha. And I did. So um like I have done gym for 10 years. Okay. And I have had never done any cardio ever before. No. Never. It was my biggest enemy running up running up the stairs, you know, is the struggle at the time. Like, you know, the heaviest I ever was 108 kilos, you know, and that was heavy. So now doing kickboxing, I don't I'm not going to say I lost weight, but I have got fitter. I can stretch a lot more. And, you know, when it comes to my stamina, being able to stand a guard, it's basically what that's what the first fight taught me. you know, first time in the ring. It was, you know, you had the fear, you know, you were, you know, you I wasn't scared, but it was just like, what do I do? You know, who is that guy and stuff? So, like Sean Ageni from Bur, that's the lad I was fighting. Fair Blad, good fight. Um, you know, and the two of us were throwing hammers and I burnt out after the first round, you know. I absolutely burnt out. I was think obviously the first round I was gone. This is what he guarded up and I just kept throwing the bombs. I shouldn't have. I should have stepped back. Should have came in. That's exactly what I done today. I managed my time a lot more. I waited for the shots. I picked my shots. Okay. I picked my legs, you know. It was my idea. Kill the legs, you know, and then just come in one, two, and that was just the basic. It's the basics that get the best results, like, you know. Yeah. Well, you you nearly landed a very nice spin and back post. Yeah. I've been practicing for the D's for very long. If he wouldn't have talked, he would have got it. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, my friend Isaac himself, he's over there. He's a very good friend of mine and he's very good at sparring and he just really kind of teaches you as he goes along. Okay. He can throw a slap, that'll shake you, but he can also teach you like he told me, look, be careful. Practice that well. Do not hit an elbow. Do not hit the forearm. It's it's a bad thing, you know. Yeah. I just have really been practicing these and along with the right kicks, you know, back kicks and just right hands like you know, but it just all comes really to uh great just the basics. So now uh do you know like did you see what hand it was that like when he got his cut? Did you notice that like right away or I noticed that he was already bleeding after the fourth round? Yeah. So I we could have clashed heads. I'm not sure but I know that I hit in one right hand just before the clash. Could have been that, but I think he had a cut there as well. So, I don't really know. But did did you see it and kind of use it as a a target or No, absolutely not. Okay. Because I only started bleeding after I pushed away. I got everywhere on me. I was like, like, you know, so you didn't get a chance to go after that like, you know, right on. Um, you know. Okay. So, this is only your second fight here. Like, are you going to this something you're going to continue doing? Like you have How old are you now? Uh, 27. 27. Okay. You're still young. So, like do do you where would you like to take something like this? Just stay going the way I'm going. Yeah, stay amateur anyway for fact you know I have no interest in going any further you know not getting any younger you know so I don't want to definitely wonder I actually came into a fight with the injury like really even before the other fight I had I had an injury in the shoulder what' you do I was doing push-ups or claps you know crap push-up I landed bad and something just clicked but got didn't really take anything from it and then the minute I started kind of doing more sparring and stuff it's like can't scratch my back like you know I was like pain there so it's still kind of at me and I was sparring William there last week. I hurt my foot. That's that's clicky as well. So, you know, I wasn't prepared for this fight at all. I just, you know, like I have messages there. I was actually going to pull out a bit because I couldn't get the weight down like, you know, like I have no fat on me or anything like that. So, it was just kind of very hard to judge the water and especially I've never done it before. Yeah. So, it can be tough. It can definitely be tough. It is tough like you know, sitting in a hot sauna for 30 minutes with a jumper on now, you won't know until you experience it, you know. So, yeah. Okay. This being only your second fight, you know, like what what kind of nerves did you have coming in to to doing it today? I had no nerves. What about on your first fight? First fight? Yeah. I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect, you know. It was uh See, it was a kind of a friendly club as well. Like we're friends. Okay. Okay. You know, sparked some of the lads below down in Carlo and all stand out all very respectful, you know. There was no uh you know, bad intentions or anything, you know. So, fight is a fight. I always come in smiling at someone, you know, and you know, there's no aggression like, you know, so. Okay. Do you think um having no nerves this time, do you think that was because of your first experience? Absolutely. Yeah. You had a bit more of an idea of what to expect this time? Yeah, absolutely. What would you say to someone who is maybe on the fence, you know, they're they're interested in competing, but they don't necessarily go invited. [Music] Yes. Just send it. Descend it. you know what happens happens like you know it's always a lesson we learn everything new every single day you know so it's a it's a thing that you know you have to go in and do it like you know 100% absolutely you have to experience everything in life so that's the one thing you have to whether it's to win or lose you're always winning it takes a lot to go in there into that cage especially a cage you know there's no escaping two animals in a cage giving it so ox like you know so speaking of being in the cage like that like you What what is it like uh you know when the ref shuts the door and then it's just the you know the two be honest I wasn't even paying attention to No I was just in the zone just going in and like I wasn't even going for a kill I was just going I want to finish okay you know I want to just do that three rounds and it's just experience at the end of the day like you know like I don't want to hurt anyone you know there's it's a very dangerous sport you know you can easily do one single move and somebody could be dead like you know so like there's definitely not anything like that but it's just a matter of going in How do you stay in the zone before your fight like this? Like what what do you do to stay, you know, kind of mentally focused? Don't think about it. Okay. Don't think about it. Like I never I never looked up my opponent. I never do anything that I just seen one picture of him and that was it, you know? So it just that's probably that really is probably the way to go, I think. Yeah. Just don't mind your own business. Focus on you, you know, cuz he's more scared of you than you are scared of him, you know. True. you know, so it's just uh just stay strong and just staying, you know. Right on. All right. Look, man. Um I appreciate your time and I hope to see you uh compete again and I hope to have another chat with you. Um I I appreciate it. Thanks so much. Thank you very much. Yes, sir. [Music] Hallelujah.