“Martin is a former strength sports champion, so he’s used to the high level, and I’ll need to be finely tuned physically. He’s someone who doesn’t give up, who’s solid, who likes to take punches… so I’m going to give him some! I’ve seen my opponent’s weaknesses, and I’m going to exploit them as far as possible.”

In front of the cameras, GregMMA also put a word for IbraTV, social networking star and recent HEXAGONE MMA signing, whom he could face soon. “Ibra, he’s taking this fight very seriously, and he’s right. It’s going to be boiling! This fight, he wants to do it, I want to do it, and everyone wants to see it, whether purists or show fans. So, we will have a great fight some time in 2024.”

GregMMA, 45, returned to competition on July 28, just over 17 years after his last professional appearance. It was a perfect comeback, ending in a win by K-O in just 15 seconds at HEXAGONE MMA 9, held at the Théâtre Antique in Orange. While the public now appreciates him for his work on the Internet, Gregory Bouchelaghem reminded us that he was first a top-level athlete and a true pioneer of mixed martial arts in France.

Present at the press conference on Thursday, Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar also spoke about his upcoming fight, when he takes on Lithuanian Osvald Fedorovic at the Zenith in Paris, in the co-main event of the evening. Motivated, the Parisian wants to bounce back after his first defeat in the cage last June. “It’s part of my history, I’ve accepted it, and I’ve learned from that defeat. We made a lot of adjustments to this last fight. I’m lucky enough to be in a gym
-the US Metro- where there are so many different profiles, so it allows us to vary styles. I’m ready!”

Nacim Belhouachi, scheduled for the January 26 card, is also enthusiastic and took advantage of the press conference to announce the name of his future opponent: the unbeaten Magomed Kadimagomedov. “The Zenith is 500 meters from my house! It’s going to be a good experience to fight at home. My opponent? We’re going to make sure we add a defeat to his record because I feel stronger than him on many points. On January 26, we’ll have a great show, both technically and in terms of the show!”

The first three official fights for HEXAGONE MMA 13:

• Gregory Bouchelaghem (France, 6-4) vs Martin Horsky (Czech Republic, 4-5), catchweight fight -90 kg
• Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar (France, 6-1-1) vs Osvald Fedorovic (Lithuania, 7-4), lightweight -70 kg bout
• Nacim Belhouachi (3-2) vs Magomed Kadimagomedov (Belgium, 5-0), featherweight category -66 kg