) , fighting_out_of =

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Czech Republic , height = 6 ft 3 in , weight_lb = 205 , weight_class =

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

(2010–2019, 2023-)

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

(2020–2022) , reach = , style = , trainer = , team = Kill Cliff FC
Penta Gym Prague , stance = Orthodox , rank = , years_active = 2010–present , box_win = , box_kowin = , box_loss = , box_koloss = , box_draw = , box_nc = , mma_kowin = 8 , mma_subwin = 6 , mma_decwin = 4 , mma_dqwin = , mma_koloss = 6 , mma_subloss = 1 , mma_decloss = 1 , mma_dqloss = , mma_draw = , mma_nc = , occupation = , university = , spouse = , children = , relatives = , students = , club = , school = , url = http://www.viktorpesta.com , boxrec = , sherdog = 74176 , footnotes = , updated = Viktor Pešta (; born July 15, 1990) is a Czech

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

division of

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

(KSW). His name can be written as Pesta or Peshta. Pešta was a Gladiator Championship Fighting Heavyweight Champion, WASO World Heavyweight Champion, Oktagon MMA Light heavyweight Champion and he competed in the

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He became historically the second UFC fighter from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

, after Karlos Vemola.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2006, Pešta started training Traditional Musado under the leadership of Vít Skalník. Traditional Musado is the civilian version of Musado, the close quarters combat system used by the

Military of the Czech Republic The Army of the Czech Republic ( cs, Armáda České republiky, AČR), also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic in compliance with international obligations and treaties on collecti ...

. In 2008, he started training MMA under the leadership of Jiří Vesecký in the gym in Příbram, Bohemia. Pešta moved to Prague to study at university and to pursue MMA career. In

, he began training in Penta Gym. He began amateur fighting at age of 18 and made his professional MMA debut in 2010. His last fight in GCF was with longtime GCF Heavyweight Champion Lukáš Ťupa for the GFC Heavyweight Championship on December 7, 2013 at GCF 26: Fight Night. Pešta won in the first round by his signature move, strikes from the (side) mounted crucifix position and he became the new GCF Heavyweight Champion and #1 in Czech heavyweight rankings.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pešta became internationally well known for his website
letmebeyoursparringpartner.com
In February 2014, Pešta was offered a contract with the UFC. Pešta made his debut against face fellow newcomer Ruslan Magomedov on May 31, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 41 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. For his second fight with the promotion, Pešta faced touted newcomer Konstantin Erokhin on January 24, 2015 at UFC on Fox 14. Pešta won the fight by unanimous decision. Pešta faced Derrick Lewis on October 3, 2015 at

UFC 192 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Pešta faced Marcin Tybura on August 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 92. He lost the fight via head kick KO in the second round. Pešta was expected to face

Damian Grabowski Damian Grabowski (born May 12, 1980) is a Polish mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A professional since 2007, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), and M-1 Global. Biography Grabowski is a multiple Bra ...

on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. However, Grabowski pulled out of the fight in late December for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

Alexey Oleynik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their heavyweight division. He b ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. In May 2017, Pešta was released from the company.

Fight Nights Global

He signed a contract with Fight Nights Global in the second part of year 2017 after one match at home organization XFN.

OKTAGON MMA

In 2019, Pešta signed with OKTAGON MMA and made his promotional debut against Mike Kyle at OKTAGON 13 on July 27, 2019. He won the fight via first-round submission. He then challenged Michal Martínek for the OKTAGON MMA Heavyweight Championship at OKTAGON 15 on November 9, 2019. He lost the fight in the first round due to an injury.

Move down to Light Heavyweight

Pešta was expected to face Csaba Hocz at OKTAGON 16 on September 26, 2020. However, Pešta tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

and was replaced by Alexander Poppeck. Pešta faced Ildemar Alcântara at OKTAGON 20 on December 30, 2020. He won the bout via TKO in the first round. Pešta faced Riccardo Nosiglia at OKTAGON 24 on May 29, 2021. He won the bout via TKO after ground and pounding Nosiglia. Pešta faced Stephan Puetz for the OKTAGON MMA Light Heavyweight Championship at OKTAGON 28 on September 25, 2021. He won the bout via doctor stoppage after the doctor ended the bout after the third round due to a nose injury.

Professional Fighters League

Pešta faced Omari Akhmedov on April 23, 2022 at PFL 1. He lost the bout after getting knocked out in first round. Pešta faced Rob Wilkinson on June 17, 2022 at PFL 4. He lost the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki

On January 9, 2023, it was announced that Pešta signed with KSW.

Personal life

Pešta's signature move, the (side) mounted crucifix position, was nicknamed/called "''Bába pod kořenem'' ( en, The crone under the root)" by his fans, after the famous Czech TV Nova'sbr>report
about an elderly woman who gets stuck for 11 hours under the root of a tree overnight, 50 meters away from her rented hut in the forest and her friends. Poor Honza, Pešta's Czech nickname, is a Czech fairy tale

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

, similar to the English Jack, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Hans Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

(or Hänsel) or the Russian Ivan.

Championships and accomplishments

*OKTAGON MMA **2021 OKTAGON MMA Light Heavyweight Champion *World Association of Sporting Organizations **2019 WASO World Heavyweight Champion *Gladiator Championship Fighting **2013 GCF Heavyweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–8 , Rob Wilkinson , TKO (punches) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Omari Akhmedov , KO (punches) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Stephan Puetz , TKO (doctor stoppage) , OKTAGON 28 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Riccardo Nosiglia , TKO (punches) , OKTAGON 24 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:50 , Brno, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Ildemar Alcântara , TKO (punches) , OKTAGON 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 , Brno, Czech Republic ,

debut. , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Michal Martínek , TKO (jaw injury) , OKTAGON 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, Czech Republic , For the OKTAGON MMA Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Mike Kyle , Submission (rear-naked choke) , OKTAGON 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, Czech Republic , Catchweight (212 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Ivan Vitasović , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Night of Warriors 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:16 , Liberec, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 , Alexander Emelianenko , TKO (punches) , RCC: Russian Cagefighting Championship 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administrat ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Alexander Gladkov , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights Global 84: Deák vs. Chupanov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Alexei Kudin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Nights Global 79: Pavlovich vs. Sidelnikov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Penza Penza ( rus, Пе́нза, p=ˈpʲɛnzə) is the largest city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, Penza had a population of 517,311, making it the 38th-l ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Michał Kita , TKO (punches) , XFN 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:39 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Aleksei Oleinik , Submission (Ezekiel choke) , UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 , Marcin Tybura , KO (head kick) , UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:53 ,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 , Derrick Lewis , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:15 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Konstantin Erokhin , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Ruslan Magomedov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Lukáš Ťupa , TKO (elbows) , GCF 26: Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Yosef Ali Mohammad , Decision (overturned) , Heroes Fighting Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of the Nissan river, in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County. The ci ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Saša Lazić , TKO (punches) , Heroes Gate 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Christian Colombo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , European MMA 1: Casino Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Zoran Krpan , TKO (elbows) , GCF 12: Cage Fight Brno , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 , Brno, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Lukáš Olejník , Submission (rear-naked choke) , GCF 8: Back in the Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and more ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Alexander Uhlíř , TKO (punches) , Warrior Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Kladno Kladno (; german: Kladen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 67,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and together with its adjacent suburban areas has a population of more than 110,000. ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Štefan Krajčí , Decision (unanimous) , GCF 2: All or Nothing , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Vít Mrákota , Submission (armbar) , GCF 1: Judgement Day , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:49 ,

, Czech Republic , , -

Amateur record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1-1 , Josef Říha , Decision , Twins Cup - Czech National Championship in Thaiboxing and MMA , May 23, 2010 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Petr Horňák , Submission (guillotine choke) , Twins Cup - Czech National Championship in Thaiboxing and MMA , March 28, 2010 , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Czech Republic ,

References

External links

Official UFC profile
*
Official websiteFacebookTwitterInstagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pesta, Viktor 1990 births Living people People from Příbram Czech male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Musado Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters