Viktor Pešta (; born July 15, 1990) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation''), better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premier mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. Awards *Violent Money TV ** ...

(KSW). He is currently ranked #6 in the KSW Heavyweight rankings. 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) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. He became historically the second UFC fighter from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, 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 Czech Armed Forces (), also known as the Czech Army, are the military responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as the main part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (). The Czech Armed Forces led by the General Staff consis ...

. In 2008, he started training

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

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

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. 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 ''UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 14'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 24, 2015, at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Background This was the fourth event that the UFC has held in Sweden and th ...

. Pešta won the fight by unanimous decision. Pešta faced

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

on October 3, 2015 at

UFC 192 ''UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 3, 2015, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the promotion has hosted in Houston, and the first since UFC 166 in 2013 ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Pešta faced

Marcin Tybura Marcin Tybura (born November 9, 1985) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Tybura previously fought for ...

on August 6, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 92 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

. 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 professional mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A professional since 2007, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), Fight Exclusive Night and M-1 Global. ...

on January 15, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 103 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. 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 beg ...

. 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 AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

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 Michael Andrew Kyle (born March 31, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist and boxer currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, Kyle has competed for the UFC, the WEC, Strikeforce, the ...

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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and was replaced by Alexander Poppeck. Pešta faced

Ildemar Alcântara Ildemar Alcântara (; born 7 November 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has formerly competed in the UFC and is the younger brother of former ...

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 Omari Sirazhudinovich Akhmedov (born October 12, 1987) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters ...

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, with him making his debut at KSW 86: Wikłacz vs. Przybysz 4 on September 16, 2023 against Filip Stawowy, in a bout that saw him submit his opponent in the first round via rear-naked choke. Pešta faced Szymon Bajor on December 16, 2023 at KSW 89: Bartosiński vs. Parnasse, losing the bout via split decision.

Personal life

Pešta's signature move, the (side) mounted crucifix position, was nicknamed/called "''Bába pod kořenem'' ()" by his fans, after the

famous Famous may refer to: Companies * Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor * Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain * Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures * Famous Studios, the animation division ...

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 Honza is a very common Czech language, Czech name which may be informally used interchangeably with John (given name), Jan (). It comes from German language, German Johann, Johann(es) → Hans_(name), Hans → Honza. Possible diminutives are Honz ...

, Pešta's Czech nickname, is a

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

, similar to the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Hans (or Hänsel) or the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

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, 19–9 , Szymon Bajor , Decision (split) , KSW 89 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 19–8 , Filip Stawowy , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KSW 86 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–8 , Rob Wilkinson , TKO (punches) , PFL 4 (2022) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 ,

, KO (punches) , PFL 1 (2022) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Stephan Püetz , 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 Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 ,

, TKO (punches) , Oktagon 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Michal Martínek , TKO (injury broken jaw) , Oktagon 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Oktagon 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Ivan Vitasović , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Night of Warriors 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

Alexander Emelianenko Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko (or Yemelianenko; rus, Александр Владимирович Емельяненко, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Emel'janenko, ɐlʲɪkˈsandr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjæ ...

, TKO (punches) , RCC 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

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

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

Alexei Kudin Alexei Kudin (; born December 20, 1984) is a Belarusian former professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is a world champion and European versions WBKF, King of Kings – Grand Prix K-1 tournament finalist, which was held December 16, ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Nights Global 79 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Penza Penza (, ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura (river), Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Russian census, 2010 Census, Penza had ...

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

, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 ,

Aleksei Oleinik 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 beg ...

, Submission (Ezekiel choke) , UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, 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 or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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 Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Ruslan Magomedov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Muñoz vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Yosef Ali Mohammad , Decision (result overturned by SMMAF) , Heroes Fighting 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational urban areas of Sweden, city at the mouth of the Nissan (river), Nissan river, in the provinces of Sweden, province of Halland on the Sweden, Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat ...

, 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 ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Zoran Krpan , TKO (elbows) , Gladiator CF 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Lukáš Olejník , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiator CF 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...

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

Kladno Kladno (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history. Administrative division Kladno consists of six municipal parts ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Štefan Krajčí , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator CF 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. It lies on the left bank of the Jizera (river), Jizera River. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region. I ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Vít Mrákota , Submission (armbar) , Gladiator CF 1 , , 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 21st-century Czech sportsmen