The Noble Motives of Luka Jelcic
Luka Jelcic has spent a lot of time thinking about his last fight. In his Bellator MMA debut at Bellator 190 on Dec. 9, Jelcic succumbed to first-round punches from Brandon Girtz, the loss snapping a four-fight winning streak and leaving the SBG Ireland-trained Croatian with a sour taste in his mouth.
“I did a lot of things wrong in my last fight, and I take responsibility for my actions,” Jelcic told Sherdog.com. “As soon as I got back to Ireland, I started working with my coaches, John Kavanagh and Paschal Collins, on the errors I’ve made.”
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“The fight itself was decided by an illegal shot to the back of my head, and the referee has taken that one on himself,” Jelcic said. “Nobody can deny that, and I appreciate all the support I received on social media after the fight ended. The referee messed up badly there, and unfortunately, I paid the price big-time, with my health and with my purse.”
Jelcic has his sights set on climbing the 155-pound ladder in Bellator. The former Final Fight Championship lightweight titleholder has gone the distance only twice in his 13-fight career. Jelcic wants to return to competition this summer.
“I will fight again in July,” he said. “I will fight anyone who stands in my way. I’m here to be the best in the world, step by step, and there’s a lot of work to do in front of me. My goal is to get back on track with a win and solidify my place in the lightweight division. I want to fight and secure a good life for my family. I always take things one step at a time, contract by contract, and that’s what I’ll keep doing.”
While he has followed the trail countryman Mirko Filipovic blazed to MMA, the Zagreb, Croatia, native has put some distance between himself and his beginnings. Jelcic has lived in Dublin for the last three years, having left his homeland to improve as a fighter and to escape the economic recession in his country.
“I wouldn’t know much [about what’s going on in Croatia]. Not paying too much attention [to it] anymore,” he said. “All I know is we have some really good teams and fighters that don’t have much financial support and general sponsorship support. I wish everyone there all the best and hope they succeed in chasing their dream.”
