Slovak fighter VERONIKA SMOLKOVA faces a significant challenge in her career as she prepares to take on experienced Swiss competitor Stephanie Egger at OKTAGON 85. The bout promises to be a compelling clash of styles, and experience.
The 23-year-old Smolkova is entering the fight with growing momentum and confidence. She acknowledges Egger’s experience but remains confident in her own abilities.
Smolkova recently discussed a mental shift, the pressure from fans, and the potential for a future high-profile matchup with Alina Dalaslan in an interview with Sportnet.
Stephanie Egger is considered by many to be your toughest opponent to date. Do you share that assessment?
“Yes, I definitely do, and I’m extremely excited about that challenge. Even though Stephanie Egger is considerably older than me, I’m approaching this knowing she has a wealth of experience.”
“She’s more mature and should be more sensible than I am. So, for me, it’s a challenge that I believe I can overcome, and I’d prefer to win before the limit.”
What does Egger represent as the biggest threat, and where do you see your advantages?
“As I said, it’s not necessarily a threat, but I definitely see her experience as a major plus. She’s been competing for a very long time. She fought in the UFC, so I sense she’ll be very well-prepared mentally. She has very good throws from judo. She’s dangerous on the ground, with a lot of matches under her belt.”
“But I also take her advantages as my own, because we’ve been working on that for a long time, and I was supposed to have two matches with her already. So, I believe I’m more than prepared.”
“I see my advantages in the fact that I’m young, hungry, and I absolutely love this. So, I’m not afraid of any of it. On the contrary, I’m very excited and looking forward to showing the preparation I’ve had for this opponent for a long time.”
What aspects of your preparation did you focus on most intensely leading up to this fight?
“As I said, Stephanie Egger has very good judo and is dangerous on the ground, so we focused mainly on that. Now it’s just a matter of showing it this weekend.”
Your performances have been steadily improving. What do you attribute the biggest progress in recent times to?
“I would attribute the biggest progress to myself and my mental state. I feel that as I get older, I’m definitely smarter. I also have much healthier self-confidence, because I used to tend to underestimate myself and be extremely harsh on myself.”
“I’m still strict, but it’s not as unhealthy as it used to be. So, I see the biggest progress in my mental state, and certainly also in the technical and tactical – I think more, I don’t head into everything so recklessly, and I see how I mature with each fight. It’s getting better and better, so let’s hope it stays that way.”
How do you deal with the increasing pressure and expectations from fans and experts?
“Basically, I don’t have any demands in this regard and don’t have to deal with it specifically. I am my own biggest hater and fan in one, so no one will be able to create more pressure on me than I do on myself. I just love this.”
“What bothers me more than the pressure are the comments about appearance, when people tend to constantly insult someone. Then, of course, I open my profile and say my piece. Even more, I don’t understand how such a person can insult me.”
“I take it as something I have to get used to. It’s something new, and I have to get used to the fact that it will probably be like this forever, because people can express themselves on the internet without consequences. I have to learn to not let it bother me, and I have to love myself so much that it doesn’t hurt me.”
Has your approach to fighting changed at all compared to the beginning of your professional career?
“I would definitely say that the mindset and approach have changed, as I mentioned earlier. Mentally, I feel like I’m maturing and trying to work on that self-confidence. I’m trying to work on loving myself, both appearance-wise and because it’s really challenging.”
“I always say that anyone can train, but the one who is mentally better prepared wins the fight. That’s why I’m working on it, doing more yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises. I feel that This represents where I’ve made the biggest progress, so I’m continuing to do so.”
There’s a lot of talk about a potential fight with Alina Dalaslan. I hear she will be present in Hannover, and if you win, this matchup seems likely. Do you see it that way too?
“I think a fight with Alina Dalaslan would be an extremely good fight. I would like to have it with her myself. However, the thing is that I’m in a lower weight class, and she herself said that she won’t go to a lower weight class, that she won’t make 57 kg.”
“I would definitely like to fight for the title first, to be the champion in my weight class. But I want that fight with her, and I know I would agree to a higher weight. I probably wouldn’t go to 61 kg, but we could do a catchweight around 60. I know she’s done that once before.”
“I think that fight would be very good and would definitely help me, because Alina has skyrocketed on the German scene in terms of numbers and interest. It’s not surprising, she’s lovely and skilled.”
“That fight would be great, and I think a women’s title outside of weight classes could be created in OKTAGON. We’ll see what happens – maybe something is brewing, just in my head for now (laughs). But I believe it would be great, people would want to see it, and it would help me too. So, I believe it will happen someday.”
Good performances bring increasing attention, but not always positive. What do you think about negative comments on social media? Do you read them or try to avoid them?
“As I said, I take those comments as just a reflection of the people who write them. If someone feels the need to insult me, that person is obviously not balanced themselves. It still bothers me sometimes, though.”
“Sometimes I’m completely reconciled with it, and sometimes I want to hit them with something – of course, figuratively. What bothers me more is that people who write it wouldn’t dare say it to my face.”
“I have to deal with it by working on my dream and accepting that it will be like this anyway. I just have to learn to not let it bother me.”
