Shem Rock scored a big win in Prague this past weekend as Oktagon MMA staged two big shows, one on the Friday and one on the Saturday.
The 29-year-old finished home hope Jan Malach by submission at Oktagon 45 and after training under domestic prodigies turned UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann, Rock is ready to follow their path to becoming a household name in British sports.
And with Oktagon 48 taking place in Manchester this coming November, he can see a very clear route directly ahead.
“I’m still yet to fight in Liverpool," he noted exclusively to DAZN courtesy of Press Box PR and Oktagon after beating Malach.
"Manchester is down the road, looking at a co-main event spot.
"I’m UK Oktagon's biggest star, and if they put the right name against me I’m selling out the whole venue by myself.
“I get hundreds of messages, ‘when’s your next fight’. Now it’s in Manchester, Pavol and Ondrej are going to see the star power, they’re going to realise when they see everyone cheer Shem Rock (that) this guy wasn’t lying.
“My dream venue is M&S Bank, that’s got my name on it. Look at Paddy when he used to sell it out, look at Darren Till when he fought Wonderboy, I’m next.”
Rock revealed that his victory over Malach happened pretty much how he anticipated it would, and despite setbacks to his training camp.
He added: “I envisioned the finish many times. I definitely saw me teeping him to the body and him curling over… my instinct kicked in, I had a little sequence to get to the rear naked choke and got the finish.”
“I didn’t even have a camp, I was in bed for six weeks, couldn't rotate properly, but I wasn’t pulling out of the fight. What you’ve seen today was a full camp, look at this physique compared to the last one.”
Shem Rock will return to action at OKTAGON 48, at Manchester’s AO Arena. Fans can secure their tickets now by clicking here, that plus the replay of the Prague double bill will air on DAZN in most parts of the world - check here for availability.