At UFC Paris, Dustin Stoltzfus, an American who has found his home in the Palatinate for years, gets into the cage. The 30-year-old meets a fighter from Düsseldorf in Paris. Before the fight, the man from Germersheim talks to ntv.de about his career and his development in the UFC.
At UFC Paris (Saturday 6 p.m. / DAZN), Dustin Stoltzfus, an American who has found his home in the Palatinate for years, gets into the cage. The 30-year-old, who graduated as a translator in Germersheim, is now an integral part of the German MMA scene. In the French capital he meets a fighter from Düsseldorf in the middleweight division with Abus Magomedov. Before the fight, Stoltzfus spoke to ntv.de about his career, fighting development in the UFC and the upcoming fight.
ntv.de: There is always a discussion, are you American, are you German. You even jokingly posted on Instagram that you now like sparkling water. Doesn't that nationality thing annoy you?
Dustin Stoltzfus: German here, American there. I find it rather funny, I have to say, but I don't understand it either. Most people welcome me very well and I have a lot of support from Germany - most of my fans are from Germany. Whether on Instagram or Youtube, there is always someone who writes really ignorant things in the comments. 'He has the American flag next to his name, then he has nothing to do with Germany'. The USA is my birth country. There are people from outside who pretend to be experts but don't know the details.
And what are the details in this case?
I never saw myself primarily as an American. My family comes from a minority culture of original Germans who emigrated from the Palatinate to the USA. Where I happen to live now. I always feel a bit off track in American culture and also here in Germany. But I feel very comfortable with that.
You now represent German MMA as someone who pushes the sport here. At UFC Paris there are many fighters who have come from Germany and you yourself are fighting Abus Magomedov from Düsseldorf. How do you classify the event here in Paris?
It's nice to see this whole development of the German MMA scene. With me, Abus, Khalid Taha and Nasrat Haqparast there are already a handful of fighters from Germany on the Fight Card. A few years ago there was only Dennis Siewer and Peter Sobotta. You can see that MMA is also growing in Germany.
If you look back at your career in the UFC so far, there are three losses and an impressive win in the last fight against Dwight Grant. After that, the UFC renewed their contract with you. How do you see your development since your debut in the elite doctorate?
In my first four fights, it's really difficult to see a common thread through my skills. I've definitely gotten better in many areas. Unfortunately, my stand-up - i.e. the close combat with the opponent in a standing position - is a bit behind in time because of Corona. I made my fight in the Contender Series, the moment that got me into the UFC, and made my debut in the middle of the pandemic - and it messed up my training quite a bit. I was able to train less kickboxing and boxing. I definitely noticed that, I was simply more unsure of my position. I then brought that back bit by bit.
In the last fight it was noticed that you had a much more powerful and dominant effect on your opponent. Was there a kind of change of heart beforehand, to go more forward, to want to give the viewers or the UFC the spectacle that they often want?
There was simply less inhibition and pressure from outside. When I lost, I had good opponents who didn't dominate me all the time. That doesn't make defeats any less painful, but it was quite good to have an audience again and to get back into the cage with more ease.
Stand-up, wrestling, ground-and-pound - the last fight had it all. What can viewers expect when they meet Abus Magomedov?
We're both pretty good in all areas. So I would say you can expect a real MMA duel in all areas. But it's not like the Grant fight, where I knew he was dangerous standing and weaker on the ground. It will be hard standing, hard wrestling, hard on the ground. The one who asserts himself better and controls the transitions wins.
The UFC is in France for the first time. The euphoria is always particularly great there. Do you have any idea what's in store for you?
This is only my second time fighting in front of a UFC crowd. I also feel a lot more relaxed about it. Other people feel stressed, for me it's rather strange because it's so quiet and I don't know exactly how the French feel. It will definitely be nicer than in a quiet hall.
Michael Bauer spoke to Dustin Stoltzfus
