Athletes
Mantas Kondratavicius Out To Prove He Belongs
Newcomer Talks Representing Lithuania, Fighting In London Ahead OF Debut On Saturday
This weekend, Mantas Kondratavicius joins a small group of Lithuanian athletes to make the walk and fight on the biggest stage in the sport when he makes his promotional debut in London against Antonio Trocoli.
“It’s a lot because it’s a small country, there’s not many of us, so it’s a big honor to be here to, to represent my country,” said the 26-year-old middleweight, who joins Julija Stoliarenko, Modestas Bukauskas, Ernesta Kareckaite, and Zygimantas Ramaska as Lithuanians to fight under the UFC banner.
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Representation in all forms matters and is especially meaningful in instances like this, when there is such a limited population with whom one can identify. Those moments ring out even louder, and it makes getting to share them with friends and family all the more important.
For the vast majority of European fighters over the last several years, the chances to compete close to home have been few and far between with the UFC’s stops in London and Paris serving as the only regular European locations dating back to pre-pandemic days. When Kondratavicius got word that his debut would be taking place in London, the Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus was overjoyed.
“I was very happy about this because my friends and my family, they’re all coming here,” he said. “I have a lot of friends in London as well because I (lived) here before, so I have Lithuanian friends from the UK coming too.
“It’s a very good feeling… I’m very happy to perform for them, for all of the UK and for everyone.”
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There was clearly a little bit of a “deer in the headlights” situation transpiring with the recent Contender Series grad when we spoke on Tuesday morning, and with good reason: just five years into his pro career, Kondratavicius reached the biggest stage in the sport, and while it’s the ambition of everyone that puts on a pair of gloves, the experience of your first fight week in the UFC can be more than a little overwhelming.
“I was dreaming about this, and now it’s happening,” he said, “I’m feeling very good, I’m feeling confident, and I’m very happy to be here. It’s the biggest stage.”
When asked which part of this weekend’s debut experience he was most looking forward to, the talented newcomer responded, “Everything!
“To feel this O2 Arena. To feel the UFC, everything is amazing,” he added. “It’s a different experience, and I’m very happy to have this. It still kind of a dream, you know?”
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Though it may still feel like a dream, Kondratavicius earned his place in the middleweight division in emphatic fashion back in September, impressing UFC CEO Dana White by blowing through Dani Barbir in 66 seconds. It was his third straight win, third straight first-round finish, and enough to secure him a contract. Looking back, the debuting Lithuanian recognizes how important the lone loss of his career was in getting him ready to compete in Las Vegas last fall and now in London on Saturday.
“All my life, I was training, I was working; even when I was a kid, I was watching UFC and dreaming about this,” he said. “I had that loss, but I think it made me lot better, a lot tougher… I made my improvements and straight away after that loss, I fought a good wrestler and showed I can wrestle, I can grapple. I was working with the best wrestlers, grapplers in Lithuania. I made my improvements and the journey continues.”
For his first foray into the Octagon, Kondratavicius will share the cage with Trocoli, a 35-year-old Brazilian and fellow Contender Series alum. “Malvado” showed flashes during his regional days but has yet to replicate those glimmers at this level, losing each of his three Octagon appearances.
Even though his opponent is in the midst of a slide, the debutant isn’t making any bold proclamations when it comes to how he sees himself creating a core memory with weekend with his first UFC win.
“I’m prepared for everything,” Kondratavicius said. “I’m never going into the fight thinking, ‘Oh, I’m gonna KO him or I’m gonna submit him.’ I’m always prepared for a war, I’m always prepared to give everything I’ve got, and I think that mentality, I had it in all my fights and this is what got me here.”
As for what comes next, that part he’s much more clear on.
“Just to fight, to fight, to fight. To be active, and show what I can do,” he said. “To show people that I deserve to be here and I can be here; that I can compete with the best.”
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy took place live from The O2 in London, England On March 21, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!