Twenty-three-year-old Luka Jelcic (3-0) is considered by many to be the most talented fighter on the MMA scene in Croatia. He will make his debut in the Final Fight Championship in Zadar on May 10 against MMA League Croatia middleweight winner David Vasic. The Jelcic vs Vasic encounter will be an 81 kg catchweight fight. This matchup was expected to take place as part of the MMA League competition, but Jelcic was prevented by an injury.

"Now I'm healthy, thank God, except I'm beaten up from sparring. I've managed to recover from an adductor injury which prevented me from doing virtually anything for three months. I approach each fight, including this one with David Vasic, in the same way. I've only adapted a few small things to his style. I train the same way throughout the year. I'm working on my technique, strength and condition and trying to keep injuries away as much as I can because I used to spar too much with Pokrajac, Truscek, and even with kickboxing and boxing fighters from the Petar Zrinski club and from Velika Gorica. I used to believe at the time that such an amount of sparring would be good for me. In a way it was, because I made a lot of experience, but it wasn't good for my body. Now I'm pretty much focused on myself," Jelcic said.

"I know I'm better than David Vasic in every segment of fighting, but a fight is a fight and anything can happen. I'm going into this match to give everything I can, and we'll see what happens on May 10."

MMA fights in the FFC take place under the modified PRIDE rules. What's your view on that?

"Violence. That's my comment."

Even though you're still young, you've had the opportunity to train with top fighters like Igor Pokrajac or Nate Diaz, where do you train now?

"I've left Croatian Top Team and now I train at the Black Dragon Academy in Zagreb under the guidance of Dubravko Colic, Ilija Cavarovic and Matej Truhan. I'd also like to thank my friend and colleague Ivica Truscek who's been helping me a lot."

There will be another interesting MMA matchup in Zadar, between your friend Ivica Truscek and Vaso Bakocevic.

"I expect Truscek to win. I know what he's capable of because every time he trains in Zagreb we train together. He's been great in training and he's finally given his body some time to rest, so I expect this will be Truscek's best fight to date. Vaso, like Ivica, has a super-entertaining fighting style and, in my opinion, that's the fight of the evening."

How did you end up in Stockton, in Cesar Gracie's team in the first place?

"When I was 17 or 18, Dan Black, a Muay Thai coach in Gracie's team, left a comment on my YouTube channel, then we became Facebook friends and started to communicate. When I traveled with Croatian Top Team to Pokrajac's fight in Las Vegas and there were some problems with accommodation, I decided to contact Dan and take my chances at the Cesar Gracie Fight Team asking for accommodation and training. He told me not to worry and to come see him in Stockton. A friend of the Diaz brothers had waited there for me and took me to their house where I met Nick and Nate and their company, but Nick probably didn't remember that night. When we woke up in the morning and reintroduced ourselves, he told me we'd go running and swimming in the hills with the other guys, and after I hung out with them for three days, he told me to stay at their house. They welcomed me with open arms, shared their food with me and helped me whenever they could. I tried to repay them by sparring with everyone and helping, most of all to Nate Diaz who was preparing to fight Marcus Davis who is a southpaw like me. In the end, I stayed there for two months, although I'd originally planned to go train in Vegas. But that city as a place for training is not my cup of tea."

Can you tell us something about your diet. It's known that you were off meat for a while.

"I was a pesco-vegetarian for eight months, that is, I ate fish, fruits and vegetables. Before that I had nothing but meat and fruit in my diet, while now, probably because of that experience with a type of vegetarian nutrition, I have absolutely everything my body needs for the kind of training I expose it to. After the adductor injury I realized that my muscle tissue wasn't the same as before. My body was missing quite a lot of amino acids and other things that come from meat and I decided to get back to meat, while keeping plenty of fruit and vegetables in my diet."

Your first fight after the injury was at a Christmas tournament in Osijek, and that was in low kick. Do you still plan to fight in various fighting styles?

Late last year I fought in Osijek and that was only in under 85 kg weight class because I didn't feel like losing one and a half kilo. I did my first fight with a kid who'd been training for only a year, so I don’t have much to say about that. I was going for a stoppage and I beat him in the second round. My second fight was against a fighter from Pit Bull Split and since I didn't throw enough low kicks, the judges decided that I lost the fight under those rules. I was a lot better at punching, but in the judges' view I lost 2:1, even though he was deducted a point for an illegal punch. I'll probably continue to fight in various disciplines, but that will be under K-1 and Thai boxing rules, since I don't consider low kick to be realistic fighting anymore."

What are your plans after Final Fight in Zadar?

"On June 22, I'll be in Melbourne, Australia for a charity event to raise funds for the demining of Croatia and for the premises of the Bandog MMA Team Zadar. Even though I'm from Black Dragon, I'll fight there as their member. I don't know the name of my opponent yet, but I'll be in my native weight class under 77 kg. In the Croatian MMA League I was in the middleweight division because the weigh-in was four hours before the fights, and I think it's unhealthy to lose weight in such a short period before the fight."

"I'd like to thank my sponsors Eurodiet, Playbox Group, my fitness coach Goran Sajko, my striking coach Kreso Mercep, Mario Butina who helps me with focus mitts, my physio Alica Fabijanic, my friend Govind who give me yoga classes, the boys from UFK Tresnjevka, most of all, of course, my Black Dragon Academy, Rupa Underground fighting equipment who've been always there for me, my girlfriend and family who put up with me every day. And, of course, the entire Fight Channel team. Thanks a lot to everyone."