In just over nine years of professional activity, at only 30 years of age, he has had 38 fights with a record of 29-8-1, including 24 victories by way of finish. Those finishes were perfectly divided between submissions and knockouts. He is a former Eagles FC featherweight champion, and has fought in Bellator, BRAVE CF and M-1 too. These are the numbers of Valeriu “The Solitary Wolf” Mircea, an MMA fighter from Moldova, who spent many years training in Italy and has now returned to his homeland where he coaches his wife Anastasia Nichita. Nichita is a world and European champion in Olympic wrestling. Mircea is a former wrestler, as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Judo.
On Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic, Mircea will compete at KSW 91 for the interim lightweight title when lightweight and featherweight champ Salahdine Parnasse is focusing on the 145-pound division. Mircea’s opponent will be the OKTAGON MMA veteran, and Czech kickboxer, Leo Brichta, who is 12-3 with 10 finishes.
Below is an interview with Mircea.
Valeriu, first of all, thank you for granting us this interview. To start, what can you tell us about your opponent?
“He’s a strong guy – very experienced in striking, given his background in kickboxing and Muay Thai, but I’m ready to face him in my own way”.
After many years of life and training in Italy, you decided to return to your Moldova. In which team are you preparing for the fight?
“I train a bit everywhere. I have a good kickboxing coach with a lot of experience (Sergiu Morari, former KOK champion), and I train at the Olympic wrestling center”.
KSW is the top promotion in Poland and for many also in all of Europe, what do you think about it?
“I can tell you that this organization is fantastic. I feel very comfortable here, and the athletes are truly appreciated. In my opinion, they are number two in the world. There are also other excellent promotions, but the best one I’ve seen is KSW”.
Do you think you could enter the UFC if you win this belt?
“No. UFC doesn’t interest me anymore. If I had had the right people by my side when I was at the beginning of my career, maybe I would already be in the UFC. But I repeat, I’m not interested anymore. I feel good here in KSW, and I hope to be able to find good agreements with this organization. If they offer me a better contract, I’ll gladly stay here”.
During the first two years of your career, you had a remarkable 22 matches. Just 9 months after turning pro, you were already in M-1, and your twenty-second match was your Bellator debut, facing none other than Goiti Yamauchi, who had already had 8 fights under Scott Coker’s promotion. Do you think fighting so much has damaged your career?
“No, the problem wasn’t having 7 or 8 fights in a year; it was the incompetent people behind me who were guiding me. Unfortunately, they somewhat ruined my career instead of helping me grow properly by facing athletes at my level. I’m sure that if things had gone differently, I would be in the UFC by now or at least considered one of the best athletes in the world in my weight class”.
A message for your opponent?
“No, I have one for the Italian fans. Greetings and hugs to all from the Lone Wolf. My heart is with you. I never forget where I come from. Italy, for me, is like a second home. Or, rather, it’s the first.”