Bizarre Czech mixed martial arts pay-per-view program "Clash of the Stars" features ex-cons and would-be social media "influencers"
Jaroslav Kotlár has lost his recent duel with bodybuilder Karlos Benda during the most recent episode of "Clash of the Stars" in the Czech Republic, where minor "stars" from social media attempt to defeat each other in physical combat. Their cage match was just one attraction of this entertainment program, which is less of an athletic endeavor and more of a commercial one.
Kotlár, who runs a business called Kotlár Security and has achieved fame through his own curious videos on YouTube, had originally brought a challenge to Filip Grznár, a fighter with a criminal record who spouts antigypsyist rhetoric. Kotlár had more fans in the studio audience, beginning the cage match actively and with self-confidence, but it was clear he is completely untrained.
Since Benda is untrained as well, the quality of the match was not the point. He was in better physical condition and won.
By the end of the round Kotlár could barely lift his arms, which is when Benda hit him hard and literally shut him down. Benda then threw himself on his opponent and began choking him, but the match was already over.
The referees, who were unfortunately of the same “quality” as the wrestlers, apparently did not hear the announcement of the end of the round and did not end the match until the moment arrived when the fight could no longer be continued. That was not the end of the bizarreness, though.
When the match was pronounced over, the professional fighter Alex Cverna burst into the cage. “That’s enough already. You’ve beaten up my guys enough here. It’s enough. You’re just challenging young guys here,” Cverna said before challenging Benda to fight.
Benda has dedicated himself to bodybuilding, fitness and a “healthy” lifestyle for more than 15 years and forcefully rejected the idea. “Unfortunately, that has confirmed to me that Alex is really dense. Alex is a professional fighter. I don’t pretend to be a pro and I know Alex would beat me,” Benda said, adding that professionals should fight other professionals.
The greatest attention, naturally, was attracted by the duel between Aleš “Psychopath“ Bejr and Grznár, which followed Thai boxing rules. “Clash of the Stars” had organized several other fights and productions in theaters between the two bizarre minor celebrities to draw attention ahead of the pay-per-view event.
The match was not about any kind of sport, though, but was more on the level of a street brawl, which Grznár won through a technical knockout. “Real fans of martial arts would just shake their heads at most of the matches. The quality of the performance, however, is secondary to the enthusiasts of this show. They just want entertainment, frequently at somebody else’s expense. That is why shouts of abuse could be heard much more than shouts of support,” news server isport.cz commented on the event.
