“An athlete is not only a fighter but also a warrior. He will never give up, no matter how the fight turns out – in his favor or not,” says Augustas Salkauskas, coach at the “Valetudo” sports club.
On September 21st, one of the most anticipated MMA events of the year will take place in Vilnius at the TwinsBet arena – the MMA Bushido tournament, bringing together the most talented fighters from Lithuania and abroad. For those unable to attend the arena, the event will be streamed live on the www.Fightplus.eu platform.
Among the participants, the fighters from the “Valetudo” sports club, trained by coach Augustas Salkauskas, stand out. He openly shared his thoughts on the challenges of combat sports and the emotions accompanying preparation.
When asked what led him to become a coach, Salkauskas recalled his start at the “Valetudo” sports club: “I became a coach in 2017, but I joined the Valetudo gym in 2013. The person who helped and believed in me was the gym owner, the well-known martial artist Artemijus Sitenkovas.” Salkauskas added that before joining “Valetudo,” he already had solid experience in kickboxing, as well as some judo and sambo foundations. He has been in the MMA world for 11 years and involved in combat sports his entire life. His passion for martial arts naturally evolved into a desire to share his knowledge and experience with others.
The path of a coach is not easy. He admitted that the hardest moment for him is seeing talented athletes waste their potential. “The hardest moment as a coach is watching talented athletes waste their talent hanging out with friends, in clubs, at parties, not sticking to the training schedule, not following the regime,” he said. These losses were very painful for him at first, but over time, he learned to accept it as part of the job. “Now I’ve grown a thick skin. I do everything I can, but after that, it’s all in the athlete’s hands.”
Speaking about one of the main fights of the evening, with “Valetudo” fighter Danielius Grėbliūnas, the coach described him as a very serious and responsible individual. “Danielius is very smart, conscious, and responsible. He is not a fighter – he is a warrior. He will never give up, no matter how the fight turns out – in his favor or not. He will fight and give everything he has and everything that is in his hands,” said Salkauskas. Grebliunas’ preparation for the upcoming fight is nearing its end, and now the main goal is to avoid injuries and fine-tune the details. Although Grebliunas striking is not yet perfect, his wrestling skills are of an especially high level. He is developing these skills together with his main grappling and wrestling coach Ricardas Piepolis, who has helped Grebliunas achieve significant victories, including becoming the Lithuanian and Baltic MMA champion, ADCC European champion, and more.
Regarding preparation for the upcoming fight against an experienced opponent, Salkauskas emphasized that this time they are preparing with great responsibility. “We are preparing very seriously and taking the opponent very seriously, knowing that he is coming to win just like us,” he said. According to the coach, their plan is simple: to use their strengths – wrestling and ground game, where Grebliunas is exceptionally strong. “The opponent definitely won’t want to be on the ground with Danielius,” warned Salkauskas, stressing that the cage will show which fighter will be stronger that evening.
The September 21st MMA Bushido event in Vilnius promises to be a special night full of tension and surprises. Danielius Grebliunas, under the guidance of coaches Augustas Salkauskas and Ricrdas Piepolis, intends to give everything to secure victory in the cage.
Tickets are available at bilietai.lt
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnBZdciYKD4
