Why should I think about losing? I’ll sweep in and dominate. And if it doesn’t work, I’m not putting myself down for it—only up.
D. Dirkstys
In the gritty world of combat sports in the Baltics, few stories are as compelling as that of Dominykas Dirkstys. The Lithuanian warrior, a rising force in the fighting scene, is on the brink of his career. As he prepares to step into the cage at BAZARA 0 Fight Club’s highly anticipated fight night, all eyes are on the fighter who has earned a reputation for his relentless drive and unbreakable spirit.
With a history of excellent performances and an iron will that refuses to yield, Dirkstys is more than just a competitor—he’s a symbol of determination in a sport that demands everything. Today, we sat down with him to uncover the fire that fuels the game.
Are you excited for BAZARA 0 fight night?
Oh, yeah. It’s gonna be big. A lot of love, a lot of life—I hope a lot of beautiful women, too. [laughs]
You said in an interview before that you had to make 80 kilograms and you were miserable doing it. So you’re not fighting in the 80 category anymore. Your opponent Maksims, though, is currently at 80.
So he’s a dead man walking. I’m at 86, I think we’re fighting at 84, so I’ll get there, but no lower.
Do you know much about your opponent? Or do you generally prefer to go in blind?
You know, I’m a professional. I always try to analyze my opponents. There’s not a lot to go off of with him, so I watched the fights he had, saw how he moves. I need to see what he’s doing, understand his fighting technique and counter everything that he’s trying to do.
You’ve fought Latvians before. Is it any different?
Doesn’t matter. I just like to fight. I like to do what I do, and whatever I do, I do it very good.
That’s good, that’s a brilliant mentality for a fighter. I know you have a good count of wins, but what was your worst loss? How did it affect you?
In all of my life, there’s never been a fight that I thought I lost. There have been a few fights where my opponent got more points, a few more points. Maybe he threw in two more leg kicks. But I saw it in his eyes. If that fight lasted for ten more rounds, or until death, I’m finishing him. I’ve never thought, “Oh my God, he’s so much better than me.” In about 97% of my fights, I beat my opponent, and 3% I don’t—but those losses have been soft. They’re running from me. They’re doing good, but if we took off our gloves—or even fought with gloves, but no timer—I know I could beat them, I could break them.
When I win, I never lack. I train harder. For me, victory is never enough. I always want to do more, go bigger. It’s win after win, but it’s also crazy hard work, day by day. I just finished my training, I’m eating, I’m going to bed, and then I’m training again. It’s my lifestyle.
That’s that grindset, yeah. I respect that a lot.
Thank you, thank you very much.
Is there anyone you draw inspiration from?
In the fight game, there’s a lot of names. But there is no fighter in particular. I don’t want to be exactly like someone else. Better to take something from one fighter, a different thing from another—this guy knows his speed, that guy knows how to punch. I’m taking in the details and bringing them to one body, one me, to full perfection. I want to be me—I’m different.
Exactly, focus on things that can only apply to you. You know your own strengths and weaknesses. But there must be a lot of motivation behind it all. How do you stay in check?
At the end of the day—do you really want it? And if you do, do you need motivation? I don’t care about staying motivated. F**k this motivation s**t. I got discipline. I know what I have to do, which is being the best and destroying everybody, so it doesn’t matter how I feel. To achieve that, in anything, you just have to outwork everybody. It’s very simple; work harder than others. Nothing comes in one day, either. I’m only 22 and big in Lithuania. Give me five more years, I’ll be big in Europe and all over the world.
So it’s hard discipline over motivation.
Yeah, yeah. Because motivation is tricky—you have it, and then you don’t, depending on how you feel, how you slept, what you ate. But it shouldn’t even reach your mind, the question of “Do I want to go train?” It should already be answered, and the answer is “yes”, every time.
Let’s say, you sustain an injury that is permanent. Would you still train and fight? Stay in the fighting game, but as a coach, event organizer?
Depends on the injury. If I could still do just the upper body, I’d do that. If it was something that wouldn’t let me continue my career, I wouldn’t train all day long like I do now. I’d put my mind to something else. I’m a hard worker, no matter what I focus on. However, I would still train, and it’s what everyone should do for their all-round health, mental and physical. But overall, I try not to think about the “what ifs”. If my grandmother had a d**k, she’d be my grandfather. [laughs] We’ll see how life goes.
Just take it one day at a time and don’t fuss over tomorrow, right? Besides, like you said, you’re young. You have a solid 15-20 more years in the fighting game still.
As long as God lets me stay in good health, I’ll have a crazy long journey and take over the world. I’m ready to give all my life to this—in all of my 22 years here, I’ve never drank, I don’t want to party, I have no distractions from the plan.
Speaking of—what are your plans for Jungle King?
Can’t spoil it. But very big things are coming. Big moves are already happening, since we took over the country within the first year and held some of the biggest fights in Lithuanian history. No other fights have had hype this massive—so we can only go up.
Last question. If you were 15 again, would you still go down this route? Or would you do something completely different?
I’d either be doing the same thing, or be a basketball player. As a kid, I was a good player. It’s easier—not as much pressure, no hard preparations, and you don’t have to perform well every single game. It’s a team effort, with their ups and downs. Fighting, you can have seven years of winning, 50+ fights, and lose just one fight by a couple points—the whole country says you can retire and that you’re no good anymore. That’s tough mentally.
The country doesn’t fund fighting like it should. I’m bringing the game to the next level, bringing in new money, and I still can’t afford the car that I want. [laughs] Basketball players, they have money for cars. But I think I was born to be a fighter. I have that old warrior mentality. 500 years ago, I’d be on my horse, conquering lands like a king.
So you’re pretty solid in your victory at the BAZARA 0 fight night.
Never thought any different. Why should I think about losing? I’ll sweep in and dominate. And if it doesn’t work, I’m not putting myself down for it—only up.
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