28 December 2023 , 15:26
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Ever wondered what it would be like to own a top predator? Just ask MMA star Karlos Vemola, the animal lover who lives with lions, tigers and even crocodiles.
Vemola, who fights Samuel Kristofic at OKTAGON 51 in Prague on Friday night, is a veteran of 43 fights but is mostly known for his bizarre pet collection rather than his skills in the cage. The father-of-four took inspiration from boxing legend Mike Tyson for his collection of tigers and admitted to being "crazy" for expanding his collection to crocodiles.
"The first one I rescued and it went from there because lions breed a lot. There are not many spaces for the lions, so she came to my house. I provided her with a home and got her a little mate to make sure she wouldn’t be lonely. Then I saw Mike Tyson, with the white tiger. So I thought, ‘I wanna have a white tiger too’, and I got myself a white tiger," Vemola told Sporf.
Karlos Vemola feeding his pet tiger (karlos_terminator_vemola/Instagram)
The MMA star wants to add an elephant to his pet collection (The MMA star wants to add an elephant to his pet collection)What are your thoughts on Karlos Vemola's pet collection? Let us know in the comments section below
“Don’t ask me how I got the crocodiles because that was just crazy. When I was a kid, I couldn’t have animals. My parents were strict, and I couldn’t even have a hamster. So when I grew up, I thought, ‘When I was young, I couldn’t have it, but now I can.' Once I was with my ex-partner and my son at the zoo, and my son saw a crocodile. He said, ‘Dad, can we get a crocodile?
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"She goes. ‘Of course not. Are you crazy’? I said, ‘No, he’s not. Listen, if my son wants a crocodile, he will have a crocodile’. Within two weeks, I had a four-meter crocodile swimming in my living room. I’ve got all the big animals, so the next step might have to be an elephant.”
Vemola, who holds an MMA record of 36-7 joked he is more scared about his Lela than any of his crazy pets. “The scariest thing in my house has to be my wife. The animals are great. I believe you get from them what you give to them. If you behave badly with them, you will have bad animals. I have lions and tigers, and you’d think they eat me alive, but they’re good," he said.
The Czech fighter picked up a stunning seven second knockout win in October and treated himself to a new pet eagle after the fight. Vemola is the first fighter from Czech Republic to fight in the UFC as he went 2-4 for the promotion in a disappointing three-year stint. The 38-year-old is also a former bodybuilder and even starred in the controversial British film Killer B****.