No one could blame Dennis Siver if he allowed himself a smile on the way in to the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen on Saturday. The 31-year-old lightweight has help blaze the way for MMA in Germany.
But when Siver steps into the cage at UFC 122 (Rogers Sportsnet and Spike TV, check local listings), he will have England's Andre Winner (12-4-1) on his mind.
There will be time later to reflect on the 10th UFC fight for Siver, the first German to win at home in the UFC thanks to his victory over Dale Hartt in June 2009 at UFC 99.
Siver (16-7 including 5-4 in the UFC) and Peter Sobotta were the local content on that Cologne card, the UFC's first foray into Germany. This time they are joined by 23-year-old welterweight Pascal (Panzer) Krauss.
The five-foot-seven Siver is tough as nails in the cage and soft-spoken outside it. While the stocky kickboxer has not shied away from the MMA spotlight in Germany -- he called it his "duty" to win at UFC 99 -- he's glad there are now more fighters to share it.
"I'm really happy that MMA's taking big steps forward in Germany," Siver said. "And obviously that there are more German fighters also relieved some stress from me.
"No. 1, the sport is becoming more and more popular. It's getting more and more attention in the media, but at the same time it's not just me anymore.
"So right now I'm feeling less pressure than before because not every media person comes to me. It's spread around all the German fighters and that definitely leaves more time for my training."
By all accounts, the MMA waters are much smoother for the UFC's arrival this time. UFC 99 coincided with municipal elections in Cologne and the arrival of cage fighting became a hot topic.
"The silence in some way has been deafening," said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international development. "Because the last event caused such an uproar that there seemed to be a news story every day in the weeks leading into the event."
"This event . . . the stories have been much more fair."
Said Sobotta: "There was less stress with the media. The people know it because the UFC was here last year ... A lot of people like it, some people don't like it but it's not that big a deal like last time. We're very happy to have the UFC back in Germany."
"And hopefully it keeps going this way, so it gets better and better the next time," added fellow German welterweight Krauss.
There are still bumps along the way. As in Cologne, the local council has deemed Saturday's show should be restricted to those 18 and over. And the UFC is embroiled in a lawsuit over a Bavarian regional ruling that prevents it from airing its content on TV.
Other German networks have refrained from airing the UFC pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The UFC has bypassed that by showing its shows for free in Germany on the Internet via www.ufc.com and another website.
Siver, however, sees renewed interest in his sport every day.
He says he gets recognized more and more in Mannheim where he makes his home. "Even at the supermarket."
Siver, who left Russia in 1997 with his mother and brother to come to Germany, has gone 4-1 in his last five UFC fights. He attributes that recent success to a change in his workout regimen, with more of a focus on wrestling and the technical side of training.
Siver also believes in the mental side of his game. He was cut against Spencer Fisher but still won the decision. And he has taken his lumps in other bouts, but stayed on point.
The lone loss in his last five outings was to Ross (The Real Deal) Pearson in March, a fight he took on days notice. He wasn't helped by the fact that he caught a cold on the flight to the U.S.
Siver said he would not take a fight in similar circumstances again, adding that the bout would have gone differently if he had been healthy -- "but I don't want to make excuses, just (provide) an explanation."
It also taught him the need to arrive earlier, to acclimatize ahead of fights. And he has started reviewing his training to ensure he stays healthy, taking a day off every once in a while as needed.
Siver has won two fights with his spinning back kick, stopping Paul Kelly and Nate Mohr. Opponents look for it these days, but Siver still swears by it.
"I'm still going to try it again at some point, if the opportunity presents itself, because people are eventually going to forget about it," he said. "It's not going to be at the forefront of their mind's anymore. And if I do it well enough, do it quickly enough, I can still score with it."
It's a formidable weapon. Mohr dropped like a stone when Siver sank his foot in his liver at UFC 93. Kelly tumbled backwards at UFC 105, his face distorted in pain, and essentially gave up.
The two kicks netted Siver $80,000 in bonus cheques.
Siver opened his UFC career with a 1-3 record, including losses to such tough opposition as Gray Maynard and Melvin Guillard. But he says he never questioned himself.
Instead he tried to analyze what was going the wrong, naming changes in his training and fight preparation.
He points to the Mohr fight, which followed his 1-3 start in the organization, as a turning point.
"I knew if I lost that fight, I'd probably get cut by the UFC," he said.
"That fight showed me I could still compete at the UFC level, the top level and that I had the potential still to have interesting fights and fights where I could win spectacularly like with the spinning back kick."
A master mechanic by trade, Siver took the last three months off to focus on fighting. He plans to continue his hiatus from the day job so he can concentrate on training and fighting.
In spite of the bonus cheques, Siver says he has not splurged other than to buy a few little things he couldn't afford before.
"Nothing big," he says.
He has been driving the same BMW for some years now -- "I still like that car, so I don't really need a new car." -- and says his money has been socked away for the future when he hopes to open a gym.
There are some perks, however.
Siver is still pinching himself that he is in the UFC video game.
"Sort of a dream come true," he said.
NOTES @-- Zelaznik expects the arena to be close to full Saturday, perhaps 1,000 short of the capacity of about 9,400. Sales have been slow but steady, as in Cologne. ... As for future sites, he points to Scandinavia and Italy as front-runners in Europe. India and Brazil are also likely sites.
