The thirty minutes Nicolas Dalby and Ivica Truscek spent beating one another up in the cage led to an unlikely friendship, and forged one journeyman's unlikely path to the Octagon.
On Saturday, April 10th, sharp-eyed fans may notice an unfamiliar face in the corner of Danish fighter Nicolas Dalby. Coaches, teammates, nutritionists, cutmen, and even (in the case of welterweight champion Robbie Lawler) chiropractors are common figures in a fighter's corner, but opponents are usually kept safely on the other side of the cage.
When Nicolas Dalby enters the cage to face Zak Cummings in Zagreb, however, one of Croatia's most enduring and endearing combat athletes will stand beside him.