Luka Podkrajsek — Renaissance Man
A bit weird and crazy (in a good way), but with a strong dose of intellect and wisdom
It was a dull early-spring morning when I met Luka Podkrajsek, but even the weather seemed to bend to his will that day. Crackling with energy and purpose, he stuck out his left arm in greeting as a shower of sunlight sprayed across the tables outside Ljubljana’s Klub Daktari. His right hand, which was plastered up, had been injured during his recent win against the formidable Tadej Dajčman. We sat down to discuss his life, motivations and aspirations.
Born and raised in Šmartno pri Litiji, just outside Litija — about 50 km east of Ljubljana in Slovenia, Luka hails from a mining background and culture. His ring entrance pays homage to that, but mischievous journalists inevitably interpret this as him showing his intent to “bury” his opponent. Luka bristles at the suggestion. “No, it’s just to give respect to my mother and father, and all the modest, humble and hard-working people that came before me,” he tells me quietly.
His respectful answer takes me by surprise. Fighters aren’t supposed to be like this, are they? Calmness and thoughtfulness are the qualities that radiate from Luka when he speaks. Nothing he says is unconsidered and everything he does is with purpose.
From a solid working class background, his mum worked at a post office and his dad did different jobs, working mainly in the demolition and scrap metal industries. “We’d get an old factory machine and re-purpose it for scrap metal,” Luka explained. “Manual labor. Hard work, for sure. Smashing things apart and trying to find the positives. I still do that, of course, to help out with the business. But my time is taken up with other demolition jobs these days,” he chuckled.
“So, how did you get into fighting?” I asked.
“Fighting and sport generally have been part of my life since I was very young. I played handball and even did a bit of dancing — extracurricular activities at school, but this just wasn’t enough to occupy me. Then I wanted to act, but the teachers wouldn’t let me participate because I was just too alive — bouncing off the walls. I was told that the class was full, but they were lying. My energy levels were overflowing, I had to find an outlet, and so fighting was an obvious release. I started fighting a lot at school and in the streets. I soon realized I was good at it and I loved the feeling. Its primal nature and the associated dangers always appealed to the wild side of me.”
“My parents worked hard to put food on the table for us, which meant I was sometimes left to my own devices,” Luka explained. “So I spent my time doing sports, often hanging around with bad people who had spent time inside. I was just impulsive.”
There are elements of a powerhouse Billy Elliot to Luka, without a doubt. And they both have mining heritage and artistic souls in common. The dance classes he took when he was younger would certainly explain how light he is on his feet around the octagon, despite his heavyweight frame.
“Would you go back in the octagon again?” I enquired. But he saw that one coming a mile away. The response was immediate: “I promised my mum that I wouldn’t, but I don’t know if I can keep that promise. The fights have an addictive nature to them. I’ve tried stopping before, but end up punching and kicking again. Any fighter will understand what I mean. It is the one lie I am prepared to tell myself — that I will retire.”
“Do you feel guilty when you give someone a beating?” I asked.
“No, absolutely not. Of course, I wish no serious harm to my opponent, but there is absolutely no room for that,” Luka responded firmly. “It’s ‘do or die’ in there, and I just follow the referee’s instructions. You have to. The risk of career ending injury is real, so I must do whatever I can to win. And take no chances.”
“Undefeated as a professional fighter, everyone’s probably wondering how you get into that frame of mind?” I persevered.
“I just control my emotions and get into character. Part of being professional is taking on that responsibility. I then set about putting the scenarios I’ve been dreaming about into action, improvising where necessary.”
Immediately struck by the similarities with a life as an actor, I asked him whether he agreed.
“I do,” he smiled. “That’s actually the perfect analogy.”
Personable, charismatic and clearly a man who has lived, Luka could have his pick of roles in Hollywood and has already made some inroads in this line of work. However that’s hardly unusual. Nothing says “tough guy” as much as actually fighting for money, and several prize fighters have already paved the way for Luka’s inevitable ascent. Typically, he is reserved and modest about the prospect of a career as an entertainer of a different kind. “Sure, that’s definitely an option,” he confirmed quietly. “We’ll have to see what happens but it’s something I want to do. I feel I have that ability in me.” Putting Luka’s modesty to the side, rumor has it that he is already on the radars of Fixer and Casting Sisters, the region’s leading talent scouts.
Self-taught, Luka exemplifies the Renaissance spirit, and has a wide range of interests and abilities. A fighter, producer, personal trainer, masseuse, truck driver, scrap metal worker and salvager, he is also eloquent when talking about violence and the philosophy behind what he does.
“In my early teens, my personality started drifting towards creativity. I kept the aggression, with sports, you know? But I moved away from violence slowly. Nowadays violence disgusts me — I love aggression and roughness. I am a legal gun owner. I love everything to do with that, but I just despise violence.”
So how could he be involved in such a violent activity?
Luka was waiting for that question, and responded with conviction.
“Some say this is a ‘primitive’ sport, but I wouldn’t say so —I say ‘primal’. It is not a ‘violent’ sport — it is ‘aggressive’. To me, violence has a negative connotation. Violence is using force on someone who is weaker than you to prove a point. MMA is not that. MMA is just two people being primal, testing their own skills, where they are, testing their own psyche. Violence is just stupid shit that we don’t need in this day and age. We have come so far with intellect — why do we need violence? That’s why I love language so much. We are the only species that actually asks questions. It is this ability to defuse violence that really sets us apart as civilized. Besides if you ask most of the guys who train to fight, they don’t even have time to get up to any mischief or act in a destructive and reckless way in their lives. You have to work, train every day — be professional. But don’t get me wrong — I can be aggressive any day of the week if the need arises.”
I was certainly under no illusions. Luka’s agility, handball-powered right hand and comfort with the ground-game are making the European MMA community sit up and take notice. If Luka decides to continue as a professional fighter, he has the potential to become one of the most dangerous in the region. The trail of destruction left in his wake includes demolition jobs on Mike Azab, Nejc Murn, Djordje Jovičić and Alen Gorjanec, among others.
However, it is Luka’s focus on precision with language that is his defining quality. When in all seriousness I call him a “Renaissance man”, he just laughs and shakes his head. He also criticizes the lack of distinction drawn between the meaning of the terms “psychoactive” and “psychotropic”. A subtle but very important difference, this led us to our next point of discussion. CBD and how it helps him deal with anxiety.
“I was so full of energy when I was young,” Luka explained. Looking back now, I was borderline uncontrollable — very difficult for my parents to handle. Skinny and full of life, I was just constantly burning with thoughts and ideas. I wanted to do everything — run, jump, fight, dance, act. You name it, I wanted to do it. My teachers thought I had ADHD and wanted to medicate me, but my mum refused to let them. She knew there was nothing good behind that approach. I was always bubbling with energy and ideas, and my mind would continually race — causing me to sometimes feel anxious, even now. Whenever I feel that way, I’ll meditate, use breathing techniques and either vape Responsible Pot CBD buds or take some oil occasionally to help calm me down and keep that under control.”
“Tell me more about your mum and dad,” I asked.
“They are fantastic people. When I made my first album, I decided to dedicate one track in tribute to them for everything they have done for me. My biggest accomplishment in music was making my father cry,” he smiled. “It was a track called To my parents. My parents mean more to me than anyone or anything. It is not just because of their sacrifices, although we didn’t have things easy. They taught me never to judge anyone on the basis of their race, culture or background. Honestly, I don’t know how my mother managed all three of us — me, my brother and my father.”
“Is that what triggered your music career?” I asked.
“Yes, I am currently writing my second hip hop album, and now just starting to get into techno music too.
Something was on his mind. He changed the subject.
“You know what I value most in people?” he asked me, looking me dead in the eye. “Loyalty.”
I could see that someone important had betrayed Luka’s trust quite badly in the recent past and he became suddenly serious. We talked about the hypocrisy and double standards in life today, and he asked me whether I’d heard of N’toko. “This guy says it exactly how it is,” Luka assured me. Like his fellow countryman, Luka is also keenly aware of life’s hypocrisies and shams.
“You can go to a club, you meet someone. You get talking, and they act like they are telling you their biggest ever secret, even though you only met them a few minutes ago. They’ll act like they are your best friend, but in reality it’s just superficiality and a big bunch of bullshit which fades when the drug and/or alcohol loses its effect. Most of the time, nobody is there when you need them, especially if they feel they’re not getting anything in return. It’s such nonsense…I care deeply for a very small circle of loved ones. I am always ready to die for them, and I always keep my word — even if there’s a nuclear war going on! These are the kinds of things I write about.”
Človek šteje tolk, kot ostaja zvest besedi.
Tud, če prekle padajo, name loh računaš zmeri.
Ni ga d`narja na tem svet` , ki ti kupu bi zvestobo
Ride together, die together, ko bo smooth al pa groboA man is only as good as his word
Even in a hail storm, you can count on me
There is not enough money in the world to bribe loyalty
Ride together, die together, in calm or stormy seas.
“I rap about people and most of us are broke,” Luka pointed out. “My parents brought me up the right way and taught me that art should be as accessible as possible. So my latest track will be completely free to those that want to listen to it — hopefully I’ll be able to keep that going in the future.”
The waitress arrived and Luka insisted on settling the bill. “Any last thoughts?” I asked him as we prepared to say our goodbyes.
“Yes,” he exclaimed with a smile. “Be free, be creative, be loyal and stay weird!” With that, he waved, turned on his heel and made his way back home.
Listening to Luka Podkrajsek for even 5 minutes will leave you in no doubt that he will stick to his pledge. His latest techno track titled D`LuX — D was released last week. Click here to listen to it now!
