The longest arms in OKTAGON, a generational talent, the biggest young hope of Czech MMA. All these descriptions fit one of the most popular fighters in OKTAGON, Matěj "Money" Peňáz. In less than a month, he'll face Piotr Wawrzyniak in the quarterfinals of the million-dollar Tipsport Gamechanger pyramid at Štvanice. In the meantime, here are the key moments from his career.

KICKBOXING AND EARLY DAYS IN COMBAT SPORTS

Many fans know that Matěj started his journey in combat sports with kickboxing and Thai boxing. A native of Vysočina, who spent a significant part of his life in Brno (where he studied both high school and university), won his first major trophy in 2013 by winning the WAKO World Cup. He went on to achieve more significant victories and, over three years, made his way into the prestigious Glory organization, which is essentially the highest level for strikers – fighters such as Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have competed there. Interestingly, Jiří Procházka was already in his corner at that time. Matěj fought four times in Glory, winning three of them, and in 2019, he bid farewell to kickboxing with a record of 23-3.

FIRST MOMENTS IN THE CAGE: OKTAGON UNDERGROUND

Then came the COVID pandemic, and it seemed like fights would be on hold for a while. That’s when the unique project OKTAGON: Underground was born – a special tournament with modified MMA rules to make it more suitable for strikers. For one of the best strikers of the time, it was a lucrative opportunity, and he showed his skills in the cage. He breezed through the tournament, winning two of his three fights by first-round finishes, and was set to face the aggressive Slovak-Serb chaos, Vlasto "El Chapo" Čepo, in the final. Fans couldn’t wait for this showdown, with Matěj’s surgical precision against Čepo’s aggressive style. However, Matěj got injured, and the match didn’t take place. Thus, the Underground chapter ended, and the Peňáz vs. Čepo chapter remains unresolved to this day.

UNDEFEATED IN OKTAGON

After his fantastic performances in Underground, Matěj's debut in professional MMA was just a matter of time. OKTAGON didn’t hesitate and offered the elite striker a contract, which led to his first fight in 2020. His debut in the yellow and black cage took place at OKTAGON 18 against the dangerous fighter, who enjoys head-on brawls, Patrik Jevický. Matěj, however, showed that he was on another level and sent Jevický to the ground in the first round. His next three fights ended the same way – first-round finishes – and Peňáz started making waves in the middleweight division. After his sixth OKTAGON fight, he received a lucrative offer to fight in Dana White’s Contender Series, a pre-UFC stage. Although Matěj had relatively little experience at the time, he decided to accept the challenge. However, his fight against American Sedrique Dumas didn’t go well. He was caught in a guillotine and had to tap out after only 41 seconds. Many experts agree that it was one of those “one in ten” fights, and Matěj certainly had all the qualities to defeat Dumas.

Nevertheless, this loss led to Matěj’s return to OKTAGON and the continuation of his dominance. His next three fights, all ending before the limit, led him to a title opportunity. Last year, “Money” was set to face "Inspector" Patrik Kincl at Eden’s stadium in what was highly anticipated, and it was supposed to be the toughest test of his career. However, an injury occurred – Matěj fractured his elbow during training, and it was clear that the recovery would take a longer break.

A NEW CHALLENGE: TIPSPORT GAMECHANGER

After a year-long break, the wait was worth it. The announcement of the next season of the million-dollar Tipsport Gamechanger pyramid, this time in the middleweight division, brought a new challenge. The winner of the MMA Champions League will walk away with a prize of 300,000 euros! This tournament always attracts world-class fighters, and homegrown talents are given a chance to shine. And when it comes to grand prizes, you can count on “Money” Peňáz. In the first round of the pyramid, he faced the experienced UFC veteran David Zawada. Fighting against beloved German fighters in Germany is never easy, but Matěj left no doubt about who was among the favorites to win the Tipsport Gamechanger. He dissected Zawada in the stand-up and finished the fight with a combination of knee strikes and punches just before the first round ended.

Now, however, the biggest challenge awaits the Brno sniper – a quarterfinal bout with the fearless Polish powerhouse Piotr Wawrzyniak. In his last fight, Piotr defeated the tough Marek Mazúch by TKO after withstanding his heavy shots and gradually taking control of the fight. This will be a real test for Matěj. Can he again demolish his opponent in the stand-up? Or will he be drawn into Wawrzyniak's game in the clinch and on the ground? We’ll find out at OKTAGON 74. Prague’s Štvanice will come alive once again.

Not only can you look forward to Peňáz, but also all four quarterfinals of the Tipsport Gamechanger on August 9th. Prague’s Štvanice, an outdoor tournament, drinks, and summer vibes – don’t miss the unique atmosphere of the most beautiful tournament of the year. Last tickets are still available. And if you can’t be there, buy our PPV so you don’t miss any of the action!

FIGHTER’S STORY: UNDEFEATED SZABOVÁ CHALLENGES CHAMPION CECILIA BOLANDER

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