She is one of the most unusual personalities in European MMA. She started her professional career at the age of 46 and today, on the threshold of fifty, she is breaking all established stereotypes. This very fact makes her completely unique in the world and at the same time such a dangerous opponent. Misteli is returning to the cage on May 16 at the OKTAGON 88 tournament in the ZAG Arena in Hannover. Following her victorious comeback at the OKTAGON 66 tournament against Sarah Smajić, she spoke about trust, her own identity, and why she refuses to be just a stepping stone for the next generation of female fighters.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/e44b361b-979d-45ab-ab29-0d35750f4843/cs.1778502728706.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/8b728fc5-33ec-43f3-bda7-a19e112eb360/cs.1778502735682.png" link="" croppedcorners="false" cropcornertr="true" cropcornerbl="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent>You managed to turn around your last fight at the OKTAGON 66 tournament against Sarah Smajić after a tough first round and bring it to a victorious end. What did you learn about yourself in that moment?I had a new coach by my side at OKTAGON and just before the fight we were discussing some new techniques. However, in the fight itself, I wasn't able to apply them according to the plan. So, during the break, I consciously went back to my strengths and told myself that I simply have to trust myself. That worked surprisingly well. Thanks to the experience of many fights in various combat sports, I know that anything is always possible. Since this fight, it's once again the absolutely clear focal point for me: I give my best performances when I trust myself.You are often referred to as the "Fighting Housewife". What does this term mean to you personally?"The Housewife" is my nickname because I have "Huusfrau" tattooed on my knuckles, which means housewife in Swiss German. I am immensely proud of my housekeeping skills, which are often underestimated nowadays. Since I was born in 1976, things like knitting, crocheting, cooking, baking, and cleaning have always been completely normal to me. Every day I enjoy good food and a clean home. The fact that this brings smiles in the world of combat sports seems great to me. It simply shows that one doesn't have to fit into just one box.You bring a wealth of life experience into the cage with you. What do you see as your greatest advantage over younger opponents?I wouldn't say that life experience or age is directly an advantage in the cage itself. That depends on skills, performance, strength, and fight IQ. My life experience helps me more in coping with wins and losses. But I have to honestly admit that I am absolutely terrible at losing. I am very ambitious and every defeat hits me hard. But maybe that's exactly where my advantage lies. It's very difficult to break me mentally.How did you perceive the fan reactions after your last fight? Did anything change for you because of it?My life takes place mostly offline. People around me like me or dislike me regardless of wins or losses. But I was really extremely happy about the online reactions from the fans. It's great to see how many people feel motivated to try something themselves or not to let age and limitations hold them back. I received several very touching messages from people who wrote to me that they now approach life with much more courage. That means an awful lot to me.On May 16, you will enter the cage again in Hannover. Many perceive you in these fights as an underdog or even as a test for the new generation. How do you deal with this role?I know that I very often go into these fights in the position of an underdog – as someone the younger fighters are supposed to measure themselves against. But I am definitely not here to pave the way for anyone. If someone wants to get past me, they have to earn it the hard way. And that is exactly what makes me such a dangerous opponent.Misteli sent a clear message. Now it's up to her opponent how she answers it. Will experience, an indomitable mentality, and resilience be the deciding factor? We will get the answer already on May 16 at the OKTAGON 88 tournament. Be there when the ZAG Arena in Hannover shakes to its foundations! Tickets are disappearing fast, so don't hesitate and secure your spot today.<okteventcomponent eventid="133"></okteventcomponent>

She is one of the most unusual personalities in European MMA. She started her professional career at the age of 46 and today, on the threshold of fifty, she is breaking all established stereotypes. This very fact makes her completely unique in the world.

INTERVIEW WITH DANIELLE MISTELI: I AM NOT HERE TO PAVE THE WAY FOR ANYONE

A Georgian who lived in Merab Dvalishvili’s house. A replacement who was once supposed to fight the very man he is now stepping in for. A Slovak who says Jon Jones “beat him like a dog”, and a referee from the presidential protection unit. Halloween night in Munich will belong mainly to the welterweights, but there is much more to discover. OKTAGON 96 explodes on October 31 at SAP Garden. These are the biggest fun facts from the card.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/e985e8b3-939e-4f05-8e3d-14ba97676b49/cs.1793184809497.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/6669b42a-250e-4afd-8cf4-7c63182c0247/cs.1793184817450.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>FOUR WELTERWEIGHT WARS AND A NEW KING</h2>Four of the ten fights take place at the 77-kilogram limit, which means eight welterweights will step into the cage, five of them German. On top of that, the main event will crown the division’s new king. Amiran “The Sniper” Gogoladze (18-3) had his first pro fight in his hometown of Akhaltsikhe at just sixteen years old. His ten-second KO is still the fastest in the history of the M-1 organization. Before his comeback from injury, he prepared in Las Vegas, where he lived in Merab Dvalishvili’s house and trained with Khalil Rountree Jr.Stepping in for the injured Felix Klinkhammer is Jessin Ayari (18-6). Fate has a sense of humor: he was supposed to face Klinkhammer in Cologne at OKTAGON 91, but back then it was Ayari who was forced out by injury. He knows the replacement role well. He made his UFC debut in Hamburg as a late stand-in for Emil Meek, and won. He has been competing as a professional since 2009, longer than anyone else on the card. Sport runs in the family, too: his uncle and cousin represented Tunisia in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Olympic Games. If he wins in Munich, he will become the first German to hold the OKTAGON welterweight belt.<h2>JONES “BEAT HIM LIKE A DOG”, KIZILIRMAK ONCE CHOKED HIM OUT</h2>Ronald “Rony” Paradeiser (23-11) will step into his 25th MMA fight in OKTAGON, more than anyone in the organization’s history. He also holds the record for most wins (17). In America, he even shared a sparring session with Jon Jones himself. “I sparred with Jones once, he beat me like a dog,” Paradeiser admitted. The only way he could stop Jones, he joked, would be with a knife or a gun.But there is also a man on the card who has already stopped Paradeiser once. Debutant Burak Kizilirmak (12-3) choked out the then 18-year-old Slovak with a guillotine in April 2016, in what was only Paradeiser’s third pro fight. Ten years later, the two will share a card again, though not the cage. Paradeiser faces Tyrone Pfeifer (8-1), who stopped former UFC fighter Niklas Stolze in 22 seconds at OKTAGON 90. It turned out to be the final fight of Stolze’s career. Kizilirmak takes on Kevin Hangs (15-9).<h2>A PAINTER, A GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND A SOCIAL WORKER</h2>Simon “Hemlé” Biyong (11-6) graduated from the academy of fine arts in Genoa. His parents forbade him from painting, so at school he drew manga comics for his classmates to earn money for pencils and paints. In his native Cameroonian dialect, his nickname means “lionheart”, and his son carries it too. He only took up combat sports at the age of 25.Graphic designer Lukáš Chotěnovský (8-3) grew up on Van Damme VHS tapes, but what really led him to MMA was getting knocked out at a disco and waking up in hospital. “My first KO came on the pavement outside a pub,” he jokes. Before every fight, he shaves his legs. “We may end up on the ground, we’re sweaty, and it makes things harder for my opponent if he slips on my skin. It takes me fifteen minutes, and even if it raises my chances of winning by just one percent, it’s worth it,” he explains.Niko Samsonidse (13-4) has worked with children and young people as a social worker and coach for more than ten years. He is mostly vegetarian and chose the nickname “One Love” because he wants to treat everyone with respect.<h2>THE PRESIDENT’S BODYGUARD REFEREES A MILESTONE FIGHT</h2>The second fight referee Václav Přibyl takes charge of in Munich will be his 200th in OKTAGON. The police officer, who now serves in the Czech presidential protection unit, also has a fighting career behind him. Fittingly, he will celebrate the milestone in Germany, as he considered his title with the German organization Free Fight Championship the biggest success of his career in the cage. Once, after a fight, he responded to a burglary while on duty with his face still battered. When the homeowner saw him, she burst into tears and asked whether they were real police officers or had come back for the rest of her things.<h2>YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW THIS</h2><ul><li>Michael Deiga-Scheck (11-8) came to OKTAGON 31 as a coach. When his fighter missed weight, he volunteered himself and beat Radek Roušal in a replacement bout under Underground rules. In MMA, however, he is 0-2 against Czech fighters, and now he faces Chotěnovský.</li><li>Gökhan Aksu (14-7-1) will compete at his fourth of OKTAGON’s five events in Munich. No one on the card has more Munich appearances.</li><li>Brian Manning (6-1), who faces Marek Bartl (17-16), is a huge horror movie fan. He couldn’t have asked for a better date than Halloween.</li><li>Endrit Brajshori’s (6-2) last two OKTAGON fights lasted just 2 minutes and 28 seconds combined.</li><li>Debutant Abdulmalik Aliev (1-0) was born in 2005 and made his pro debut at the age of 19.</li></ul>A spooky night, four welterweight battles and the crowning of a new champion. OKTAGON 96 kicks off on Saturday, October 31, at Munich’s SAP Garden. Secure your seat in the stands and be there! Get your tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

A Georgian who lived in Merab Dvalishvili’s house. A replacement who was once supposed to fight the very man he is now stepping in for. A Slovak who says Jon Jones “beat him like a dog”, and a referee from the presidential protection unit.

MUNICH FUN FACTS: A WELTERWEIGHT HALLOWEEN, SPARRING WITH JONES AND A PAINTER IN THE CAGE

While everyone else drove home after training, he climbed into a camper van in the parking lot outside the gym. That was Felix Klinkhammer’s life in London for years. On Halloween, he can become the first German to hold the OKTAGON welterweight belt. Standing in his way, however, is the division’s number one, Amiran “The Sniper” Gogoladze. In April, the Georgian knockout artist returned after almost two years out and knocked out a former champion. He has already seen a title fight slip away twice without ever stepping into the cage. The two will fight for the vacant welterweight throne on October 31 at Munich’s SAP Garden. Both are unbeaten in OKTAGON, but only one will leave with his record intact.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/bf46f010-3a13-4893-9516-5b8cd2d30761/cs.1793016857464.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/9fc3545c-92c1-4d44-9a13-ba2b45ddd46f/cs.1793016862706.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>AMIRAN “THE SNIPER” GOGOLADZE: THE PATIENT MARKSMAN FROM THE GEORGIAN MOUNTAINS</h2>Amiran Gogoladze (18-3) grew up in Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia and only moved to Tbilisi at 23. He started MMA in 2014 and had his first professional fight that same autumn, less than two months before his 17th birthday. He made his name in M-1, where he won all four of his fights and dropped Finland’s Juho Valamaa in ten seconds. It remains the fastest KO in the organization’s history. In 2022 he was invited to Dana White’s Contender Series, but a shoulder injury in the first round closed his path to the UFC.He entered the yellow-and-black cage in May 2023 at OKTAGON 43 in Prague’s O2 arena, where he beat Liam Etebar on points. Five months later in Bratislava, he proved that it takes a lot to stop him. Łukasz Siwiec smashed his cup with a hard kick to the groin, yet Gogoladze fought all three rounds and left with a unanimous decision. In June 2024, at the stadium in Prague’s Eden, he added a split decision win over UFC veteran Leandro “Apollo” Silva.Then everything stopped. An injury forced him out of a December title fight with Kaik Brito, and he did not set foot in the cage for 672 days. He flew to the United States, lived in UFC star Merab Dvalishvili’s house and trained with, among others, Khalil Rountree Jr. The payoff came this April in Szczecin, where he knocked out former champion Ion “Dracula” Surdu and earned a Performance of the Night bonus. He is 4-0 in OKTAGON, ranked number one, and has never lost by submission in his career. After beating Surdu, he finally got another title shot. He was set to challenge Kaik Brito, by then the reigning champion, in Brno in September, but the Brazilian vacated the belt and headed back to the Contender Series. For the second time, Gogoladze lost a title fight without ever stepping into the cage. “I will earn what should have been mine long ago,” he said.<h2>FELIX KLINKHAMMER: THE UNBEATEN GERMAN FROM A LONDON PARKING LOT</h2>On the other side stands a man who doesn’t fit into any box. Felix Klinkhammer (11-0) played football until he was 21 and originally moved to England to study psychology. He traded academia for the mats of the legendary London Shootfighters, where he has trained alongside Michael “Venom” Page for ten years. Money was tight for a long time. For a while he lived in the gym itself. Then his parents lent him their camper van, which stood in the parking lot outside the gym for years. The nights there were anything but quiet. Drunks hung around the van and smashed its windows, and when thieves finally tried to steal it, he moved out of the parking lot.In the cage, meanwhile, he has not lost since his first amateur fight in December 2015. No active OKTAGON fighter has gone longer without a defeat. He has finished nine of his eleven professional fights, all nine in the first round. He has made opponents tap to a rear-naked choke, an arm triangle, a heel hook and a kneebar. He got his first taste of OKTAGON in July 2021 at Prague’s Štvanice, where he outpointed Anatoly Tarasenko at OKTAGON 26. He then moved on to the French promotion ARES, where he won all four of his fights. In September 2024, after a five-round battle, he handed Brazil’s Jefferson Gonçalves, unbeaten in seventeen fights, his first loss. His reward was the welterweight belt.He returned to the yellow-and-black cage after 1,582 days last November at OKTAGON 80 at SAP Garden. It was his first-ever professional fight in Germany, and he made Hungarian veteran Máté Kertész tap to a kneebar shortly before the end of the first round. He has won both of his OKTAGON fights, completed all six of his takedowns and spent a combined total of just nineteen seconds on his back. In Munich he can become the first German to hold the OKTAGON welterweight belt, in front of his home fans and in the very arena where he has already won once.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbtJUYwMWtN/"></oktinstagramcomponent><h2>WHO PULLS THE TRIGGER FIRST?</h2>The numbers make this a pure clash of styles. Gogoladze has finished nine opponents with strikes and stopped 18 of 21 takedown attempts in OKTAGON. Klinkhammer has made eight opponents tap, and so far in OKTAGON he has taken down everyone he wanted on the mat. One wants to keep the fight standing, where a single clean shot is enough. The other needs to drag it to the ground, where every mistake becomes the end. Both were also on the road to the UFC through the Contender Series in 2022. Gogoladze was stopped by his shoulder, while Klinkhammer withdrew from his scheduled bout. Four years later their paths cross in Munich, with a belt on the line. The Georgian wants to finally get the title fight he has lost twice without stepping into the cage. The German can become the first of his countrymen on the OKTAGON welterweight throne. Only one of them will stay unbeaten in the yellow-and-black cage. Will the Sniper hit his target before Klinkhammer drags him to the mat?Halloween night in Munich will belong to a new welterweight king. OKTAGON 96 lights up SAP Garden on October 31, and you can be there when history is made. Secure your seats today. You’ll find tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

While everyone else drove home after training, he climbed into a camper van in the parking lot outside the gym. That was Felix Klinkhammer’s life in London for years. On Halloween, he can become the first German to hold the OKTAGON welterweight belt.

FROM A PARKING-LOT VAN TO THE TITLE? KLINKHAMMER FACES SNIPER GOGOLADZE IN MUNICH

Denis Frimpong hit the canvas twice in seven months. Each time, a different man put him there. Gökhan “Abinator” Aksu handed him the first knockout loss of his career in Munich last November, and Niko “One Love” Samsonidse switched his lights off in just 54 seconds in Berlin this June. But that same night in Berlin dealt them opposite fates. While Samsonidse celebrated, Aksu watched his title dream slip away. Now the number three and number four ranked lightweights are set to collide. They meet on Halloween night, October 31, at OKTAGON 96 in Munich’s SAP Garden. Will Aksu fight his way back into title contention, or will Samsonidse prove that the lightweight division has a serious new contender?<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/9b8d6545-2e5e-42ff-b40a-de807e6b964a/cs.1792755086636.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/2aa814c8-c999-4b6f-a29a-3f7da725f7e3/cs.1792755091175.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>GÖKHAN AKSU: FROM THE TRUCK CAB TO A TITLE SHOT</h2>Gökhan Aksu (14-7-1) will feel almost at home in Munich. He trains in nearby Rosenheim, Bavaria, just a forty-minute drive from SAP Garden, so he will have a roaring crowd behind him. Born in Kufstein, Austria, to Turkish parents, he found his way into combat sports through Muay Thai. His first professional MMA fight took place right here in Munich in 2013 and ended in a submission loss. Then came years of grind. He worked in the restaurant business, later as a truck driver, squeezing in two training sessions a day between shifts. At home, a family with two children was waiting for him. On the Austrian scene, he collected three belts with AFC and Innferno.He stepped into the yellow-and-black cage in December 2024 at OKTAGON 64 in Munich, where choking out Jan Malach in the first round. In May 2025, in the same city, he took Ognjen Dimić apart, once again in the first round. Then came last November and Frimpong. Both men entered the fight on five-fight win streaks, with Aksu as the underdog. He dropped the Irishman with a right hand, finished him with ground strikes and walked away with a TKO and a Performance of the Night bonus.His six-fight win streak carried him all the way to a title shot. Against champion Mateusz Legierski in Berlin, he started brilliantly and dropped the Pole early. But Legierski got back up, took him down and finished the fight from mount, still in the first round. For the Samsonidse fight, Aksu prepared for the first time at UFD Gym in Düsseldorf instead of his usual camps in Thailand, so he could be closer to his family on weekends. "I only want to fight the best, and then head straight back towards the title," he says. The road back starts where he shone against Frimpong last year.<h2>NIKO SAMSONIDSE: KNOCKED DOWN BY FATE, BACK ON HIS FEET EVERY TIME</h2>On the other side stands a man who breaks every cliché about fighters. Niko Samsonidse (13-4) was born in Freiburg, the son of a Georgian painter and a German mother. A friend introduced him to MMA by chance, he studied social work in Berlin, and he still trains young people to this day. He chose the nickname "One Love" himself, because the warlike names others gave him never felt right.The BJJ black belt and NAGA champion has been through hell along the way. In 2021, he broke his leg throwing a kick in a fight for the NFC interim title. Doctors doubted he would ever return, and he only made it back to the cage after 706 days, straight into OKTAGON. In April 2023 at OKTAGON 42, he outpointed Roman Paulus, then locked up a first-round triangle on Nicolae Hantea in Frankfurt to earn a title shot. In Ostrava, however, Losene Keita stopped him early in the second round. Samsonidse picked himself up once more, choked out Daniel Torres in front of nearly 60,000 fans at Frankfurt’s stadium and finished Edgar Delgado in Třinec. His second shot at featherweight gold, though, was cut short in the first round by Austrian Mochamed Machaev in Stuttgart this January.So, for the first time in years, Samsonidse moved up to lightweight, and in June he finally got the chance to fight in OKTAGON in front of his home crowd in Berlin. He caught Frimpong with a straight, and 54 seconds later it was all over. A Performance of the Night bonus came with it. Now he wants to prove that his Berlin explosion was no fluke.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc87CmOMW8H/"></oktinstagramcomponent><h2>SAME OPPONENT, TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS</h2>On paper, it is a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Aksu has eleven wins by KO or TKO, Samsonidse seven by submission. But both have shown another side, too. Aksu knows how to finish opponents with a choke, while Samsonidse ended his last two wins on the feet. Between them they have 27 professional wins, and only one went to the scorecards. Aksu has never needed the judges. He wants back into the title picture and to wash away the bitter taste of Berlin. Samsonidse needs to prove that moving up to lightweight was the right call. One returns to the arena where he stopped Frimpong last year, the other arrives on his turf fresh off the biggest win of his career. Munich will reveal which of them moves closer to a title shot.This Halloween belongs to the yellow-and-black cage! OKTAGON 96 lights up Munich’s SAP Garden on October 31 with the most stacked card the city has ever seen. Feel the atmosphere live from the stands. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

Denis Frimpong hit the canvas twice in seven months. Each time, a different man put him there. Gökhan “Abinator” Aksu handed him the first knockout loss of his career in Munich last November, and Niko “One Love” Samsonidse switched his lights off in just 54 seconds.

BOTH STOPPED FRIMPONG, NOW THEY MEET: AKSU TAKES ON SAMSONIDSE IN MUNICH

The yellow-and-black cage is staying on German screens for years to come. OKTAGON and leading German media group RTL Deutschland have confirmed their continued cooperation and extended their existing contract by another four years, through the end of 2031. A journey that began less than two years ago now has a solid foundation for the long haul.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/213bc532-db59-442a-972c-cd85895d1f3a/cs.1792750550617.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/5debb00b-7b91-4d73-a7ab-01a587ec7354/cs.1792750557666.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent>Every OKTAGON event will continue to stream on RTL+ in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. On top of that, selected events and fights will air nationwide on free-to-air channel RTL. Both sides are also developing new TV and digital formats that will bring viewers even closer to the fighters and their personal stories.<h2>FROM THE FRINGES TO THE MAINSTREAM: MMA IN GERMANY IS GAINING MOMENTUM</h2>Since the partnership began, MMA in Germany has grown from a niche sport into a mass-audience spectacle. The high point so far came in September, when OKTAGON 94 filled Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park football stadium: 57,000 fans in the stands and historic TV ratings at home.“We’re thrilled that after less than two years on this journey together, our partnership with RTL has proven so successful that the group decided to significantly extend the contract. It gives our great partners, led by RTL, as well as our fighters and fans the certainty that OKTAGON will remain Europe’s clear number one in MMA, in every respect,” says OKTAGON co-founder Ondřej Novotný.“RTL shares our ambition to make MMA and OKTAGON one of the most popular sports in Germany and across the entire DACH region. With this extended partnership, we will get there!” adds fellow co-founder Pavol Neruda.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DeymouBjFCu/?hl=cs&amp;img_index=1"></oktinstagramcomponent>“MMA has everything top-level sport needs: exceptional athletes, authentic rivalries and constant suspense. With OKTAGON, we are seeing live how fast MMA is moving forward in Germany. Almost 60,000 fans in Frankfurt, record ratings on free-to-air TV and more than a million views on RTL+ are clear proof of that. The quality of the fight cards keeps rising, new stars are emerging and the fan base keeps growing. That is exactly why we are extending our partnership with Ondřej Novotný and Pavol Neruda until 2031. Together, we will reach the next generation of fans and firmly establish MMA in the sporting mainstream. The next chapter of our journey with OKTAGON has just begun,” said Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer of RTL Deutschland.The next chapter in Germany kicks off on October 31 at Munich’s SAP Garden, where OKTAGON 96 goes down. Come and watch MMA conquer Germany live from the stands. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

The yellow-and-black cage is staying on German screens for years to come. OKTAGON and leading German media group RTL Deutschland have confirmed their continued cooperation and extended their existing contract by another four years, through the end of 2031.

UNTIL 2031! OKTAGON AND RTL EXTEND PARTNERSHIP AND PLAN NEW FORMATS

As a kid, he dreamed of a career as a professional footballer, but the chance never came. He walked away from his apprenticeship to focus on training and, along the way, built a community of more than half a million people on social media. Today, Marat Nessar has a goal that goes beyond sport: he wants to make it far enough that his mother never has to work again. He takes the next step towards it on October 31 at OKTAGON 96, where he makes his debut at Munich’s SAP Garden against Austrian talent Abdulmalik Aliev. Who is the Bavarian finisher whose wins have never needed the judges?<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/6981f323-80c1-49a4-ab8f-26d63e9dcd98/cs.1792593930360.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/1a1e3dbf-9128-4d8a-af31-ad2117259985/cs.1792593947516.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>A FOOTBALL DREAM THAT NEVER CAME TRUE</h2>The story of Marat Nessar (1-0) did not begin in Bavaria. He came to Germany with his family when he was three years old. “This is where I grew up and where my journey began,” he says today. Regensburg, the old city on the Danube, became his home, and he still represents it with pride. His first love, however, was not combat sports but football. “Growing up, I had one big dream: to become a professional football player. But I never got the opportunities I needed to make it happen,” he recalls.The dream faded and Marat had to find another way. He started an apprenticeship, but soon realised it was not where his life was heading. “I soon realized it wasn’t my path, so I left to put more time and energy into training,” he explains. The young Bavarian bet everything on one card. The cage.<h2>HALF A MILLION PEOPLE AND ONE CAGE</h2>2020 changed his life twice over. He started making videos for social media and, in the same year, discovered MMA. Both gradually became a passion. Today, more than 550,000 people follow him on TikTok, making him one of the MMA fighters with the biggest reach in all of Germany. But anyone who sees him as just a face on a phone screen would be badly mistaken. “In 2022, I decided to go all in. Since then, I’ve worked on myself every single day, physically and mentally, to be better than yesterday,” he says.He found his base at MFC Moszat Fight Club in Regensburg, which also operates as an academy bearing the name of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Roger Gracie. But Nessar travels far beyond Bavaria in search of experience. He has trained in Poland, Thailand, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to step out of his comfort zone and sharpen his arsenal to the max. Along the way, he has trained with names such as Ion Surdu, Sharabutdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov or Hafeni Nafuka.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DeEzII8Aevv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=AO8SKSww9tWBAZ8m-F3B2AR"></oktinstagramcomponent><h2>FIVE WINS, FIVE FINISHES</h2>He stepped into the cage for the first time in March 2024, fittingly in Munich. At an amateur event in the Kleine Olympiahalle, he answered his opponent’s head kick with a flurry of punches, escaped a guillotine, and it was all over after 45 seconds. A year later, in the same hall, came his first hard lesson. The more experienced Swiss fighter Elia Jacob repeatedly took him down and won on points.Nessar learned from the defeat and in autumn 2025 went on a run that said a lot about him. In Ludwigsburg, he caught Lio Bratković in an anaconda choke and forced him to tap after just 29 seconds. Seven weeks later in Berlin, he added another submission, finishing Niko Sherbakovi with a triangle in the third round. Then in December, at Stuttgart’s Porsche-Arena, he stopped Mark Larsow with heavy ground and pound. Three wins in seventy days, all inside the distance. He did drop a decision to the experienced Tareq Hamdi in Nuremberg in February, but by then he was ready for the pros.His professional debut came on August 22 at The Cage MMA 9. The promoters billed him as an “extremely dangerous debutant”, and Nessar lived up to it. He took Sören Dubielzig down, finished him with elbows, and the fight was over at 1:45 of the first round. Of his five wins across his amateur and professional career, he finished all five and has never been finished himself. It wasn’t long before OKTAGON came calling.<h2>A HOME FIGHT FOR HIS MOTHER</h2>Signing the contract opened the door to Europe’s biggest MMA stage, right on home soil, where the strength of his own Bavaria will carry him into the cage. Nessar knows it well. He is rallying the fans himself and promises to turn the arena into a cauldron. “I’m going through the toughest and best preparation of my entire career. From striking to ground work, I go all out in every single session. No excuses, no letting up,” he says. “Here in Bavaria, we’re at home. Let’s show everyone what a real home fight means.”The circle is closing. He began his amateur career in Munich’s Olympic Park, and two and a half years later he returns just a few steps away, this time on Europe’s biggest MMA stage. What matters most to him, though, lies outside the cage. “My biggest goal goes beyond sport. I want to be successful enough that my mother never has to work again. Everything I do is about building a better future for both of us,” says Nessar. “And this is only the beginning.”<h2>AN AUSTRIAN CHOKE ARTIST IN HIS WAY</h2>It won’t be a comfortable debut, though. Standing across from Nessar will be Abdulmalik Aliev (1-0), a 21-year-old Austrian from Vienna’s MT Gym 23 and one of the most exciting young talents in Austrian MMA. He is a wrestler who drags opponents to the mat and hunts for their back. He went unbeaten as an amateur and kicked off his pro career in November 2024 in Vienna at BRAVE CF 90, where he choked out Anatoliy Adzhamyan in the first round. Now he returns to the cage after almost two years, bringing a neighbourly derby between Bavaria and Austria to Munich. Both have perfect pro debuts behind them and both are looking for the finish. Can the Bavarian finisher stop the takedowns and defend home soil, or will the Austrian choke artist hand him his first big disappointment?OKTAGON 96 turns Munich’s SAP Garden into a Halloween battleground on October 31, with Amiran Gogoladze and Felix Klinkhammer fighting for the vacant welterweight title in the main event. Come and support Marat Nessar in his big debut and help make his home fight a night to remember. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

As a kid, he dreamed of a career as a professional footballer, but the chance never came. He walked away from his apprenticeship to focus on training and, along the way, built a community of more than half a million people on social media.

FIGHTING SO HIS MOTHER NEVER HAS TO WORK AGAIN: NESSAR DEBUTS IN OKTAGON AT HOME

The Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary hosted a night on October 17 that kept the judges seriously busy. OKTAGON 95 delivered a 13-second TKO and a submission in the main event, but six of the ten fights still went the distance, and two of them ended in a split decision. Take a look at how the night in Karlovy Vary unfolded through the eyes of the judges.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/4f3323f1-48b1-48bc-8ffb-6eb7bf582942/cs.1792424728761.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/9e448f15-1038-4481-89ff-93391c4be115/cs.1792424733508.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>DANIEL ŠKVOR VS. TOMASZ NARKUN</h2>The main event gave the judges nothing to do. Daniel Škvor stormed into the fight at a furious pace, but the Polish legend calmly took the action to the ground, worked his way to his opponent’s back and locked in a rear naked choke. Škvor was forced to tap at 2:29 of the first round, and the scorecards stayed blank.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1491" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MATÚŠ JURÁČEK VS. JOZEF WITTNER</h2>Jozef Wittner took the opening round on all three scorecards thanks to a takedown and control from top position. In the second round, however, the tables turned. Matúš Juráček dropped his opponent with a hard knee and unleashed ground and pound. All three judges gave him the round, one of them even 10-8. That meant two judges had it level at 19-19 heading into the third round, while the third had Juráček a point ahead. The cards were never completed, though. „Slávista” put Wittner on his back, unloaded a series of heavy shots and celebrated a winning return by TKO at 3:17 of the third round.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1503" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>DAVID DVOŘÁK VS. AARON ABY</h2>The tightest battle of the night in Karlovy Vary and one of two split decisions. The opening round belonged to David Dvořák, who was the sharper striker and added a takedown late on. All three judges saw it his way. The extremely close second round, however, split the panel. Two of the three gave it to Aaron Aby, while the third saw it for Dvořák. Two judges therefore had it at 19-19 going into the final round, while the third had Dvořák ahead 20-18. The last round, full of clinch work against the fence, went unanimously to the Welshman, and that proved decisive. Aby won 29-28 on two cards, while the third judge scored it 29-28 for Dvořák. Welsh veteran Aaron Aby is now celebrating his fourth straight win.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1520" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>ZDENĚK POLÍVKA VS. TIMO FEUCHT</h2>The judges barely had time to blink here. Timo Feucht dropped Zdeněk Polívka with the very first punch he threw and swarmed his hurt opponent until the referee had to wave it off. TKO at 0:13 of the first round, the fastest finish of the night and clean scorecards.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1511" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>VÁCLAV ŠTĚPÁN VS. ARIA AZARNOOSH</h2>The unbeaten talent from All Sports Academy in Hradec Králové had a clear edge on the scorecards. Václav Štěpán stuffed his opponent’s takedown attempts and landed sharp kicks and punches. All three judges gave him every one of the three rounds. A unanimous 30-27 decision, and Štěpán’s record stays spotless. Aria Azarnoosh deserves credit too: he took the fight on short notice and fought hard on an injured leg until the final bell.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1549" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>ROBIN FOŠUM VS. TOMÁŠ KLABÍK</h2>The Stand and Bang bout followed exactly the same path on all three scorecards. The opening round went to Robin Fošum, who pressed forward and landed heavy shots. In the second, bare-knuckle boxing champion Tomáš Klabík found his way into the fight with his movement and accuracy, and after a wild exchange at the end of the round he drew level. That meant the fight went into the final round all square. There, Fošum turned up the pressure and won the third on all three cards. A unanimous 29-28 decision, and his return to the cage continues with another win.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1532" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MARCO NOVÁK VS. ANATOLIJ BAAL</h2>The opening round often spilled into clinch work along the fence, but Marco Novák took it on all three scorecards thanks to his far higher output and accuracy. Early in the second, the experienced Muay Thai fighter buried the debutant under knees, a clean high kick and an elbow, and sent him down. KO at 0:57 of the second round, and the scorecards were left unfinished.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1515" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>VIKTOR ČERVINSKÝ VS. DANIEL HROMEK</h2>The yellow-and-black debut of the „golden boy of Czech MMA” was no walk in the park. Viktor Červinský took the first round on all three cards from a dominant position against the fence, where he battered his opponent with knees, punches and elbows. In the second, however, Daniel Hromek boxed superbly and two of the three judges gave him the round, while the third saw it for Červinský. Two judges therefore had it level heading into the final five minutes. Takedowns made the difference. Červinský put the Slovak on his back two minutes into the third round and again seconds before the bell, which won him the final round on all three cards. Scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 meant a unanimous decision and a successful debut.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1514" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>HUSEIN KADIMAGOMAEV VS. MARCO ELPIDIO</h2>The new Swiss signing had the scorecards under control from the opening bell. Husein Kadimagomaev was clearly the more accurate striker, added a string of hard calf kicks and took the first round on all three cards. In the second, he repeatedly pressed Marco Elpidio against the fence. One judge saw the round for the Mexican veteran, but the other two stayed with the debutant. In the final five minutes, Kadimagomaev took his opponent down and neutralised his submission attempt, winning the round on all three cards. A unanimous decision: 30-27 twice and 29-28.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1534" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>PATRIK PIKEŠ VS. RAKHIM ILISKHANOV</h2>The night in Karlovy Vary opened with an amateur bout that ended in a split decision. The close opening round, fought on the feet, divided the judges. Two of the three gave it to Rakhim Iliskhanov for his busy finish, while the third saw it for Patrik Pikeš. In the second round the Austrian talent pinned his opponent against the fence and took him down, and Iliskhanov won it on all three cards. The Czech amateur champion then went all in on the ground game and won the final round unanimously from a dominant position, but it wasn’t enough to turn the fight around. Iliskhanov won 29-28 on two cards, while the third judge scored it 29-28 for Pikeš.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1544" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent>The night in Karlovy Vary is over, but the yellow-and-black juggernaut keeps rolling! On October 31, OKTAGON returns to Munich’s SAP Garden, where Gogoladze and Klinkhammer clash in the main event of OKTAGON 96. Don’t miss another big night and secure your seat in the stands. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

The Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary hosted a night on October 17 that kept the judges seriously busy. OKTAGON 95 delivered a 13-second TKO and a submission in the main event, but six of the ten fights still went the distance, and two of them ended in a split decision.

OKTAGON 95 THROUGH THE JUDGES’ EYES: KARLOVY VARY KEPT THE SCORECARDS BUSY

A TKO in thirteen seconds, a rear naked choke and a spectacular comeback after more than three and a half years away. Polish legend Tomasz Narkun dragged Daniel Škvor into his world and ended the main event by submission, while Matúš Juráček celebrated his return to the yellow-and-black cage with a TKO win. Timo Feucht needed just a single punch, Václav Štěpán kept his record clean, and both Viktor Červinský and Husein Kadimagomaev made winning debuts. Here’s how every fight at OKTAGON 95 in Karlovy Vary’s Mattoni Arena played out.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/b4482907-cff0-4c11-8758-b37c8e1ba40c/cs.1792276202610.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/df686be9-0fc1-441f-bb88-1521916ebd6b/cs.1792276215608.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>DANIEL ŠKVOR VS. TOMASZ NARKUN</h2>The main event was the toughest test of Daniel Škvor’s career so far. Both fighters came out at a high pace, and “DeeDee” landed several clean shots early on. But the Polish legend had no intention of sticking around for dangerous exchanges on the feet. Tomasz Narkun calmly took the fight to the mat, exactly where he is at his most lethal. The former kickboxer tried in vain to find his way back up. Narkun gave him nothing, worked his way into a dominant position and took his opponent’s back. From there he locked in a rear naked choke and Škvor was forced to tap. Narkun put his mastery on full display and celebrates his first win under the yellow-and-black banner in Karlovy Vary. Daniel Škvor, meanwhile, sees his four-fight winning streak snapped, and his dream of a title shot slips away for the second time.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1491"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MATÚŠ JURÁČEK VS. JOZEF WITTNER</h2>The Czechoslovak derby started exactly according to Wittner’s plan. The Slovak grappler quickly took the fight to the ground and controlled almost the entire round from top position. The referee stood both fighters up with less than a minute to go, but Wittner had clearly banked the opening round thanks to his dominant control. He shot for another takedown straight away in the second, but this time “Slávista” defended and answered with a hard knee. A rocked Wittner went down, Juráček moved on top and unleashed ground and pound. The finish was right there. The experienced Slovak survived the storm, though, and scrambled back to his feet. After a brief clinch he absorbed a few more strikes but made it to the bell, sending the fight into the third round level at one round apiece. There, Juráček was the more active man. Midway through the round he got Wittner underneath him and rained down hard shots from the top until the referee stepped in. After more than three and a half years away, Matúš Juráček celebrates a fantastic return to the yellow-and-black cage with a TKO victory.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1503"></oktfightcomponent><h2>DAVID DVOŘÁK VS. AARON ABY</h2>The clash of two former title challengers opened with David Dvořák landing a series of calf kicks and several punches. Aaron Aby then pressed him against the fence, but the UFC veteran worked his way back to the feet. There he was the sharper man, although the Welshman countered well on several occasions. Dvořák added a late takedown to secure the opening round. The second started with a battle for position along the fence before both men began trading quality shots in the open. Dvořák then took his opponent’s back, but Aby reversed the position and pinned “Undertaker” against the fence. The razor-thin round split the judges, leaving everything to be decided in the final frame. The third was a clinch battle. Dvořák did land a takedown, but Aby quickly got back up and the two wrestled along the fence until the final horn. After an incredibly close fight, the judges were divided and Aaron Aby takes the split decision win. The Welsh veteran extends his winning streak to four and puts himself back in the flyweight title conversation.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1520"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ZDENĚK POLÍVKA VS. TIMO FEUCHT</h2>Now that was fast! A clash of two heavy hitters that fans expected to turn into a brutal slugfest was over before it even got started. Timo Feucht sent Zdeněk Polívka to the canvas with his very first punch, a precise jab. The German finisher wasted no time, pounced on his hurt opponent and the referee had to wave it off. The clock stopped at an incredible 13 seconds. Feucht responded to his April defeat in emphatic fashion, and his finish rate remains a perfect 100 percent. All nine of his career wins have come inside the distance.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1511"></oktfightcomponent><h2>VÁCLAV ŠTĚPÁN VS. ARIA AZARNOOSH</h2>The unbeaten All Sports Academy Hradec Králové product started the fight as the more active and accurate fighter. Aria Azarnoosh tried to take the fight to the mat, but Václav Štěpán stuffed the takedowns and landed quality kicks and punches of his own. The opening round was clearly his. On top of that, Azarnoosh injured his leg after a hard calf kick in the first round. Štěpán kept landing clean shots in the second, and several times a finish looked imminent. Azarnoosh, however, always found his way back into the fight and threatened with heavy strikes of his own, but dropped the second round as well. In the final round he added several more unsuccessful takedown attempts, while the home talent stayed firmly in control and kept finding his target. After three rounds, Václav Štěpán celebrates a clear decision win and remains undefeated. Azarnoosh deserves credit too, having taken the fight on short notice and bravely pressing forward on an injured leg until the final bell.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1549"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ROBIN FOŠUM VS. TOMÁŠ KLABÍK</h2>The Stand and Bang bout started out fairly cautiously. Robin Fošum looked to press forward, while bare-knuckle boxing champion Tomáš Klabík showed excellent movement. Several hard shots from both sides found their mark, and the opening round ultimately went to Fošum. The second brought livelier exchanges. Klabík kept working with his footwork and gradually became the more accurate fighter. The end of the round delivered a genuine firefight with both men landing and absorbing, and Klabík took the second frame. That meant the fight went into the final round all square. There, Fošum turned up the pressure and started landing hard punches, but his determined opponent fired back with accurate shots until the very last second. After three rounds of hard fighting in which both men earned respect, Robin Fošum takes the decision win. His comeback continues with another victory.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1532"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MARCO NOVÁK VS. ANATOLIJ BAAL</h2>German debutant Anatolij Baal shot for a takedown early, but couldn’t finish it and ate several hard elbows in the process. After a stretch of grappling along the fence, he did manage to get Marco Novák underneath him. The experienced Muay Thai fighter reversed the position, however, and fought his way to the top. The final minute of the round was another clinch battle against the fence, with Baal pressing. Thanks to his far higher output and accuracy, though, the opening round went to Novák. At the start of the second, the Slovak fighter put the experience of dozens of Muay Thai bouts on full display. During the exchanges on the feet he hit his opponent with hard knees, then landed a clean high kick and added more knees and an elbow. Under that avalanche, Baal went down and Marco Novák celebrates a KO victory. He answers his loss in Bratislava with a dominant performance and claims the first finish of the night in Karlovy Vary.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1515"></oktfightcomponent><h2>VIKTOR ČERVINSKÝ VS. DANIEL HROMEK</h2>The OKTAGON debut of “the golden boy of Czech MMA” began with exchanges on the feet, where Daniel Hromek held the upper hand. Viktor Červinský therefore took the fight to the fence, worked himself into a dominant position and began hammering his opponent with knees, punches and elbows. He grabbed the opening round. In the second, the Slovak striker once again boxed very well and landed regularly. Červinský closed the distance midway through the round and kept Hromek pinned against the fence until the end of the frame, but the second round leaned towards the Slovak. That meant the third round began on level terms. Červinský pressed his opponent against the fence right away, but couldn’t complete the takedown. The turning point came two minutes in, when he finally got Hromek underneath him. The Slovak managed to get back up, but the Czech talent added one more takedown with seconds to go. After a tough battle, Viktor Červinský celebrates a winning debut with a decision victory.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1514"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HUSEIN KADIMAGOMAEV VS. MARCO ELPIDIO</h2>The clash between the new Swiss signing and the Mexican veteran began with sharp exchanges on the feet. Both fighters found their target with punches and kicks, but Husein Kadimagomaev was noticeably more accurate. He added a series of hard calf kicks and confidently took the opening round. The second round followed a similar pattern. The debutant kept landing clean shots and repeatedly pressed Marco Elpidio against the fence. The Mexican defended well there, but couldn’t swing the second round his way either. Kadimagomaev kept up the pressure in the final round and took his opponent down. The experienced “La Roca” attempted a submission but couldn’t lock it in. The Swiss fighter managed the closing minutes with composure and kept his opponent under control until the end. Kadimagomaev celebrates a valuable decision win in his OKTAGON debut.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1534"></oktfightcomponent><h2>PATRIK PIKEŠ VS. RAKHIM ILISKHANOV</h2>The night in Karlovy Vary kicked off with an amateur bout, whose opening round was fought entirely on the feet and offered an even contest. Towards the end of the first round, however, Rakhim Iliskhanov increased his output and edged the round. In the second, the Austrian talent pressed Patrik Pikeš against the fence and then took him down. On the feet, both fighters traded hard shots and the momentum swung back and forth, but this round also went to Iliskhanov. The Czech amateur champion went all in on the ground game in the final round and took his opponent down right at the start. He held a dominant position for the entire round and looked for an arm triangle, but couldn’t find the finish. Rakhim Iliskhanov takes the split decision win.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1544"></oktfightcomponent>The night in Karlovy Vary is over, but the next big show is already on the horizon! In two weeks, OKTAGON returns to Munich, where SAP Garden will host its fifth OKTAGON event, a night full of hard-fought battles and dramatic twists. At OKTAGON 96 on 31 October, Gogoladze and Klinkhammer meet in the main event. Don’t wait and secure your seat in the arena. You can buy tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

A TKO in thirteen seconds, a rear naked choke and a spectacular comeback after more than three and a half years away. Polish legend Tomasz Narkun dragged Daniel Škvor into his world and ended the main event by submission, while Matúš Juráček celebrated his return to the yellow-and-black cage.

OKTAGON 95 RESULTS: NARKUN CHOKES OUT ŠKVOR, JURÁČEK RETURNS IN STYLE

A kickboxer robbed of his title shot by injury against a Polish legend with fifteen submission wins. Add to that a fan favourite’s return after more than three and a half years, a clash of two former title challengers, Stand and Bang rules and the debut of Czech MMA’s golden boy. On 17 October, OKTAGON returns to the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary with a card full of home-grown names. Here is the full rundown of what awaits you.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/038daeb1-5e58-4688-9e51-251f2cdb4e01/cs.1792232601373.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/00e7e3a5-267f-4550-b780-5cf865439cc5/cs.1792232644667.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>DANIEL ŠKVOR VS. TOMASZ NARKUN</h2>A classic striker versus grappler matchup. Light heavyweight number two, former GLORY kickboxer and OKTAGON Underground winner Daniel Škvor (11-4) was set to fight for the light heavyweight title at Prague’s Štvanice in August. A torn pectoral tendon cost him the rematch with Will Fleury, and Makhmud Muradov took the belt in his place. He arrives in Karlovy Vary on a four-fight win streak, with every one of those wins coming inside two rounds. Across the cage stands number six and Polish legend Tomasz Narkun (21-7), a former six-time KSW champion who has beaten Mamed Khalidov twice. Twenty of his twenty-one wins came by finish, fifteen of them by submission. In his OKTAGON debut, however, he found no answer to Alexander Poppeck. Will Škvor keep the fight standing, or will Narkun drag him into deep waters?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1491"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MATÚŠ JURÁČEK VS. JOZEF WITTNER</h2>The return of a fan favourite and a fight with everything on the line. Matúš “Slávista” Juráček (13-6) was one of the most popular faces in the yellow-and-black cage. He won five of his six OKTAGON fights and collected scalps such as Jan Široký and Robert Pukač. After more than three and a half years away from the promotion, he returns to where the fans loved him. Opposite him is grappler Jozef Wittner (16-7), who has won half of his fights by submission. Wittner, however, is going through the toughest spell of his career. After losses to David Kozma and Marek Bartl, he badly needs a win and is trying his luck in a new division, middleweight. Both men have beaten Pukač, and now they meet each other. Will Juráček return in style, or will Wittner finally snap his losing run?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1503"></oktfightcomponent><h2>DAVID DVOŘÁK VS. AARON ABY</h2>Two former title challengers, one road back to the belt. UFC veteran and flyweight number two David “Undertaker” Dvořák (22-7) faced champion Zhalgas Zhumagulov at Prague’s O2 arena in December, but the doctor stopped the fight after the third round and Dvořák lost by TKO. Before that, he became the first man to knock out Mohammed Walid, and every one of his OKTAGON wins so far has come by finish. He faces Welsh veteran Aaron Aby (19-11-1), the first flyweight title challenger in OKTAGON history, who has fought for the belt twice. The BJJ black belt has never lost by submission and comes in on a three-fight win streak. Both men wanted this fight. Which of them will rejoin the queue for Zhumagulov?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1520"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ZDENĚK POLÍVKA VS. TIMO FEUCHT</h2>Two heavy hitters with something to prove. Zdeněk “Gameover” Polívka (10-8) returns to OKTAGON after a year and a half away. He has come through serious health problems and neck surgery, after which he considered retiring. Yet he has enjoyed big moments in the cage, knocking out UFC veteran Eric Spicely and beating future UFC fighter Robert Bryczek. On the other side stands German finisher Timo Feucht (8-2), a champion in Spanish and German promotions who has finished all eight of his wins. He returned in April in Szczecin after almost seven years away, but was stopped by Michał Piwowarski at heavyweight. Now he moves to light heavyweight. For whom will Karlovy Vary be a career restart, and for whom will it mean game over?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1511"></oktfightcomponent><h2>VÁCLAV ŠTĚPÁN VS. ARIA AZARNOOSH</h2>The only unbeaten professional on the card is back in action. Václav Štěpán (5-0), who trains at All Sports Academy in Hradec Králové alongside Kincl and Dvořák, is still undefeated in OKTAGON. Last time out in Liberec, he handed Firas Daud his first loss, and as an amateur he lost just one of fifteen fights. His opponent, however, changed at the last minute. Stepping in as a replacement at a 69-kilogram catchweight is Aria Azarnoosh (3-3), who has won all three of his fights by strikes inside the distance and arrives on a two-fight win streak. Will Štěpán keep his record clean, or will the dangerous replacement spoil his plans?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1549"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ROBIN FOŠUM VS. TOMÁŠ KLABÍK</h2>Small gloves, no ground fighting. This light heavyweight bout will be contested under Stand and Bang rules. Robin Fošum (2-1-1) returned to OKTAGON in Brno in September after more than three years away and knocked out BKFC veteran Dustin Rabiega in the second round. Nobody expected his comeback: after a serious illness and two spinal surgeries, he was told he would never fight again. He faces Tomáš Klabík (1-0), the reigning champion of Czech bare-knuckle promotion CSBKB. Klabík won the title as a replacement for Josef Hála, turning the fight around against Jindřich Byrtus. Here, a single punch could decide everything.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1532"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MARCO NOVÁK VS. ANATOLIJ BAAL</h2>Featherweight brings a clash of two strikers. Marco Novák (7-3) has 85 Muay Thai fights behind him, along with a WKU world title and a European Muay Thai title, and he made it all the way to the final of OKTAGON’s Underground project. He was the first to knock out Danijel Solaja and has never lost by submission. In June in Bratislava, however, he lost a decision to Ayton De Paepe, and in Karlovy Vary he wants to bounce back. Standing in his way is debuting German puncher Anatolij Baal (10-4-1), who has six wins by KO or TKO and has gained experience in the PFL and other promotions. His fastest win took just 25 seconds. Will Novák get back to winning ways, or will Baal make a big splash in his debut?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1515"></oktfightcomponent><h2>VIKTOR ČERVINSKÝ VS. DANIEL HROMEK</h2>A long-awaited debut. Viktor Červinský (5-3) is often called the golden boy of Czech MMA. At just 22, he already has a domestic promotion title and wins over Jixie Molapo and David Hošek to his name, and in Karlovy Vary he will step into the yellow-and-black cage for the first time. Testing him at welterweight is Slovak striker Daniel Hromek (6-5), a European striking champion who started out in Muay Thai at Hanuman Gym in Bratislava. He has already fought in four countries under the OKTAGON banner, came back in the third round to beat Emir-Can Al in Oberhausen and is currently riding a two-fight win streak. Will Červinský show why everyone is talking about him, or will the experienced Slovak spoil his debut?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1514"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HUSEIN KADIMAGOMAEV VS. MARCO ELPIDIO</h2>One of the most intriguing signings of recent months makes his debut at a 72-kilogram catchweight. Swiss fighter Husein Kadimagomaev (14-2) trains at the renowned UFD Gym, has competed in promotions such as Brave and FNC, and has finished twelve of his fourteen wins. Early in his career, he won a belt by submitting Jarno Errens with a first-round guillotine. Testing him is OKTAGON’s only Mexican fighter, Marco “La Roca” Elpidio (25-13-2). The two-time champion of Mexican promotions is heading into his 41st professional fight and accepted the bout on short notice. He did lose two decisions in OKTAGON, to Ozan Aslaner and Arijan Topallaj, but neither of them managed to finish him. Will Kadimagomaev’s debut go to plan, or will the Mexican stop him?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1534"></oktfightcomponent><h2>PATRIK PIKEŠ VS. RAKHIM ILISKHANOV</h2>The night in Karlovy Vary kicks off with an amateur lightweight bout. Patrik Pikeš (10-5) is a multiple Czech amateur champion who has also competed at the IMMAF Championships, where he earned a KO of the Day award. He has dedicated everything to MMA and is chasing a professional career. He faces Rakhim Iliskhanov (4-1) of Austria’s Gym23, a rising star of the Austrian scene. Which of these hungry talents will get off to the better start?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1544"></oktfightcomponent>Karlovy Vary is in for a night full of big names, emotional comebacks and hungry debutants. OKTAGON 95 takes place on Saturday 17 October at the Mattoni Arena. Secure your seat in the stands. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

A kickboxer robbed of his title shot by injury against a Polish legend with fifteen submission wins. Add to that a fan favourite’s return after more than three and a half years, a clash of two former title challengers.

KARLOVY VARY FIGHT BY FIGHT: A STRIKER VS. A SUBMISSION MASTER AND BIG COMEBACKS

What do a cemetery, an army barracks, the doors of Prague nightclubs and a hospital ICU have in common? They all play a part in the stories of the fighters on the Karlovy Vary card. You’ll also find a date that ties two opponents together by fate, and a Mexican who fights more often than most people get a haircut. On 17 October, OKTAGON returns to the Mattoni Arena. Here are the best fun facts from the OKTAGON 95 card.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/1a2a9f98-a9f1-475e-819a-72f0eebbaa59/cs.1791981895941.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/36ef5742-d897-43bf-a626-271469ed3da9/cs.1791981902905.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>THE GRAVEDIGGER WHO STARTED AT THE CHESSBOARD</h2>David “Undertaker” Dvořák (22-7) has one of the most colourful life stories in the entire organisation. As a kid, he went to chess camps and sat down at the chessboard every single day. He found his way to MMA by chance: the building where he trained chess also started hosting combat sports classes. He earned his nickname doing odd jobs at a cemetery, digging graves in temperatures as low as minus twenty degrees and once spending three full days on a single grave. In 2015, during a study stay in the USA, he worked as a lifeguard and saved the life of a five-year-old girl. In the cage he is just as unique: he is the only flyweight in OKTAGON history to choke out an opponent.<h2>FATEFUL 3 MARCH</h2>Daniel Škvor (11-4) doesn’t have far to travel to Karlovy Vary. He grew up in Cheb, where at sixteen he walked into a small Muay Thai club for the first time. After his very first session, he gave up tennis and basketball for good. Before he made it to the world kickboxing elite, he made a living as a bouncer at Prague nightclubs. On 3 March 2018 in Rotterdam, he became the first Czech to compete in the prestigious GLORY organisation.On the same day, more than a thousand kilometres away in Łódź, Poland, his Saturday opponent Tomasz “Giraffe” Narkun (21-7) submitted Polish legend Mamed Khalidov with a triangle choke and ended his eight-year unbeaten run. Nine months later, he beat him again. He has won fifteen fights by submission, while most fighters on the card don’t even have fifteen wins in total. His fastest finish came in just 16 seconds. But Škvor can surprise on the ground too: he holds the fastest submission in the history of OKTAGON’s light heavyweight division.<h2>THE INSPEKTOR FROM THE TRAITORS AND THE CORPORAL WITH A 4:20 ALARM</h2>When Dominik Humburger (12-3) turned pro in May 2021, Patrik “Inspektor” Kincl (30-12) already had 32 professional fights under his belt. In Karlovy Vary he steps into his 44th bout, which makes him the most experienced fighter on the card. He is the only fighter in OKTAGON history to win title fights in all three ways: by KO, by submission and on points. Outside the cage, he even put himself to the test on the Czech version of the reality show The Traitors.Humburger is an army corporal whose alarm clock went off at 4:20 for years. He is the only fighter in the organisation’s history to earn a Performance of the Night bonus in each of his first two fights. He returns to the Mattoni Arena, where he made his debut in April 2025 with a win over Samuel Krištofič. Kincl beat the very same opponent in his own OKTAGON debut. For this fight, Humburger prepared with Karlos Vémola and Makhmud Muradov among others, men who have shared the cage with Kincl themselves.Humburger and Kincl have actually tested each other before, in sparring. “I remember sparring with him two years ago. He took me down and I swear on anything, I never got back up. If he’d wanted to, I’d still be asleep there now. I did absolutely nothing,” Humburger recalls. He was quick to add, though, that two years is a long time in a fighter’s career.<h2>FROM HOSPITAL BED BACK TO THE CAGE</h2>Several men on the Karlovy Vary card have already beaten a far tougher opponent than anyone they will ever meet in the cage. Aaron Aby, who faces David Dvořák, was born with cystic fibrosis. As a boy, he read in a school textbook that people with his condition used to live barely to eighteen. Doctors told his parents their son would probably never see thirty. Aby proved them wrong. He came through Welsh youth football, then swapped the pitch for the cage and became a professional fighter. At OKTAGON, he was even the very first man to fight for the flyweight title. Then, with his career already underway, came another blow: stage-three cancer that had spread into his abdomen. Aaron Aby beat it, returned to fighting and will be 36 years old on fight night.Zdeněk “Gameover” Polívka (10-8) talks about his health problems with self-irony. “Like an idiot, I kept training through pneumonia, so I gave myself pericarditis,” he admitted. Then herniated discs began pressing on his nerves and spinal cord until his left arm was half paralysed. He had immediate surgery on his cervical spine, and titanium plates now hold his neck together.Debutant Viktor Červinský (5-3) has shown his courage too. In the middle of a fight, his shoulder popped out. He put it back in himself, finished the fight and won.Robin Fošum (2-1-1) ended up in intensive care with Covid, and doctors gave him only a minimal chance of survival. He lost as much as 25 kilos. Then a herniated disc in his neck weakened his right arm so badly that he couldn’t lift more than two kilos. On top of that, he tore a biceps tendon. He was told he would never fight again. Yet on Saturday he steps into the cage under Stand and Bang rules against Tomáš Klabík (1-0), who has proven his toughness in his own way. The reigning Czech bare-knuckle boxing champion found out about his title fight less than two weeks in advance, as a replacement for Josef Hála. He went down three times in two rounds, yet got up every time and stopped the favoured Jindřich Byrtus in the third round. He switched to bare fists for a purely practical reason: reportedly, he was “quite fat” and bare-knuckle boxing didn’t demand as much cardio.<h2>YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW THIS</h2><ul><li>The Hradec Králové-based All Sports Academy is sending a trio of teammates to Karlovy Vary: Patrik Kincl, David Dvořák and Václav Štěpán. When Kincl made his pro debut in March 2007, Štěpán was just four years old.</li><li>Marco “La Roca” Elpidio (25-13-2), the organisation’s only Mexican fighter, squeezed in six fights last year, with just 14 days between the last two. In Karlovy Vary, he will contest his 41st professional bout.</li><li>Marco Novák (7-3) has 85 Muay Thai fights behind him. Word has it he only really starts enjoying himself in the cage once he’s losing.</li><li>Patrik Pikeš once paid for his training by working at McDonald’s. Today he is a personal trainer. His opponent Rakhim Iliskhanov makes his living outside the cage as a model.</li><li>Unbeaten Václav Štěpán (5-0) lost just one of his fifteen amateur fights.</li></ul>Karlovy Vary is about to welcome the yellow-and-black colossus once again. OKTAGON 95 kicks off on Saturday 17 October at the Mattoni Arena. Secure your seat in the stands and soak up the atmosphere first-hand. Get your tickets via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

What do a cemetery, an army barracks, the doors of Prague nightclubs and a hospital ICU have in common? They all play a part in the stories of the fighters on the Karlovy Vary card. You’ll also find a date that ties two opponents together by fate, and a Mexican who fights more often than most people get a haircut.

KARLOVY VARY FUN FACTS: A GRAVEDIGGER, A CORPORAL AND A CHAMP WHO WAS “QUITE FAT”

His alarm went off at 4:20. He served at the barracks until four in the afternoon, then headed to Prague for training and didn’t get home until ten at night, where his loyal bull terrier was waiting for him. For years, that was a normal day for the man who worked his way up from a kid in Liberec to the elite of OKTAGON’s middleweight division. On October 17, Dominik “Hambáč” Humburger faces former champion Patrik Kincl in the main event of OKTAGON 95 at the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary. Read the story of a soldier nobody has ever been able to finish.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/a236dbc9-3dca-4f3c-a021-583d6cb299cc/cs.1791815655958.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/1fa8d004-707d-4735-b61b-8c48b14bc445/cs.1791815668661.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>THE LIBEREC KID WHO PLAYED AT BEING A SOLDIER</h2>Dominik “Hambáč” Humburger (12-3) was born on January 3, 1996, in Liberec, and like plenty of boys, he spent his childhood playing soldiers. Unlike most of them, though, he made it all the way into uniform. “I wanted to be a soldier ever since I was little,” he says. His childhood was far from carefree. As a chubby kid, he was bullied and spent a long time searching for his place. “At the end of 2012, I tried going to a boxing class, and it captivated me so much that I’ve stayed in combat sports ever since,” he recalls.His talent showed quickly. Within two years, he was the national junior heavyweight champion and took home the Talent of the Year award. He fought around forty boxing bouts. In the end, it was his best friend who pushed him into the cage. “At first I didn’t want to go. I didn’t like rolling around on the ground or kicking, because I was an orthodox boxer. He made me try it, and once I came, I never left,” he explains. In 2019, he became the Czech amateur MMA middleweight champion and twice represented his country at the World Championships.<h2>THE CORPORAL AND HIS BULL TERRIER</h2>Combat sports never pushed aside his first dream. He joined the army around 2018 and spent years serving as a corporal in the 31st CBRN Defence Regiment in his hometown of Liberec. Today, he works as a close-combat instructor for the elite Special Forces of the Czech Army. In December 2024, even the Prague Castle Guard came to put his skills to the test when he trained its close-combat instructors. “When I put on my camo, I feel like something more,” says the man who salutes in the cage after his wins.Combining the army with professional MMA meant sacrificing almost everything else. “My biggest enemy is time,” he says of his routine. His bull terrier Caesar, whom he lovingly calls “a nutcase,” has been his best buddy for more than ten years. “I feel sorriest for the dog,” he admitted, referring to the long days away from home.He takes his service seriously outside the barracks too. He supports the Military Solidarity Fund, whose badge was presented to him in June 2025 by Defence Minister Jana Černochová at the opening of a contact point for war veterans in Liberec. When he met President Petr Pavel, he received the Cross of Merit. “He joked that he thought I could only beat people up, not save them too,” Humburger revealed.<h2>GRANDPA’S MEDALLION AND A STAR FOR HIS GREAT-GRANDMOTHER</h2>He never steps into the cage alone. His manager keeps his talismans in his pocket by the fence, and the most precious of them is a medallion his grandfather had made for him. “On one side there’s a boxer, and on the other, a keepsake of Grandpa,” he explains. When he stepped in front of his home crowd in Liberec in February 2025, his grandfather was lying in a coma. “This fight is for him, so he wakes up soon and we can shake hands again,” he said, and after a tough battle with Borys Dzikowski, his hand was raised.He carries another family story right on his skin. His great-grandmother on his mother’s side was Jewish and survived a concentration camp. In her honour, he had the Star of David tattooed on his body, and he managed to show it to her. “I’m so glad she got to see it. I think of her a lot,” he says.<h2>THE BIGGEST UNDERDOG IN THE PYRAMID</h2>He started his professional career in May 2021 and won his first seven fights, six of them inside the distance. In autumn 2022, he survived a dangerous choke from Milan Ďatelinka and finished him in the second round, and half a year later, he became a champion in one of the domestic promotions. He has lost only three times, all on points. In his native Liberec, where as a kid he admired local legends at fight nights, he remains unbeaten.He arrived at OKTAGON in February 2025 as a wildcard for the last open spot in the million-euro Tipsport Gamechanger pyramid. The bookmakers had him as the biggest underdog, and his debut in Karlovy Vary seemed to prove them right at first. Samuel “Pirát” Krištofič dropped him in the first round and cut his face open. But Humburger got back to his feet, chased the Pirate across the cage with a barrage of punches in the second round and finished him at 1:58. “I’m a soldier, a warrior. He would have had to switch me off, kill me,” he said after the fight. “Shame they see me as the biggest pushover,” he added.The same script played out on Štvanice island in Prague. Mark Hulme took him down repeatedly and dropped him in the second round. “In that moment, all that went through my head was: Get up… and get to work,” Humburger said. Moments later, he landed an elbow, snapped Hulme’s five-fight win streak and became the only fighter in OKTAGON history to earn a Performance of the Night bonus in each of his first two fights. In the locker room afterwards, Hulme gave him his knife, and Humburger returned the gesture with one of his talismans, a ring with a Viking compass. “That’s the kind of respect warriors have for each other.”<h2>WAR WITH THE CHAMPION</h2>In the semi-final in Bratislava, he faced reigning champion Kerim Engizek. Engizek dropped him and took him down again and again, but the last Czech left in the pyramid got up every time and in the third round landed more often and harder. In the end, all three judges scored it 29-28 for the champion. Still, the loss earned him a kind of respect money can’t buy. Engizek later named him the toughest opponent of his career, ahead of both Krzysztof Jotko and Patrik Kincl.After a break due to injuries, he returned home to Liberec in spring 2026 to face former ONE Championship champion Zebaztian Kadestam. Instead of a wild brawl, he kept a cool head, dropped the Swede in the second round and tactically saw the third round through to victory. “I want to fight Kincl,” he announced even before the fight.<h2>THE INSPECTOR WHO SAID NO</h2>Patrik “Inspektor” Kincl (30-12), however, had no interest in the fight. The former champion, who held the belt for 959 days and is the only Czech to have beaten Karlos Vémola, argued that a derby between the division’s two highest-ranked Czechs would needlessly cost one of them momentum. But Humburger kept pushing, and in August, his challenge was answered. For the soldier from Liberec, it brings things full circle. He made his professional debut in a league where Kincl himself was working as matchmaker. Now he faces him in the very arena where he made his OKTAGON debut eighteen months ago.On top of that, he knows the Inspector better than most, as he trains regularly with Karlos Vémola and Makhmud Muradov, two men who have shared the cage with Kincl. “Kincl is probably the better fighter… But what he doesn’t have is Humburger’s heart. And no technique, no training can teach you that,” says Vémola. Humburger himself makes no secret of leaving the scouting of opponents to his coaches. “I’ve always been more of a brawler,” he admits. Can the soldier from Liberec defy the odds once again, or will the Inspector draw on the experience of 43 professional fights and deliver another masterclass?OKTAGON 95 returns to the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary on October 17, and the main event brings a Czech derby fans have been waiting months for. Come and support the man who never gives up, or watch the whole event live on PPV at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://OKTAGON.TV">OKTAGON.TV</a>. Tickets are available at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

His alarm went off at 4:20. He served at the barracks until four in the afternoon, then headed to Prague for training and didn’t get home until ten at night, where his loyal bull terrier was waiting for him.

INTERVIEW WITH DANIELLE MISTELI: I AM NOT HERE TO PAVE THE WAY FOR ANYONE

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