Dvě výhry v řadě, skvělé pracovní i osobní období, obrovský drive. Sympaťák Malach je jednou ze stálic československé MMA scény, a tak jsme se ho zeptali, co je u něj nového i na to, co plánuje ve sportu dál.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/371fff0a-2145-44de-95f1-722dd3400c71/cs.1733236458309.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/5697e323-c189-4809-bd75-5bd91a0d663f/cs.1733236464825.png"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent>Tvůj soupeř Aksu má všechny výhry před limitem. Jak se připravuješ na takového protivníka a kde vidíš jeho slabiny?Vidím hodně slabin, není to vůbec komplexní zápasník. Je jednostranný, pod standardem, na který jsem zvyklý z tréninků. Když jsem se naposledy připravoval na Geleziho, jako náhradníka, přišel mi stylisticky mnohem těžší – vysoký, dynamický, komplexnější. Nehledě na to, že přípravu na Aksu dělám vlastně už potřetí, protože se dvakrát zranil.Jedeš teď na vítězné vlně. Pomáhá to sebevědomí nebo čím více výher v řadě, tím větší tlak?S výhrami se určitě zápasí líp, víc si věříš. Nemáš na sobě stres z toho, že když prohraješ, tak to bude třeba třetí prohra v řadě. Ale já se vždy soustředím hlavně na momentální zápas, na ostatní nemyslím.Ani zpětně?Jasně, když se můžeš podívat na období, kdy jsi sbíral i 6 výher v řadě, tak je to super, víš, že všechno fungovalo a sedělo. V tom jsou nastřádané výhry skvělé – na druhou stranu, prohra tě nakopne. Do tréninku se vrátíš úplně jinak vyhladovělý. Obojí má něco do sebe!Trénuješ v Reinders MMA. Kdo je tam tvůj největší parťák?V Reinders mám tolik parťáků, že by to snad ani nešlo vyjmenovat. Je tam skvělá parta. Moji nejčastější sparring partneři jsou teď Matěj Kuzník a Peter Gabal. Máme tam širokou škálu lidí, ze které si můžu vybírat, ať už lehké váhy nebo sedmasedmdesátky.Jak se těšíš do Mnichova? Bojuješ radši na domácí půdě nebo venku?Já tomu říkám „Mise Německo”, zápasí se mi tam skvěle. Jedu tam jako naprostý profesionál – musím odjet od rodiny, soustředit se, udělat dobrý výkon. Nikoho tam nezajímá, jakou jsem měl přípravu nebo co jsem dělal předtím. Nejdůležitější je jen zápas. A tak si udělám svou práci a jedu zpátky. Německo mi fakt neskutečně sedí. Roli v tom hraje asi i to, že československým zápasníkům přeji co nejlepší kariéru, mám mezi nimi spousty kamarádů, takže proti Němcům a dalším zahraničním zápasníkům se mi bojuje mnohem lépe.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1064"></oktfightcomponent>Za sebou máš už 31 MMA zápasů, mnohonásobně víc zápasů v kickboxu… na které momenty své zápasnické kariéry vzpomínáš nejraději?Rád vzpomínám na období 2015, 2016, to byly pěkné roky. Ale když to srovnám s tím, kde je OKTAGON dnes, je to skoro až legrační, v jakých podmínkách se tehdy zápasilo.Co ses za tu dlouhou cestu naučil? Dělal bys něco jinak, s tím, co už o MMA víš dnes?Toho je moc. Ale bohužel nebo bohudík, jedna věc je jasná, teď už zápasnicky stárnu. Myslím, že mám před sebou ještě pár nejlepších let, ale kdybych ve dvaceti věděl věci, které vím teď, mohl jsem být úplně někde jinde. Ale asi se to tak brát nedá – kdybych neudělal chyby, nepřišel bych na to, nenaučil se to. Dnes trénuji daleko chytřeji, více driluji, nechodím se jen mlátit. Není to jen o sparingu, jsem daleko pečlivější ohledně všech věcí okolo MMA, mám to promyšlené. Jsou to detaily, které dají dohromady tu velkou skládačku, ale to jsem ve dvaceti nevěděl.Podnikáš, máš svou firmu – pomáhá ti, že máš i jiný svět mimo boj? Nebo bys ideálně dělal MMA na full time?Firma mi hodně pomáhá. Mým celoživotním cílem, snad už od dětství, bylo nikoho neposlouchat, nemít žádného šéfa. A díky mojí pracovitosti se to povedlo. Makám od rána do večera, pořád něco dělám, ale dělám na svém, všechno jde za mnou. Jsem s tím nesmírně spokojený. A samozřejmě, nemusím díky tomu hrotit ani MMA po finanční stránce, nenutí mě to do žádných zápasů kvůli penězům.Jsou to úplně odlišné světy nebo mají něco společného?Když dělám business, moji partneři jsou často z jiného odvětví, někdy ani neví, že dělám MMA. Ale když ví, pomáhá mi to. Mám ze sportu vybudované jméno a nechci si ho pokazit, udělat si ostudu. A tak firma i sport fungují takhle propojeně – dobré jméno máš jen jedno a žádné peníze nestojí za to, o něj přijít.Jak zvládáš tlak a očekávání fanoušků, když jdeš do zápasu jako favorit?Psychika je na celém zápasení nejdůležitější. Tlak naštěstí zvládám skvěle, vyhecuje mě, když v publiku vidím svoje fanoušky nebo rodinu, nakopne mě to. Já nejsem tréninkový typ, že bych nechal všechno v tělocvičně a vedl tam zbytečné války. Na tréninku mi to jde trochu hůř, než v zápase – což je rozhodně lepší, než kdyby to bylo naopak.Hrála hlava roli v tvé poslední prohře?Prohra nastala v zápase se Shemem Rockem, kde jsem měl hlavu nastavenou perfektně. Pak ale přišla kopačka na břicho, která mě rozhodila a škrcení. Ale to bylo o fyzické, sportovní stránce, ne o psychice – tu jsem měl ve všech posledních zápasech skvěle vychytanou.Jak to poznáš?Když jsem v kleci, vím, že je to přesně to místo, kde mám v tu chvíli být. Často si můžeš nalhávat, jak jsi připravený, ale pak tam vlezeš a je to jinak. I teď vím, že Aksu porazím. Ještě nevím jak, ale vím, že neprohraju.Jak konkrétně s psychikou pracuješ? Jsou na to nějaké postupy?Píšu si tréninkový deník, jehož součástí je to, jak jsem se připravoval, co jsem dělal, jak jsem se před zápasem i v něm cítil. Mám už na to takový mustr. Znovu – jsou to detaily, které tvoří celek. A samozřejmě pracuji i s vizualizacemi. V tuhle chvíli jsem psychiku vychytal na takový level, že si hlavu dokážu perfektně nastavit sám.Jak dlouho ti to trvalo?Takhle se mi to daří asi poslední dva roky.Tvoje přezdívka vychází z místa odkud pocházíš. Jak tě tohle prostředí ovlivňuje?Je to tak, přezdívka Král Severu vychází, samozřejmě kromě Game of Thrones, z mého města Liberce. Ale není to ani tak kvůli zápasení. Nechci se označovat za nejlepšího zápasníka na severu republiky. Liberec je můj domov, cítím, že si tam můžu dělat co chci, mám tam skvělé vazby a velkou základnu. Je to myšleno spíše lidsky.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DC_t5WUN9xB/?img_index=1"></oktinstagramcomponent>Jak vlastně vypadá tvůj běžný den? Máš vůbec čas vypnout?Jsem teď hladový po pracovním i sportovním úspěchů a mám velký drive. Musím skloubit rodinu, práci a sport a myslím, že se to daří. Když je o děti postaráno, odpočívám tak, že jedu do sauny nebo mám stretching, to je můj odpočinek, který je spjatý s tím, co jako sportovec musím dělat. Regenerace je nesmírně důležitá, jinak přijde zranění a veškerá dřina je k ničemu. Kromě sportovního odpočinku ale jedu nonstop, nezastavím se a mám to tak rád. Rád chodím spát s pocitem, že se v životě někam posouvám.Jak to s MMA vidíš do budoucna?Budoucnost je to, co mě teď žene kupředu. MMA se budu věnovat, dokud to půjde, dokud mi to zdraví dovolí a budu se cítit na vrcholu sil. Zatím žádné zpomalování, nepozoruji ani pomalejší reflexy nebo další věci, které přicházejí s věkem. Ale až to přijde a začne to pro mě být nebezpečné, tak se na to asi vykašlu. Snažím se ale o tělo správně starat a myslím, že to by mi mohlo pár let aktivního zápasení přidat.A na závěr: co bys vzkázal svému soupeři?Jedinou věc: ať už se hlavně nezraní. Protože už by to bylo potřetí a na počtvrté už bych to neriskoval.MISE NĚMECKO JE TADY! JAK SI MALACH PORADÍ? SLEDUJ OKTAGON 64 UŽ 7. 12.!<okteventcomponent eventid="100"></okteventcomponent>

„Král Severu” Malach se chystá do Mnichova – v otevřeném rozhovoru promluvil o sportovním i osobním životě, ale i o plánech, které s MMA má. 

MALACH O SPORTU A BYZNYSU: PENÍZE NESTOJÍ ZA ZTRÁTU DOBRÉHO JMÉNA

Doctors told his parents their son would probably not live to see thirty. As a boy, he then read in a school textbook that people with his illness used to live barely to eighteen. Aaron Aby made it through the Welsh youth football setup, beat stage-three cancer and fought twice for an OKTAGON title. Now he faces a man they call the Undertaker. UFC veteran David Dvořák once really did dig graves, and after his loss to the champion he wants to get back to the door of a title fight. The flyweight No. 2 against No. 5, two former title challengers and one common conqueror. On October 17, the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary will decide which of them gets to walk through that door again.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/5e094c90-961c-48e2-be5e-afdb7df1c1d0/cs.1791488532502.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/febff7f3-64a2-4324-bb17-cfcb1e7314dd/cs.1791488544119.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>AARON ABY: THE MAN NOT EVEN LIFE COULD BREAK</h2>Aaron Aby (19-11-1) was born in Wrexham, Wales, and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was two weeks old. The disease, which destroys the lungs, did not stop him. In football, he played for Welsh youth teams alongside future stars Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, and kept his diagnosis to himself in the dressing room so that no one would treat him differently. It was his uncle who introduced him to MMA. Football took a back seat, and in 2013 came his professional debut.In 2017 he won three fights in a row, but then came another brutal diagnosis: stage-three testicular cancer that had spread all the way into his abdomen. Chemotherapy, surgery and two years out of the cage. Aby still came back, went through Cage Warriors and today he holds a BJJ black belt, trains at The MMA Academy in Liverpool and runs his own gym in Wrexham together with his father.He entered OKTAGON in November 2023 straight into the main event of OKTAGON 48 in Manchester, where he fought Elias Garcia for the first flyweight title in the organization's history. After the second round, however, the doctor stopped the fight because of a cut. Following a win in Newcastle, he got a second title shot in Birmingham against his old rival Sam Creasey, and after five rounds the belt once again stayed out of his reach. Decision losses to Zhumagulov in Bratislava and Walid in Dortmund followed. But once again, Aby did not fall. Outside OKTAGON he finished two opponents in the first round, locking Resant Ashirov in an arm triangle after 56 seconds, and this July in Cologne he clearly outpointed Zoran Milić. He arrives in Karlovy Vary on a three-fight win streak and hungry for a third title shot.<h2>DAVID „UNDERTAKER“ DVOŘÁK: THE CHESS PLAYER WHO TRADED THE BOARD FOR THE CAGE</h2>David Dvořák's (22-7) career resembles a patiently played game of chess. The native of Hořice played competitive chess until the age of seventeen, then in 2009 joined the Valetudo club in Hradec Králové and swapped the chess pieces for the mats. Alongside training, he earned a university degree, built motorways and spent five years digging graves, just like his father. That is where the nickname he carries into the cage comes from. He began fighting professionally in 2010 and from autumn 2012 onwards racked up sixteen wins in a row. Along the way he also claimed the GCF title, finishing Tomáš Žák in 63 seconds.He made his first appearance in the yellow-and-black cage in July 2019 at OKTAGON 13, where he choked out Arsen Taigibov on Prague's Štvanice island. Then the UFC came calling. Dvořák stepped into the cage in Brazil on five weeks' notice and became the first Czech to win his UFC debut. He added the scalps of Jordan Espinosa and Juancamilo Ronderos and climbed all the way into the UFC top ten. His run was only snapped after nine years by Matheus Nicolau. Decision losses to Manel Kape and Steve Erceg followed, then a serious injury and almost two years without a fight.He blew the doors open on his OKTAGON return last September in Hannover, where he dropped Mohammed Walid in the first round at 3:56. He became the first man ever to knock Walid out, and to this day he is the only active flyweight with a first-round win in OKTAGON. The title shot came right away. But last December at Prague's O2 arena, Zhalgas Zhumagulov showed why he rules the division. After the third round the doctor had to stop the fight, and Dvořák lost by TKO. The All Sports Academy fighter, trained by Patrik Kincl, has not come to terms with that. He wants a rematch, and the road to it runs through Karlovy Vary.<h2>SAME CONQUEROR, ONE DOOR TO THE TITLE</h2>The stories of these two men intersect more than it seems. Both have fought for the belt, both fell to Zhumagulov and both ran into Walid. Aby lost to him on points, Dvořák knocked him out five months later. Together they have sixty professional fights, and neither has ever tapped out. Stylistically, it is a clash of two worlds. Dvořák has finished seventeen of his twenty-two wins. Aby has won ten by decision, can wear opponents down with fifteen minutes of relentless pressure and has won by submission with five different techniques. When he made his debut in 2013, Dvořák, two years his junior, already had eight professional fights under his belt. In Karlovy Vary, Dvořák's teammate Patrik Kincl will also be in the spotlight, stepping into the main event of the night. Will the Undertaker end another story before it gets going, or will Aby prove once again that he cannot be broken?OKTAGON returns to Karlovy Vary after a year and a half with a night packed with home talent, building up to the Kincl vs. Humburger showdown. OKTAGON 95 kicks off on October 17 at the Mattoni Arena, so don't miss your chance to experience it live. Tickets are available via the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

Doctors told his parents their son would probably not live to see thirty. As a boy, he then read in a school textbook that people with his illness used to live barely to eighteen. Aaron Aby made it through the Welsh youth football setup, beat stage-three cancer.

DOCTORS GAVE HIM NO CHANCE, NOW THE UNDERTAKER AWAITS: AARON ABY TAKES ON DVOŘÁK

His shoulder popped out in the middle of the fight. Viktor Červinský put it back in himself, fought on and left the ring as the winner. The 22-year-old talent, hailed as the future of Czech MMA, already has a title, four battles in Poland's KSW and a wedding behind him, and now his first fight in the yellow-and-black cage awaits. Across from him stands Daniel "The Anonymous" Hromek, a Slovak Muay Thai fighter from Hanuman Gym who earned his way into OKTAGON seven years ago with a video of his own. OKTAGON 95 arrives at the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary on October 17, and that is where we will find out whether the grappler from Říčany can take down a man no one has ever forced to tap.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/a21a8299-fb4d-473d-a809-6a5a4ff03596/cs.1791204430449.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/1ce8fa91-4dd1-4cde-9d4c-a5136447964a/cs.1791204437621.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>VIKTOR ČERVINSKÝ: THE CHAMPION WHO NEEDED LESS THAN A YEAR TO WIN A BELT</h2>On the domestic scene they call him the golden boy of Czech MMA, and his path shows why. Viktor Červinský (5-3) comes from Říčany near Prague and first stepped onto a judo mat at the age of three. He made his way to MMA through karate, fell in love with chess as a kid, and at nineteen confidently declared: "I'll beat anyone, in the cage, in the ring and even at chess." He took Khabib Nurmagomedov as his role model, sharpened his grappling at Cage Warriors Říčany and became national champion as an amateur.He made his pro debut in May 2023 right in Říčany, finishing Pavel Pilný in the second round. Two weeks later he passed his school-leaving exams, got into the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University and added three more wins before the year was out. He choked out Jixie Molapo in the first round in Poděbrady, but the real turning point came in November. At Prague's UNYP Arena, Dominik Humburger was set to fight for the interim middleweight title of one of the domestic promotions, but he got injured. Červinský, 3-0 at the time, accepted the offer, moved up a division and went in against the experienced David Hošek as a clear underdog, with bookmakers offering odds as long as 7.77. He choked Hošek out with a guillotine at 4:10 of the first round and, eight days after his 20th birthday, celebrated his first professional title. It remains the fastest finish of his career. Humburger, the man he replaced that night, will headline the card in Karlovy Vary.At 4-0 he was signed by Poland's KSW. He debuted in February 2024 on Czech soil in Liberec, but Kacper Koziorzębski outpointed him, and that autumn in Gliwice Adam Niedźwiedź caught him in a guillotine in the very first round. His first KSW win came last August in Warsaw, where he locked in a triangle choke on Michał Gniady in the second round. The Pole had defended so desperately beforehand that he bit Červinský's middle finger. "Opponents have talked trash, laughed in my face and so on, but I'd never experienced anything like this," Červinský said. This January in Radom he went three rounds with unbeaten Frenchman Amaury Wako-Zabo, whom he warned before the fight: "I expect the scythe to hit a rock. And I am the rock." This time the scythe proved stronger and Červinský lost on points.He proved in Muay Thai, too, that he doesn't give up easily. In Nitra, his shoulder, operated on two years earlier, popped out mid-fight. He put it back in himself, kept fighting with straight punches only and walked away with a unanimous decision. Outside the cage he lives as fast as he does inside it. He is in his third year at university, got married at 21 and openly says the UFC is his big goal. This August he signed with OKTAGON, and in Karlovy Vary he will step into the yellow-and-black cage for the first time. He has finished four of his five pro wins inside the distance, three of them by submission. And no one has ever stopped him with strikes.<h2>DANIEL "THE ANONYMOUS" HROMEK: THE MUAY THAI FIGHTER WHO ASKED FOR HIS CHANCE</h2>On the other side of the cage stands a man raised by Muay Thai. Daniel "The Anonymous" Hromek (6-5) hails from Hlohovec, Slovakia, and was shaped at coach František Starý's Hanuman Gym in Bratislava, the same gym that produced Lucia Szabová. At just nineteen he headlined the Hanuman Cup in his hometown of Hlohovec for the WKF European title. Polish veteran Aleksander Kruk, who had a hundred fights under his belt, beat him by split decision. On the feet Hromek racked up forty wins, the media described him as one of the biggest talents in Slovak Muay Thai, and it was Attila Végh, his training partner, who eventually talked him into MMA.He made his pro debut in February 2019 in Vienna, stopping Alikhan Mizaev in the second round. Then he asked OKTAGON for a spot himself. When Vladimír Moravčík got injured ahead of OKTAGON 14 in Bratislava, Hromek recorded a video, posted it on social media and offered himself as a replacement against Igor Daniš. The two Slovak Muay Thai fighters, who had once trained together and shared a room at the World Championships, met in September 2019 at the Ondrej Nepela Arena. Most fans picked Daniš, but Hromek stopped him with strikes at 3:19 of the first round. He has not finished anyone faster since.After that great start, though, his road began to wind. In a superfight at the OKTAGON Underground Super Final he sent Zdeněk Polívka to the canvas with a hard kick, but the bout was decided by an extra round and his opponent's takedown. Polívka is also on the card in Karlovy Vary. At OKTAGON 20 and OKTAGON 25 in Brno, Jan Fajk and Václav Holota kept taking him down and Hromek lost twice on points. His next OKTAGON win didn't come until September 2023, when he outpointed Danijel Solaja in Frankfurt. Shortly afterwards a concussion from sparring cost him another fight. When he returned in Birmingham in April 2024, he missed weight, and local fighter Ammari Diedrick knocked him out four seconds before the end of the first round. Five months later in Oberhausen, however, he came in as the underdog, halted the rise of German talent Emir-Can Al and won on points.That gives him a 3-3 record in OKTAGON, with fights in four countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany and England. He then moved on to PML events. Last January he lost there to Aleksandr Golik due to injury, but this year he caught his second wind. In January, in his hometown of Hlohovec, he finished Boris Končar in the first round, and in May in Trenčín he stopped Marek Kvasnica. He returns to OKTAGON after more than two years and on a two-fight win streak. Four of his six pro wins came by strikes, and one number has followed him his whole career: he has never lost by submission.<h2>GRAPPLER VS. MUAY THAI FIGHTER: WHO FALLS IN KARLOVY VARY?</h2>The numbers set this fight up as a pure clash of styles. Červinský has won three of his five fights by submission, and Hromek has never tapped. Hromek has earned four of his six wins with strikes, and no one has ever stopped Červinský with strikes. One will want to take the fight to the ground as fast as possible, while the other will try to keep it standing, where he is at home. Ten years separate them. When Hromek stopped Daniš in Bratislava, Červinský was fifteen. The young Czech is coming off a loss and wants to prove in OKTAGON that the future-star label is no exaggeration. The Slovak veteran returns after two years and knows that the scalp of such a closely watched talent would put him right back in the game. Who will impose his game in Karlovy Vary?OKTAGON returns to Karlovy Vary after a year and a half, bringing a card packed with stories. OKTAGON 95 kicks off on October 17 at the Mattoni Arena, and the debut of Czech MMA's golden boy is just one of them. Don't want to watch it from the couch? You'll find tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

His shoulder popped out in the middle of the fight. Viktor Červinský put it back in himself, fought on and left the ring as the winner. The 22-year-old talent, hailed as the future of Czech MMA, already has a title, four battles in Poland's KSW and a wedding behind him, and now his first fight in the yellow-and-black cage awaits.

CZECH MMA'S GOLDEN BOY DEBUTS IN KARLOVY VARY: ČERVINSKÝ FACES HROMEK

At sixteen, he walked into a small Muay Thai gym in Cheb for the first time, and after his very first training session he knew tennis and basketball were a thing of the past. More than twenty years later, he is one of the most dangerous men in OKTAGON's light heavyweight division. Daniel "DeeDee" Škvor (11-4) on October 17 returns to the region where he grew up. At the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary, he will face longtime former KSW king Tomasz Narkun. Read the story of a man who worked his way up from a Cheb housing estate to world-class kickboxing and the status of an OKTAGON title contender.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/475d21dd-8c7c-48c9-b2d6-5ea4b039d33b/cs.1791050000711.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/19070642-6595-47cd-9b83-7617181ae23a/cs.1791050013706.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>THE KID FROM CHEB WHO LOST HIS FIRST TWO FIGHTS</h2>Growing up, Daniel Škvor played basketball and tennis. Combat sports weren't on TV back then, so he only knew them from videos on the internet. "I started at sixteen in Cheb, where there was a club just a short walk from home. They trained Muay Thai, and it hooked me right from the start," he recalls. Soon he was commuting to training in Mariánské Lázně as well, but after a year and a half came a cold shower. He lost his first two fights.Giving up was not an option. He moved to Prague, finished hotel school and, to keep enough time for training, took a job as a nightclub bouncer. At the door he learned something that would later help him in the cage more than any technique. "You learn to control yourself, because you have to stay calm. I never had a single conflict, I always settled everything peacefully," he says. Fights outside the gym never appealed to him. "I don't enjoy fighting on the street or beating up someone weaker."<h2>THE WORLD CHAMPION THE PANDEMIC BLEW INTO THE CAGE</h2>His career truly took off at Prague's Hanuman gym. In 2011 he won the IFMA European Cup, and the amateur became a professional who gradually conquered the domestic scene. In September 2017 at the Yangames event, he stopped Stefan Andjelković in the third round and became the WAKO Pro K-1 super heavyweight world champion. His reward was a contract with GLORY, the most prestigious kickboxing organization on the planet, where he faced the world's elite in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Strasbourg. He left kickboxing with 26 wins, 19 of them inside the distance.Then came the pandemic, and OKTAGON launched its Underground project. Škvor tore through the under-100 kg bracket without a slip and, in the super final in Brno, finished Slovak bracket winner Ivan Bartek in the first round. His professional MMA debut, however, showed him that the cage is not kickboxing in small gloves. Frenchman Oumar Sy choked him out in the second round at OKTAGON 20. "We'll be smarter next time," Škvor said, and he kept his word.<h2>THE HYPOCHONDRIAC WHO TRANSFORMS IN THE CAGE</h2>A run of wins over Ilya Lupinov, Jhonathan Azevedo and Pavol Langer followed, crowned on Prague's Štvanice island. There he dropped Panagiotis Stroumpoulis with a knee after 49 seconds and earned a Performance of the Night bonus. But then came the fall. Jorick Montagnac switched his lights off in 38 seconds at the O2 arena, and Dan Vinni forced him to tap to a heel hook in Liberec. Škvor answered back on the Prague island, where he caught Nermin Hajdarpašić in a guillotine. The kickboxer was learning to choke. That December he beat German veteran Martin Zawada on points, and Zawada retired straight after the fight. In spring 2024 in Birmingham, he took on Irishman Will Fleury. He stepped into the cage with a sore shoulder and was caught in an arm-triangle in the second round."Dan is our little hypochondriac. Before a fight he always finds something that's wrong… a bad mattress, a runny nose," says his coach André Reinders with a grin. "He cries a little, but as soon as he steps into the cage, he turns into a killer," he adds. In February 2025, though, it was no runny nose. A day and a half before OKTAGON 67, Škvor ended up in the emergency room in the middle of the night with acute inflammation of the salivary glands. He chose not to tell the doctors he was stepping into the cage on Saturday. There he choked out Antonio Zovak with a standing guillotine in 26 seconds, still the fastest win of his career. "It was kind of a pub guillotine," he joked.That kicked off a four-fight winning streak. In Karlovy Vary he knocked out Marc Doussis with a left hook, and Doussis had to be carried out of the cage on a stretcher. At Prague's Eden stadium he stopped Lucas Alsina, and at heavyweight he choked out the two-metre-tall Patrick Vespaziani despite twisting his knee in the first round. He became the first man in OKTAGON to make him tap. Away from the cage, he looks for calm on the rocks. "I tell myself, what worse can an opponent do to me than a rock breaking off somewhere or my sling snapping," he says, explaining why climbing helps him in the cage too.<h2>THE TITLE SHOT AN INJURY TOOK AWAY</h2>After the win over Vespaziani, Škvor called for a rematch with Will Fleury. The light heavyweight title fight was set for August 1 on Štvanice. Less than two weeks out, however, he partially tore his pectoral tendon in training. "If it tore completely, it could end my career," he explained. After consulting with doctors he withdrew, and with that he lost his title shot.When Fleury began suggesting the withdrawal had been arranged, the usually calm Škvor pushed back. "I worked my tail off for three months, cancelled work and put off the biggest payday of my life," he told the Irishman. Now he is back and, at 37, he isn't thinking about the end. "I've signed a new contract with about five fights on it. And I'd like to fight them all," he says.<h2>THE POLISH GIRAFFE WHO CHOKES</h2>The return to Western Bohemia won't be a walk in the park, though. Heading to Karlovy Vary is Tomasz "Żyrafa" Narkun (21-7), one of the best light heavyweights in the history of Polish MMA. From 2015 to 2022 he ruled the KSW light heavyweight division, defended the belt five times and beat Mamed Khalidov twice. He is at his most dangerous on the ground. Fifteen of his wins came by submission, and sixteen of his opponents never made it to the second round. In April, after almost two years away, he made his OKTAGON debut but lost on points to Alexander Poppeck in Szczecin, so he is coming to Karlovy Vary to prove he still belongs at the top. Škvor, meanwhile, has long been more than just a kickboxer: in OKTAGON he has stuffed 26 of 36 takedown attempts. The two also share a common opponent. Narkun stopped Antonio Zovak after 16 seconds, Škvor choked him out in 26. Can the kid from Cheb keep the Polish Giraffe on the feet, or will Narkun drag him to the ground, where he is at home?<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Db0vJ3WodWu/"></oktinstagramcomponent>OKTAGON 95 returns to Karlovy Vary on October 17! Alongside the main event between Patrik Kincl and Dominik Humburger, Daniel Škvor will be one of the biggest reasons you can't miss it. Witness the cool-headed killer's return to Western Bohemia live from the stands! Get your tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

At sixteen, he walked into a small Muay Thai gym in Cheb for the first time, and after his very first training session he knew tennis and basketball were a thing of the past. More than twenty years later, he is one of the most dangerous men in OKTAGON's light heavyweight division.

FROM CLUB DOORS TO THE WORLD THRONE: DANIEL ŠKVOR RETURNS TO WESTERN BOHEMIA

One of them considered walking away from the sport after neck surgery. The other stepped back into the cage after almost seven years and lost at the first attempt. Now both are hitting restart. And they are doing it against each other. Zdeněk “Gameover” Polívka will fight on Czech soil in OKTAGON for the first time since February 2022. Across the cage stands German hard-hitter Timo Feucht, a man the UFC once wanted, who has never left a single one of his eight wins in the judges’ hands. On October 17, the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary will lock them in the cage, and only one of them will walk back into the game as a winner.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/56da932a-9a39-40dc-8f8c-8b5b03f867d7/cs.1790772912987.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/bcc67e96-356a-4040-b26b-34808e818c6b/cs.1790772919531.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>ZDENĚK “GAMEOVER” POLÍVKA: THE GAME ISN’T OVER YET</h2>Zdeněk Polívka (10-8) grew up with seven sisters and a brother. He was bullied as a child, so at thirteen a neighbour who ran a boxing gym in Nymburk started training him. He made his professional debut at eighteen, and a year later he was already fighting in South Korea. At twenty, however, his health stopped him in his tracks. Heart problems nearly ended his career and he disappeared from the cage for two years. He entered the yellow-and-black world in May 2020 through the COVID-era OKTAGON Underground project, where he stopped Pavel Salčák by KO in the second round and outpointed Daniel Hromek in the super final. Hromek also features on the Karlovy Vary card. Polívka made his loudest statement in autumn 2021. In September, at Prague’s O2 universum, he dropped UFC veteran Eric Spicely with a single shot after 82 seconds, and six weeks later in Pardubice he added the biggest scalp of his career by outpointing Poland’s Robert Bryczek over three rounds. That took his OKTAGON record to 4-1.Then his career turned into a rollercoaster. Losses to Lohoré, Krištofič and Khajevand alternated with wins over Koné and Chadwick. After February 2022, every one of his OKTAGON fights took place abroad. “Germany didn’t suit me in any way,” he said in 2023. He went back anyway, and in May 2025 in Munich he outpointed home fighter Harun Uzun despite stepping into the cage with a fever. It was his light heavyweight debut and his second straight OKTAGON win. In camp he also worked with Dominik Humburger and Daniel Škvor, who now headline the main event and co-main event in Karlovy Vary.What followed was his darkest chapter. After a string of cancelled fights, he had to undergo neck surgery in August 2025. Yet by November he was already back in action at PML 17 in Prague against Mateusz Duczmal. The fight was over after 24 seconds and Polívka left in a neck brace, bound for Prague’s Na Homolce Hospital. “Many times I thought about calling it quits,” he admitted this spring. “But my best fighting years are still ahead of me.” He holds a 7-4 record in OKTAGON, and in Karlovy Vary he wants to kick-start his career and get back to where it was once heading. Towards the title.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc1MMeEG9LH/"></oktinstagramcomponent><h2>TIMO FEUCHT: THE LEIPZIG HEAVY HITTER WHO DOESN’T WAIT FOR THE BELL</h2>In the opposite corner stands a man who has never needed the scorecards. Like his opponent, Leipzig’s Timo Feucht (8-2) was bullied as a child. He turned pro at nineteen and finished his first five opponents. The fifth of them, experienced kickboxer Daniel Dörrer, handed him the Imperium FC light heavyweight belt in 2016. A year later he fought for a title as far away as Curitiba, Brazil, where future UFC fighter Klidson Abreu submitted him with an armbar. Feucht claimed his second belt in 2019 in Zaragoza, Spain, choking out Felipe Nsue in the first round to become the Hombres de Honor champion.Three months later he made his OKTAGON debut. At OKTAGON 14 in Bratislava he stopped UFC veteran Jeremy Kimball by TKO just after the two-minute mark, which is still the seventh-fastest knockout among active light heavyweights in the promotion. Then the UFC came calling. He was set to debut in Abu Dhabi in July 2020 against Norway’s Kenneth Bergh, but shortly before the fight his dark past came to light and the UFC backed out of the deal. It would be almost seven years before he stepped into a cage again.He returned this April at OKTAGON’s first-ever event in Poland. In Szczecin he took on local fighter Michał Piwowarski at heavyweight and held his own on the feet, but in the second round he was dropped by a right cross and the Pole finished him with punches and elbows. Now Feucht, who trains at Spitfire Gym in Berlin, drops back down to light heavyweight, bringing the résumé of a pure finisher. Eight wins, eight finishes. Four opponents stopped with strikes, four forced to tap, and in ten professional fights he has never once seen the third round.<h2>FIFTEEN MINUTES VERSUS THE FIRST ROUND</h2>Both enter the cage off a loss, and both can switch off the lights with a single punch. But the way they win could hardly be more different. Polívka has gone the full fifteen minutes six times in OKTAGON and has stuffed 31 of 38 takedown attempts. Feucht has never given the judges anything to decide and has never experienced a third round in his entire career. If the fight goes past the ten-minute mark, the German will be in uncharted territory. The opening minutes, however, will test whether Polívka can withstand the pressure of a man who has finished five opponents inside the first round. For one, it is his first OKTAGON fight on home soil in more than four and a half years. For the other, it is a chance to prove that Szczecin was just a slip-up. Will Polívka complete his comeback in front of his home crowd, or will Feucht add the ninth finish of his career in Karlovy Vary?The yellow-and-black cage heads to Karlovy Vary for the third time in history! OKTAGON 95 lights up the Mattoni Arena on October 17 and, alongside the return of “Gameover”, delivers an all-Czech derby between Kincl and Humburger. Cheer the fighters on from the stands or catch the whole night live on PPV at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://OKTAGON.TV">OKTAGON.TV</a>. Get your tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

One of them considered walking away from the sport after neck surgery. The other stepped back into the cage after almost seven years and lost at the first attempt. Now both are hitting restart. And they are doing it against each other.

RESTART OR GAME OVER? POLÍVKA RETURNS AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF TO FACE FEUCHT

The final celebration of ten years of OKTAGON gave the judges surprisingly little work. On September 26, in front of nearly sixty thousand fans at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, seven out of ten fights ended in finishes, six of them in the very first round. Only three bouts reached the scorecards, and all of them ended in unanimous decisions. Take a look at how this historic stadium night looked through the eyes of the judges' scorecards.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/7680359d-4ff0-4327-8882-2db6cdc5d5ad/cs.1790599559127.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/a9749ec1-9d87-412a-9e5d-ee36afa1ca5e/cs.1790599566520.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>CHRISTIAN ECKERLIN VS. DAVID KOZMA</h2>The main event of the evening left no points on the scorecards, although it was just a moment away from completing the first round. David Kozma took the battle to the ground after one minute and held the King of Germany in a disadvantageous position for the entire round. Just a few seconds before the horn, Christian Eckerlin gave up his back, and the "Pink Panther" quickly locked in a rear naked choke. The opponent tapped out at 4:58 of the first round, leaving the cards clean as David Kozma celebrated an extraordinary triumph on hostile territory.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1406" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MAX COGA VS. CHRISTIAN JUNGWIRTH</h2>The fight that earned the XTB Fight of the Night bonus culminated in a unanimous decision. Max Coga knocked Christian Jungwirth down in the opening round, and all three judges awarded him the first round. It was the same in the second five-minute period, as the home fighter increased the tempo and turned the fight into a brawl. Entering the third round, Coga held a clear 20:18 lead on all scorecards. However, the final round was not as clear-cut. "The Celt" pressed his opponent against the fence, and two of the three judges gave him the round, while the third still saw it for Coga. It wasn't enough for a turnaround, and Max Coga celebrated a unanimous decision victory.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1439" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>FREDERIC VOSGRÖNE VS. KARLOS VÉMOLA</h2>The return of the "Terminator" was clear on the scorecards. Karlos Vémola delivered a takedown right at the start, controlled almost the entire first round with ground and pound, and all three judges scored it in his favor. In the second round, the scenario repeated along the fence, where undefeated grappler Frederic Vosgröne eventually gave way under constant pressure. Vémola finished him at 4:50 of the second round, leaving the second line of the scorecards unwritten.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1478" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>FEDOR DURIC VS. MARC DIAKIESE</h2>The biggest test of his career ended for the local prospect with a clean decision victory without losing a single round. Marc Diakiese started with a quick takedown and threatened with an arm triangle, but Fedor Duric escaped the dangerous position, reversed it, and took the opening round on all three cards. The second round moved to the feet, where the local talent was more accurate and pushed his opponent against the fence. Again, all three judges agreed. The British veteran found no answer in the final five minutes either. Duric tied him up in the clinch, landed cleaner strikes, and added a takedown half a minute before the end. All three judges scored the fight 30:27, giving Duric the biggest win of his career.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1462" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>EDMON AVAGYAN VS. DOMINIC SCHOBER</h2>The debut of the popular influencer under Stand and Bang rules ended before the first round could even be scored. Edmon "Ringlife" Avagyan sent Dominic Schober to the canvas three times during the opening round. After the third knockdown, the referee stopped the fight. The TKO at 2:56 came just seconds before the end of the three-minute round.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1487" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>HUGO VACH VS. DENIZ ILBAY</h2>Here, the judges were given no room to write. After a cautious start, Deniz Ilbay found his rhythm and sent "Tarzan" to the floor for the first time. When the shaken opponent scrambled back to his feet, Ilbay finished him with a clean right hand. KO at 2:23 of the first round, leaving the scorecards completely clean.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1481" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>JAIME CORDERO VS. ROBERT PUKAČ</h2>A tense personal rivalry delivered fierce exchanges from the opening seconds, but the scorecards remained blank. Robert Pukač attempted a takedown after two minutes, but Jaime Cordero quickly got back to his feet and gradually took control. A minute before the end of the first round, he dropped the Slovak veteran with a precise strike, prompting the referee to step in. TKO at 3:55 of the first round.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1486" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>TAMERLAN DULATOV VS. NIKOLA JANKOVIĆ</h2>Nikola Janković pressed his opponent against the fence and secured a takedown, but that was exactly where Tamerlan Dulatov wanted to be. From the bottom position, he locked in a triangle choke and forced the tap out at 1:24 of the first round. The scorecards remained untouched as Dulatov maintains a perfect 6-0 professional record.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1506" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>RAUL LEMBERANSKIJ VS. ROMAN PAULUS</h2>The first decision of the Frankfurt night had a clear winner on the cards. The undefeated Raul Lemberanskij took the initiative right from the start. He was faster and more precise on the feet, sealing the opening round with a late takedown. All three judges agreed without hesitation. In the second round, the local prospect maintained a high pace, pushed the Slovak veteran against the fence, and gave him no chance to mount an offense. The third round brought no turnaround either. Lemberanskij took every round on all cards, celebrating a unanimous victory with scores of 30:27 across the board.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1485" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MICHAEL OBODOZIE VS. OSKAR STASZCZAK</h2>The opening fight of the evening ended before the judges could write down a single score. Michael Obodozie dropped Oskar Staszczak with a heavy hook and prematurely jumped onto the fence to celebrate. However, the referee had not stopped the fight yet, so the home fighter returned to action and finished the job. TKO at 1:04 of the first round.<oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1482" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent>Frankfurt wrote another chapter in OKTAGON history, but the story continues in just three weeks. OKTAGON 95 moves to the Mattoni Arena in Karlovy Vary on October 17th, where the legendary Patrik "Inspector" Kincl faces Dominik Humburger. Experience this fight live! Get your tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

The final celebration of ten years of OKTAGON gave the judges surprisingly little work. On September 26, in front of nearly sixty thousand fans at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, seven out of ten fights ended in finishes, six of them in the very first round.

FRANKFURT THROUGH JUDGES' EYES: A NIGHT OF FIRST-ROUND FINISHES, ONLY 3 DECISIONS

Ten years of dreams, stories, and unforgettable cage wars culminated in a night that will go down in European MMA history. The fighters delivered exactly what the card promised: seven finishes out of ten fights, six of them in the very first round! David Kozma choked out the King of Germany, Christian Eckerlin, two seconds before the horn; the legendary "Terminator" Karlos Vémola dominated his grand return; and Max Coga alongside Christian Jungwirth unleashed a heart-pounding 330-strike brawl. All before nearly 60,000 fans at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park celebrating OKTAGON's 10-year anniversary. Who else etched their name into the history of this magical stadium night?<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/94e093d5-a149-4e3f-965f-fe6fffae8745/cs.1790532730081.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/d3eb03bb-5c7b-441e-a161-481f889d1bb5/cs.1790532743386.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>CHRISTIAN ECKERLIN VS. DAVID KOZMA</h2>The highly anticipated clash between the King of Germany and OKTAGON's longest-reigning champion has its resolution. David Kozma waited for nothing and shot for a takedown after just one minute of the first round, successfully taking the fight to the canvas. The Czech phenomenon entered his kingdom and comfortably controlled the round. Christian Eckerlin searched in vain for a way out of the disadvantageous position back to his feet. Everything indicated the home fighter would survive the pressure, but with a few seconds left on the clock, he made a fatal error and gave up his back. "Pink Panther" punished this opportunity instantly and locked in a rear-naked choke, securing it just two seconds before the end of the opening round. David Kozma silenced the entire arena on hostile territory and celebrates a massive victory in front of 60,000 spectators!<oktfightcomponent fightid="1406"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MAX COGA VS. CHRISTIAN JUNGWIRTH</h2>The closely watched showdown started with cautious range-finding, but Max Coga soon took the initiative. About a minute and a half in, he landed a precise jab that sent Christian Jungwirth to the canvas. "The Kelt", however, managed to scramble back to his feet and began heavily leg-kicking his opponent's lead leg. In the second frame, Coga picked up the pace immensely, applying immense pressure and pouring on a barrage of strikes. The fight turned into an absolute firefight in the center of the cage as both warriors threw caution to the wind. They began exchanging salvos, combining for a staggering 330 strikes thrown! The insane battle reached a fever pitch in the final five minutes. Jungwirth pressed the local hero against the fence, but Coga countered dangerously with a uppercut before the end. After three rounds of this heart-stopping war, Max Coga secures the decision victory and celebrates an unforgettable win in front of a roaring crowd. The bout also earned a €10,000 XTB Fight of the Night bonus.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1439"></oktfightcomponent><h2>FREDERIC VOSGRÖNE VS. KARLOS VÉMOLA</h2>The legendary "Terminator" is back, celebrating his return to the cage in grand style! Karlos Vémola kept his foot on the gas from the opening seconds, giving his opponent virtually no room to breathe. Right at the start, he landed a successful takedown and brought the battle to the ground. From there, he effortlessly established a dominant position and controlled almost the entire first round with relentless ground-and-pound. The second round followed a similar script. Most of the action unfolded against the fence, where the Czech star pressed forward and rained down a barrage of strikes. Frederic Vosgröne resisted bravely for a long time, but the veteran's offensive pressure was unstoppable. In the closing seconds of round two, Vémola finally broke the undefeated grappler's resistance, capping a dominant performance with a spectacular TKO win that also earned him the Tipsport Performance of the Night bonus.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1478"></oktfightcomponent><h2>FEDOR DURIC VS. MARC DIAKIESE</h2>The biggest test yet for the local prospect. Marc Diakiese shot for a takedown almost immediately and took the fight to the ground. The experienced British veteran threatened with an arm-triangle choke, but Fedor Duric showed fantastic defense. He managed to reverse the dangerous position, landed on top, and even took his opponent's back multiple times, securing the opening round on the scorecards. The second stanza took place mostly on the feet, where the young fighter was sharper and pushed his opponent against the fence. The second round went to Duric as well. In the final five minutes, Diakiese defended takedowns well and tried to take control, but Duric smartly tied him up in the clinch and remained crisp in striking exchanges. With thirty seconds remaining, the home fighter secured a final takedown to seal his triumph. After a brilliant tactical performance, Fedor Duric celebrates a decision victory in front of his home crowd, earning the most valuable win of his career.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1462"></oktfightcomponent><h2>EDMON AVAGYAN VS. DOMINIC SCHOBER</h2>The highly anticipated debut of the popular influencer under Stand and Bang rules turned into a wild firefight from the opening seconds. Both fighters stormed out at a frantic pace, launching high-octane exchanges on the feet. However, Edmon "Ringlife" Avagyan quickly began taking control. Halfway through the opening round, he landed a combination that sent Dominic Schober into his first count. The Austrian veteran struggled to find an answer to his aggressive opponent and soon swallowed another heavy combination for a second knockdown. With thirty seconds left in the first round, the home powerhouse finished the job. He unleashed a final salvo of strikes, sending his hurt opponent into a third count, prompting the referee to stop the fight. Edmon Avagyan celebrates an incredible TKO victory. Stepping out from behind the microphone, he proved his high skill level and secured a fantastic win in front of an electrified crowd!<oktfightcomponent fightid="1487"></oktfightcomponent>PRELIMS<h2>HUGO VACH VS. DENIZ ILBAY</h2>A clash of old-school toughness against striking precision started with a cautious feeling-out process. Two minutes in, Deniz Ilbay found his rhythm and began finding his target with precision. The seasoned striker then delivered a brutal combination that dropped Hugo Vach to the canvas, making a quick finish seem inevitable. Although the hurt fighter managed to scramble back to his feet, it was only the beginning of the end. Ilbay immediately unleashed another devastating strike, putting "Tarzan" out cold with a clean KO. Following this fierce performance, the German striker secures an extremely valuable victory and celebrates his third finish in stadium events.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1481"></oktfightcomponent><h2>JAIME CORDERO VS. ROBERT PUKAČ</h2>The anticipated clash kicked off without hesitation. Both fighters gave no quarter from the opening seconds, engaging in fierce exchanges on the feet. About two minutes in, Slovak veteran Robert Pukač shot for a takedown, but Jaime Cordero displayed stellar defense and scrambled back to his feet instantly. The action returned to striking exchanges, with heavy hands flying from both sides. Pukač countered dangerously, but the German striker gradually took control of the fight. With one minute left in the opening frame, Cordero showcased his power. He unleashed a crisp punch that sent his dazed opponent to the canvas, forcing the referee to intervene. Jaime Cordero celebrates a huge TKO victory after a phenomenal performance, earning a valuable win in this heated personal feud.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1486"></oktfightcomponent><h2>TAMERLAN DULATOV VS. NIKOLA JANKOVIĆ</h2>The clash between two feared finishers kicked off without any feeling-out period. Nikola Janković closed the distance immediately, tying up his opponent in the clinch and pressing him against the fence. After about a minute of grappling, the Croatian fighter secured a successful takedown. However, Tamerlan Dulatov capitalized brilliantly on the seemingly disadvantageous position. From his back, he locked up a textbook arm-triangle choke and quickly forced the tap. Tamerlan Dulatov confirmed his status as a huge favorite in the cage, adding another quick finish to his record and continuing his professional run with a flawless 6-0 score.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1506"></oktfightcomponent><h2>RAUL LEMBERANSKIJ VS. ROMAN PAULUS</h2>The matchup between the undefeated home prospect and the experienced Slovak veteran started with striking on the outside, where Raul Lemberanskij soon took control and dictated the pace. The German fighter landed precise kicks and punches, and although Roman Paulus countered, he fell behind on points against his noticeably faster opponent. In the final seconds of the first round, the local fighter scored a takedown to lock up the round. In the second frame, the Frankfurt patriot maintained a high work rate, opening up with crisp combinations. Halfway through the round, he pressed his Slovak rival against the fence, maintaining full control and denying him any offensive rhythm. The final round brought no sudden turnarounds. Lemberanskij managed the fight with complete composure, utilizing his speed, activity, and precision to earn a well-deserved decision victory in front of a cheering crowd, adding another valuable win to his unbeaten record!<oktfightcomponent fightid="1485"></oktfightcomponent>FREE PRELIMS<h2>MICHAEL OBODOZIE VS. OSKAR STASZCZAK</h2>German prospect Michael Obodozie stormed into the cage with immense aggression, displaying his talent right away. From the opening bell, he landed clean strikes. Then came an unprecedented moment: after a heavy hook, the Polish fighter went down. Obodozie, convinced he had won, began celebrating prematurely by leaping onto the fence. However, the referee had not stopped the fight, forcing the home striker to hurry back into action. He gave Staszczak no room to recover, launching another relentless combination that forced the referee to step in. Michael Obodozie secures a fantastic TKO victory just one minute into the first round.<oktfightcomponent fightid="1482"></oktfightcomponent>The grand celebration of OKTAGON MMA's ten-year anniversary is successfully behind us, but the yellow-and-black juggernaut keeps rolling! On October 17th, we head to Karlovy Vary. The Mattoni Arena will host the biggest domestic matchup of the year, where legendary Patrik "Inspector" Kincl takes on dangerous Dominik Humburger. This will be a war you simply cannot miss. Secure your seat in the stands! Get your tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="139"></okteventcomponent>

Ten years of dreams, stories, and unforgettable cage wars culminated in a night that will go down in European MMA history. The fighters delivered exactly what the card promised: seven finishes out of ten fights, six of them in the very first round!

OKTAGON 94 RESULTS: TENTH ANNIVERSARY PACKED WITH FINISHES, KOZMA STUNS GERMANY

Nearly 60,000 fans, one football stadium, and a night no one will forget. The yellow-and-black colossus returns to where it rewrote MMA history two years ago, bringing a card packed with big returns, sharp challenges, and hungry talents. The "King of Germany" faces OKTAGON’s longest-reigning champion, a legend steps out of retirement, a Frankfurt idol returns to the cage after two years, and local prospects face the toughest tests of their careers. OKTAGON 94 on Saturday, September 26, at Deutsche Bank Park will culminate ten years of the organization’s celebrations. Check out the complete fight card fight by fight.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/cbee884e-f981-4739-9b9a-bfe610c353a1/cs.1790342012266.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/65df4351-7a41-4d0d-b932-6460dbe7c306/cs.1790342051286.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>CHRISTIAN ECKERLIN VS. DAVID KOZMA</h2>The main event of the evening and a national battle between Germany and the Czech Republic. The ruler of Frankfurt and the biggest star of German MMA, Christian Eckerlin (18-8), returns to the site of his greatest triumph. It was right here, in front of a record-breaking 59,148 fans, that he was crowned King of Germany. After losses to Pukač and Trušček, he went through the toughest period of his career, but in March he returned to winning ways with a victory over Kohout. Opposite him stands former six-time OKTAGON champion David "Pink Panther" Kozma (34-15), who ruled the welterweight division for a record 1,477 days. After victories over Wittner and Zawada, he called out Eckerlin himself, and in his milestone 50th professional fight, he will enter the cauldron of tens of thousands of German fans. Will Eckerlin defend his kingdom, or will Kozma silence all of Frankfurt?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1406"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MAX COGA VS. CHRISTIAN JUNGWIRTH</h2>Frankfurt's second king returns home. Max "Mad" Coga (27-8-1), former champion of NFC, EFC, and Superior FC with experience in PFL, KSW, or Brave, last fought at this very stadium. He finished Račić back then with a broken hand, but the injury sidelined him for two years and briefly looked like it might end his career. Now he returns after the longest layoff of his career, moving up two weight classes, and facing an opponent he called out himself. Christian "The Kelt" Jungwirth (16-9) defeated Pukač as well as UFC veteran Stolze, and fought a war for the title of King of Germany against Eckerlin at Deutsche Bank Park. After an April loss to Materla, he needs a win and stated he can handle "Eckerlin's little brother" too. He already has a rematch with Eckerlin on his mind. Will Coga hold up after two years away from the cage?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1439"></oktfightcomponent><h2>FREDERIC VOSGRÖNE VS. KARLOS VÉMOLA</h2>A legend against a new phenomenon. Frederic "Neanderthal" Vosgröne (5-0), BJJ black belt and No-Gi World Championship medalist, finished all five of his professional opponents by submission. He also became the first in history to submit Jorick Montagnac. After signing a new long-term contract, he called out Karlos "The Terminator" Vémola (38-9) in Cologne. The first Czech in the UFC and former OKTAGON champion in middleweight and light heavyweight hung up his gloves after winning the trilogy against Attila Végh, but he never turns down a challenge. After about fifteen months, he returns against a man who started his pro career 13 years after him. Can Vémola stop the undefeated grappler, or will the Neanderthal write the most famous chapter of his career?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1478"></oktfightcomponent><h2>FEDOR DURIC VS. MARC DIAKIESE</h2>The biggest test for Frankfurt’s talent. Twenty-two-year-old Fedor Duric (10-1) holds third place in the lightweight rankings and has never been finished in his career. The MMA Spirit product recently stopped Tomáš Mudroch via TKO in Ostrava, snapping his six-fight win streak. However, the first fight of his new contract brings a completely different level. Marc "Bonecrusher" Diakiese (18-8) is a former BAMMA champion with fifteen fights in the UFC and experience in Bellator and PFL, having shared the cage with names like Fiziev, Hooker, or Joel Álvarez. Returning after seventeen months, his goal is clear: knock on the door of a title fight in his debut. Will Duric turn his potential into a world-class scalp, or will the Brit teach him a harsh lesson?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1462"></oktfightcomponent><h2>EDMON AVAGYAN VS. DOMINIC SCHOBER</h2>From the microphone straight into the cage. Edmon "Ringlife" Avagyan (1-0 in pro boxing) is one of the most influential voices in the German combat sports scene, runs his own promotion, and spent years analyzing other fighters' bouts on his channel. In May, he won his professional boxing debut in Mannheim by TKO and asked for a real professional for his OKTAGON debut. He got Dominic "The Dom" Schober (16-15), an Austrian veteran who has fought across fourteen organizations and finished twelve of his wins in the first round. Christian Jungwirth's training partner is still searching for his first victory in OKTAGON. The fight will take place under Stand &amp; Bang rules: small gloves only, boxing and elbows, no kicks, takedowns, or ground fighting. Can the influencer handle his baptism by fire, or will the Austrian send him back behind the microphone?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1487"></oktfightcomponent>PRELIMS<h2>HUGO VACH VS. DENIZ ILBAY</h2>A clash of two German strikers in the featherweight division. Hugo "German Tarzan" Vach (8-1) has a clean 3-0 record in OKTAGON and rides a five-fight win streak, most recently knocking out Teo Smith in the first round in Hannover. The Fightschool Hannover fighter honed his skills alongside Alexander Volkanovski at City Kickboxing in New Zealand. Facing him is Deniz "El Pistolero" Ilbay (9-3), a former boxing champion who finished Lengál, Novák, Tripšanský, and Deiga-Scheck in OKTAGON. The duel also has a personal element: Vach helped Max Holzer prepare for his fight against Ilbay, where Ilbay lost, and Pistolero now has a chance to settle scores with another fighter from the Hannover stable. Will Vach pass the biggest test of his career, or will Ilbay unholster his gun once again?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1481"></oktfightcomponent><h2>JAIME CORDERO VS. ROBERT PUKAČ</h2>A challenge that set social media on fire. Robert "Prince of Bratislava" Pukač (21-14-1) dominantly outpointed the undefeated Brian Manning in Bratislava in June and immediately called out Jaime Cordero (10-2). The Slovak veteran holds victories over both main event fighters, Kozma and Eckerlin, and enters Frankfurt with three times as many pro fights as his opponent. However, German OKTAGON Challenge alumnus Cordero has been undefeated since 2023, riding a five-fight winning streak and standing as one of the division's biggest KO artists. He needed just 22 seconds and a high kick against Török, and finished Krištofič in the first round in his last outing. The winner solidifies their place in the middleweight top ten. Will Pukač silence the German audience once again, or will the Prince lay down before Cordero?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1486"></oktfightcomponent><h2>TAMERLAN DULATOV VS. NIKOLA JANKOVIĆ</h2>Second attempt. This matchup was originally scheduled for July in Cologne, but Tamerlan "Most Wanted" Dulatov (5-0) had to pull out on fight day due to health issues. The brother of UFC fighter Islam Dulatov won all five of his professional fights in the first round and has never seen a second round. In OKTAGON, he also holds the record for the fastest submission in organization history—a guillotine choke in 16 seconds. Nikola Janković (9-2), however, is not going to Frankfurt to lose. The 21-year-old Croatian champion finished all nine of his wins before the distance, with only one extending past the first round. Which finisher will strike first?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1506"></oktfightcomponent><h2>RAUL LEMBERANSKIJ VS. ROMAN PAULUS</h2>An undefeated local prospect against one of the bantamweight division's most experienced fighters. Raul Lemberanskij (9-0) from Frankfurt's MMA Spirit first attended OKTAGON as a spectator. Now he enters his city's stadium as the number four ranked bantamweight. Most recently in Hamburg, he turned the fight around against the undefeated Ali Gündüz to claim his ninth straight win. However, Roman Paulus (13-6) requested this fight. The winner of the fifth season of OKTAGON Challenge handed Harun Kurt his first career loss in August at Štvanice and called out Lemberanskij right in the cage. The 26-year-old Slovak already has 19 professional fights under his belt and is among the rare fighters to win across three different divisions in OKTAGON. Will Lemberanskij secure his tenth victory, or will Paulus hand him his first defeat?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1485"></oktfightcomponent>FREE PRELIMS<h2>MICHAEL OBODOZIE VS. OSKAR STASZCZAK</h2>The Frankfurt night kicks off with a clash of two undefeated welterweights. Michael Obodozie (1-0) made history as the first-ever amateur in the OKTAGON cage, knocking out his opponent in 19 seconds. His professional debut in Hamburg finished in 1:53, meaning he has spent a total of just 2 minutes and 12 seconds in the cage. Now, his second pro fight takes place in a stadium before tens of thousands. Standing opposite him is Oskar Staszczak (5-0), one of Poland's most exciting prospects, managed by former UFC champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. A Muay Thai World Championship medalist, he finished four of his five opponents before the bell and outpointed Adam Havran in his OKTAGON debut in February. Will Obodozie's lightning ride continue, or will the Pole drag him into a deep war?<oktfightcomponent fightid="1482"></oktfightcomponent>The yellow-and-black colossus returns to where it rewrote MMA history. OKTAGON 94 turns Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt into the biggest battlefield of the year on Saturday, September 26, and you can't miss it! Watch the whole event live on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://OKTAGON.TV">OKTAGON.TV</a> or experience the stadium atmosphere directly from the stands. Get the last remaining tickets via the link below<okteventcomponent eventid="125"></okteventcomponent>

Nearly 60,000 fans, one football stadium, and a night no one will forget. The yellow-and-black colossus returns to where it rewrote MMA history two years ago, bringing a card packed with big returns, sharp challenges, and hungry talents.

OKTAGON 94 FIGHT BY FIGHT: CLASH OF KINGS, KELT JUNGWIRTH AND THE RETURN OF VÉMOLA

Ten thousand euros. One fight. And you have the final word. In cooperation with the investment platform XTB, OKTAGON brings a brand new "XTB Fight of the Night" bonus, the winner of which will be decided by the fans themselves. The novelty will make its debut at the biggest tournament of the year, this coming Saturday, September 26, at the Deutsche Bank Park stadium in Frankfurt.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/6825de21-1b2c-4ebe-88a0-b6ee1251b1b5/cs.1790269064950.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/0cfd3a99-4212-4126-ba7a-d38a595d76bc/cs.1790269068811.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>REWARD FOR THE BATTLE CHOSEN BY YOU</h2>The principle is simple. Whether you are sitting in the stands or watching the tournament from your couch, during the evening you can vote for the most attractive match of the entire tournament. The pair of fighters who collect the most votes will share a 10,000 EUR prize. The new bonus is a response to the long-standing demands of the fan community and currently applies only to the OKTAGON 94 tournament.„We have been considering the fight of the night bonus for a long time, and thanks to the partnership with XTB, we can now implement it. Fans are the engine of all OKTAGON, and with this, we want to draw them even more into the action. Every fighter will want to show off at the biggest tournament of the year, and I look forward to the voting being exciting until the end,“ says organization co-founder Pavol Neruda about the novelty.<h2>HOW TO VOTE?</h2>Anyone watching the tournament can participate. Just a few steps:<ul><li>Login: Log in for free via your OKTAGON ID. Registration takes a minute and a clear rule applies: one account equals one vote.</li><li>Progress: Voting for a specific duel opens as soon as its official result is recorded. You can freely change your vote during the evening.</li><li>Announcement: Voting gates close 10 minutes after the end of the main fight of the tournament. The bonus goes to the fight with the highest number of votes.</li></ul><h2>AN EVENING WHERE EVERYONE WANTS TO SHOW OFF</h2>The new bonus could not have chosen a better stage for its debut. The Frankfurt stadium is expecting nearly 60,000 spectators, and the card offers battles that have been awaited for months. David Kozma will face the biggest star of German MMA Christian Eckerlin, Karlos Vémola returns to the cage after fifteen months against the undefeated "Neanderthal" Frederic Vosgröne, and the halftime show will be provided by world DJ Robin Schulz. Every fighter on the card will thus get a chance not only for victory, but also for a reward for a war that you won't get out of your head. And who will take home the bonus in the end? That's up to you.The OKTAGON 94 tournament kicks off on Saturday, September 26 at 18:00 at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park. Log in via your OKTAGON ID, watch the whole evening live via PPV, and decide who deserves the XTB Fight of the Night. And if you want to experience the electrifying atmosphere directly from the stands, you can buy tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="125"></okteventcomponent>

Ten thousand euros. One fight. And you have the final word. In cooperation with the investment platform XTB, OKTAGON brings a brand new "XTB Fight of the Night" bonus, the winner of which will be decided by the fans themselves. The novelty will make its debut at the biggest tournament of the year.

DECIDE ON THE FIGHT OF THE NIGHT! OKTAGON 94 BRINGS THE XTB FIGHT OF THE NIGHT BONUS

Opponents who fed lions together. A nightclub owner living above the dance floor, or a YouTuber who comments on other people's fights. OKTAGON's 10th anniversary celebrations will culminate on September 26 at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, where the organization broke the world record for MMA attendance two years ago. Dive into the interesting facts hidden behind the 10th anniversary fight card.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/94f344fd-1fc7-41ea-8d4c-f2126f224e0b/cs.1790163386571.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/0c7c5d28-99cd-4fd1-876f-5fdedc04567c/cs.1790163391783.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>FOOTBALL BOOTS AND THE JUBILEE FIFTIETH</h2>Hometown Christian Eckerlin (18-8) wore football boots before gloves. He went through the youth academy of Eintracht Frankfurt, the very club in whose stadium he will now enter the cage. He eventually swapped football for MMA, in which he has accumulated 27 fights since his professional debut. Yet he still returned to the football pitch. His grappling know-how was later requested by Brighton of the English Premier League. He advised footballers on how not to get lost in physical battles in the penalty box. In the cage, he won five times in 90 seconds or less and has already written history in Frankfurt once. His victory over Denilson Neves at OKTAGON 33 was overturned by the German commission due to a first-round foul into the very first No Contest in OKTAGON history.Facing the "King of Germany" will be David "Pink Panther" Kozma (34-15), for whom Frankfurt won't be just another away trip. He faces his jubilee 50th professional fight. The longest-reigning champion in OKTAGON history, who held the welterweight belt for 1,477 days, is also the organization's record holder for takedowns (56). He has carried the nickname since childhood, when he liked wearing pink. He has stayed faithful to it to this day, dyeing his head pink for fights and entering in pink shorts.Christian "Kelt" Jungwirth (16-9) also has a football background. The fighter from Stuttgart used to be a promising footballer, playing as a utility player and stepping into goal when needed. He got into combat sports by chance, through a gym where boxing took place on Sundays. He knows Deutsche Bank Park very well. He featured there in the main event right against Eckerlin in front of a record 59,148 spectators. Now he returns to the stadium and once again faces a local Frankfurt star. This time, Max Coga stands in his way. Fans love Jungwirth for unforgettable fights. His war with Bojan Veličković won Fight of the Year 2023, and his battle with Stolz earned Comeback of the Year 2025. His legendary fight with Miroslav Brož is also worth mentioning.<h2>DOUBLE LIVES: NIGHTCLUB, RUNWAY, AND MICROPHONE</h2>Max "Mad Max" Coga (27-8-1) compares himself to Batman. By day he trains, after dark he runs the Pik Dame nightclub in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel district, founded by his grandfather in 1959. And he lives directly above it. "Anyone looking for privacy here is in the wrong place," he says with a smile. In 36 professional fights, no one has ever forced him to tap out.Tamerlan Dulatov (5-0) made his mark on the fashion runways of luxury brands, just like his brothers. One of them, Islam, now fights in the UFC. But in the cage, Tamerlan plays no poses. His 16-second guillotine is the fastest submission in OKTAGON history. However, his opponent Nikola Janković (9-2) can be even faster, achieving his shortest win in 12 seconds.Edmon "Ringlife" Avagyan (1-0 in boxing) guarded nightclub doors for years, just as Vémola once did in London's Tottenham. Then he started a YouTube channel that grew into Germany's most famous combat sports brand. Today he owns a boxing and bare-knuckle promotion company. But in Frankfurt, he drops the microphone and puts on the gloves. Under Stand &amp; Bang rules, he faces former strongman Dominic Schober (16-15), who competed in fourteen organizations during his career.<h2>FROM LIONS TO THE CAGE</h2>Karlos "Terminator" Vémola (38-9) and Frederic "Neanderthal" Vosgröne (5-0) were training together and feeding lions in Vémoland until recently. Now they meet in the cage, bringing a massive army with them. On Instagram, they are followed by nearly 1.1 million people combined. Vosgröne had fewer than ten thousand followers before joining OKTAGON; his viral debut catapulted him to over 650,000. The nickname is no coincidence. He lives in Mettmann, a few kilometers from the Neandertal valley where the first Neanderthal remains were found. But a friend came up with it mainly because of his appearance. His massive build and strong features fit so well that "Neanderthal" likes to make fun of it himself.Vémola started competing professionally thirteen years earlier and has 47 fights behind him, Vosgröne five. But Vosgröne finished all five by submission and took home the Performance of the Night bonus in his very first appearance in the organization. Terminator, on the other hand, holds the fastest finish in the organization's history, stopping Pavol Langer by KO in seven seconds. Furthermore, he is the only one in OKTAGON to win via north-south choke.<h2>YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THIS YET</h2><ul><li>Slovak veteran Robo Pukač has defeated both headliners, Eckerlin and Kozma, in the past.</li><li>Polish talent Oskar Staszczak (5-0) is a passionate chess player, and his career is managed by former UFC champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.</li><li>Undefeated Raul Lemberanskij (9-0) first appeared at OKTAGON at event number 36. Back then, just as a spectator.</li><li>Michael Obodozie (1-0) won the very first amateur fight in OKTAGON history.</li><li>Deniz Ilbay (9-3) is the only one to win at both stadium events in 2024, in Prague's Eden and at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park. In Frankfurt, he will record his third stadium start, just like Karlos Vémola.</li><li>When Fedor Duric (10-1) started his pro career, his opponent Marc Diakiese (18-8) already had a 14-4 record and the BAMMA belt. In the UFC, he later faced the likes of Fiziev, Hooker, or Michael Johnson.</li><li>Hugo Vach (8-1) has never won or lost by submission.</li><li>Four fighters on the card already know Deutsche Bank Park from inside the cage: Eckerlin, Coga, Ilbay, and Jungwirth.</li></ul>Frankfurt will once again transform into Europe's biggest MMA arena. The OKTAGON 94 tournament will light up Deutsche Bank Park on September 26, concluding ten years of celebrations for the yellow-and-black colossus. Don't miss an evening that will be talked about for a long time, and secure your spot among tens of thousands of fans! Buy tickets at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="125"></okteventcomponent>

Opponents who fed lions together. A nightclub owner living above the dance floor, or a YouTuber who comments on other people's fights. OKTAGON's 10th anniversary celebrations will culminate on September 26 at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park.

FUNFACTS FROM FRANKFURT: BATMAN FROM A NIGHTCLUB, CHESS PLAYER, AND FASTEST SUBMISSION

As a young boy, he fled war across the burning Caucasus with his brothers. A few years later, he stood on catwalks next to world-renowned models, while in the cage sending his opponents to the ground. Tamerlan "Most Wanted" Dulatov returns to the cage on September 26 at OKTAGON 94 in Frankfurt. Facing him will be Croatian finisher Nikola Janković, who will try to be the first to stop a man who has not yet allowed any opponent to take a fight into the second round. Read how a boy fleeing war became a model and an undefeated fighter.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/9b8fe25d-db8e-4e50-a296-edd8d789671b/cs.1790081406707.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/d963398b-590e-4d4f-a38b-72afc6647b79/cs.1790081412531.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>THE BOY WHO FLED WAR</h2>The path that brought Dulatov into the cage began in a harsh environment. He was born in Urus-Martan, Chechnya, in 2000, in the middle of the Second Chechen War. Tamerlan repeatedly moved with his parents and three brothers to escape the fighting. There was no time or peace for regular schooling. Instead of sitting at desks, the boys spent their days outside, working out with bodyweight exercises, and earning extra money by unloading trucks. In December 2007, when Tamerlan was only seven years old, the family left the war-torn Caucasus and found refuge in Düsseldorf. The new country was not welcoming at first. "It was a tough start. We arrived as refugees," Dulatov recalls today. Without knowing the language and carrying the stigma of being an immigrant, the brothers had to fight for their place on the streets, and not always legally. "I was in prison many times because of street fights. And that's why it took me so long to turn professional," he admits openly today. He connects it with his Chechen upbringing: "We grew up fighting, everyone taught us to be a man. A man must know how to fight, a man must protect his family." Today, his relationship with his new home is completely different. "Today I meet Germans on the street and they tell me: you make us happy, you bring honor to our country," he adds proudly.<h2>THE LONG ROAD TO THE PROFESSIONAL CAGE</h2>Before he first encountered MMA, Dulatov went through a solid school of combat sports. He started with boxing, competing in over fifteen amateur bouts. Gradually, he added kickboxing. After years in the ring, he transitioned to MMA, and his very first amateur fight indicated that he possessed more than just heavy hands. In September 2018 at Integra FC 10, he defeated Jan Roth by choke in the second round, showing that despite his striking roots, he knew how to finish a fight on the ground. He turned professional five years later, in October 2023, when at Sparta CF 3 he knocked down Dimitrije Ninić via TKO in the first round. It is precisely the combination of boxing, kickboxing, and grappling experience that makes him such a dangerous fighter today. Combat sports were not his solo pursuit. His three brothers, Djibril, Sulumbek, and Islam (who now fights in the UFC), share the same passion.<h2>IN OKTAGON HE DOES NOT KNOW SECOND ROUNDS</h2>Under the yellow-and-black flag, Dulatov fully confirmed that he is among the organization's most dangerous finishers. His record speaks clearly. Five professional fights, five wins, all before the distance, and he has never seen a second round. His debut at OKTAGON 66 in Düsseldorf ended with a guillotine choke in 16 seconds, making him the holder of the fastest submission win in the organization. A few months later at OKTAGON 78, he sent Brazilian Henrique Melo to the ground via TKO in just 52 seconds. At OKTAGON 82, he broke the arm of previously undefeated Serb Stefan Končar with an armbar. For that performance, he earned his BJJ brown belt from his coaches. He trains at Düsseldorf's Triple One Gym, where he regularly meets his brother Islam. Last year, Tamerlan also included training with British star Michael "Venom" Page in his preparation.<h2>FOUR BROTHERS, TWO WORLDS</h2>The cage was not the only stage where the Dulatov brothers gained fame. The eldest brother Djibril was approached by a casting agency while shopping in Düsseldorf, and that chance encounter quickly turned into a campaign for the luxury brand Lanvin. Following their older brother into the fashion world came Sulumbek, Islam, and Tamerlan. Islam eventually became the main face of Versace, and British Vogue named him one of the world's top ten most sought-after male models in 2018, while the rest of the family posed for brands such as Armani, Gucci, or Diesel. The four brothers also do business together outside the cage and fashion runways. In Düsseldorf, they own a barbershop and bar, and would like to open their own gym where children from immigrant families could train for free, just as they once were.<h2>A FIGHT THAT ALREADY FAILED TO HAPPEN ONCE</h2>Now another big test awaits Tamerlan in Frankfurt in the form of a fighter who knows how to finish fights just as fast as he does. Twenty-one-year-old Croat Nikola Janković (9-2) arrives in Frankfurt with a reputation as a dangerous finisher. Six of his wins came via KO/TKO, three via submission, and the fastest of them took just twelve seconds. Two fighters who are not used to relying on judges will meet in the cage. He was originally scheduled to face Janković back in July at OKTAGON 91 in Cologne, but health issues stopped him just hours before the start and the fight was canceled. Now the postponed battle is finally happening. Will Janković be the first to stop the man who has not let anyone past the first round in his professional career?OKTAGON 94 will turn Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park into the final stop of the yellow-and-black colossus's tenth anniversary on September 26. Alongside the main event between Christian Eckerlin and David Kozma or the return of Karlos Vémola, Tamerlan Dulatov will be one of the men aiming to make the historic night his own. Don't miss the return of the undefeated fighter and join us! Tickets can be purchased at the link below.<okteventcomponent eventid="125"></okteventcomponent>