Michal Pavel je jméno, které je s OKTAGON MMA neodmyslitelně spjaté. Jako event director má na starosti průběh každého turnaje i všech okolních událostí. Zeptali jsme se ho proto, jak prožívá přípravy na největší tuzemskou MMA událost, která se už za pár dní odehraje v pražském Edenu.<oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/6b9afb9f-fedd-464a-ba1b-d955c1c8d740/cs.1717516660644.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/16a2081a-3682-45ca-8463-600203d8b0e3/cs.1717516663999.png"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent>Fight week začal. Jak ho prožíváš před tak obrovským turnajem? Převládá stres nebo těšení?Je to jeden z nejdůležitějších fight weeků, které jsme kdy měli, tak to vnímám i já. Střídají se nálady, je to hodně nahoru a dolů, občas i uprostřed. Děláme maximum, snažíme se a není to jednoduché, nicméně víme, že to dobře dopadne.Co se teď, necelý týden před turnajem, v Edenu děje?Přes víkend začali sundávat trávník tak, abychom dnes mohli najet s podlahou, kterou začínáme pokládat. Trochu nám to zkomplikoval víkendový déšť, ale termíny mluví jasně. V pondělí podlaha, v úterý budeme navazovat stavbou ground supportu, takže přípravy se začaly rozbíhat už od sobotního odpoledne.Co je pro tebe v Edenu největší výzvou?Je to open air, který je podstatně větší než ty, na které jsme byli zvyklí, například v porovnání se Štvanicí, která tomu byla asi nejbližší. Všechno je čtyřikrát až pětkrát větší, což znamená, že máme o tolik více židlí a všech příprav. Opět spoleháme na počasí, připravujeme střechu pro klec nebo vybíráme materiál na plachtu na klec, aby byla odolná třeba proti poryvům větru.Je něco, co musíš na tomto turnaji řešit úplně poprvé?Poprvé řešíme vstup tolika návštěvníků do prostoru nebo přípravu dosud největší fanzóny. Spolupracujeme s firmami a lidmi, kteří Eden znají a necháváme se inspirovat. Víme například, že slávistická fanzona funguje od tří hodin, v šest hodin, kdy už začíná fotbal, je většina fanoušků uvnitř a fanzóny zůstávají otevřené, jen se ohradí plotem a zůstávají jako takový zvětšený, rozšířený stadion. I tohle děláme poprvé a věřím, že to bude fungovat.<oktinstagramcomponent url="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7o4stct4jU/?img_index=1"></oktinstagramcomponent>Co by diváci, kromě zápasů, neměli propásnout?Určitě právě skvělou fanzónu. Domluvili jsme se s Honzou Punčochářem, který nám speciálně pro ni připravuje výjimečné dobroty. Dále páteční vážení u stadionu – rozhovory, ukázky technik, staredowny, jiskření, energie a napětí mezi zápasníky. A potom další shows, které následují v den eventu, ať už je to opening ceremony nebo halftime show, případně další věci, které ještě nechci prozrazovat.Uvidíš vůbec nějaký zápas?Já doufám, že ano. Držím takovou tradici: nepřevlékám se z pracovního oblečení do obleku dokud není všechno v pořádku. V sobotu to ale asi udělám trochu jinak. Vezmu si dva obleky, jeden bude pracovní a volnější a druhý společenský. Jakmile se převléknu, tak věřím, že už kousek nějakého zápasu uvidím.Kdy je chvíle, kdy si s týmem po turnaji můžete říct, hotovo, dobrá práce?Tohle už člověk pozná v průběhu turnaje – jak to klape, jak jsou lidi spokojení, jak se usmívají, jaká je atmosféra a nálada. To už budu vědět, jak jsme na tom. Potom samozřejmě docházíme k nějakému zúčtování, kde zjistíme i ekonomickou stránku věci, ale hlavně si uděláme zpětnou vazbu – ta je pro nás moc důležitá, protože nás brzy čeká dvojnásobně velký turnaj. Proto po všech chci, aby si dělali detailní poznámky. Je to taková šablona, mustr pro případné další turnaje. To je pro mě hodně důležité. Chybu můžeš udělat, ale jen jednou, když se opakuje, tak je něco špatně. Já bych chtěl, abychom se i v Edenu poučili a věci, které případně nešly úplně snadno, neopakovali potom v Eintrachtu.PŘÍPRAVY VRCHOLÍ! BUĎ V SOBOTU U NEJVĚTŠÍ ČESKOSLOVENSKÉ MMA UDÁLOSTI V HISTORII. ZBÝVÁ POSLEDNÍCH PÁR LÍSTKŮ.<okteventcomponent eventid="86"></okteventcomponent>

Co se teď děje v Edenu a na jaké speciality se návštěvníci mohou těšit? Jaké výzvy s sebou fotbalový stadion přináší? Zeptali jsme se event directora OKTAGONU MMA Michala Pavla! 

ŠÉF PRODUKCE MICHAL PAVEL: PŘIPRAVUJEME NEJVĚTŠÍ FANZÓNU V HISTORII OKTAGONU 

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.

BARRACKS BY DAY, CAGE BY NIGHT: THE STORY OF CORPORAL DOMINIK HUMBURGER

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>