<p>Local heroes, rising talents, and an unforgettable atmosphere. What's in store for you on Saturday's fight card? Come check it out with us.</p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/3e305706-3b47-466b-802b-1942681e778c/cs.1731051265386.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/e9ac1044-47de-41b4-97ea-03b38f05b58c/cs.1731051271115.png"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>BUCHINGER VS. NAFUKA</h2><p>Bratislava will witness a massive clash of generations. The legendary Buki steps into his 54th career fight, having collected two OKTAGON titles, a Cage Warriors title, and three championship belts in M-1 Global. Opposing him is Hafeni Nafuka, one of the brightest MMA talents of today, who at 21 years old has already secured 10 wins. His most recent victory was a historic win over Topallaj in front of 60,000 fans. Will experience triumph over youthful momentum?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1071"></oktfightcomponent><h2>KERTÉSZ VS. APOLLO</h2><p>A throwback to the good old days! A match between two OKTAGON veterans promising a world-class spectacle. Former title contender Kertész, who has defeated Jungwirth twice, will step into the yellow-and-black cage for the 16th time. This time, he faces another stalwart, Apollo – the man who bested Eckerlin in front of a home crowd and defeated last year’s Tipsport Gamechanger winner Veličković. With 41 fights to his name, Apollo has never been finished. This one’s going to be huge.</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1067"></oktfightcomponent><h2>PUKAČ VS. DIEDRICK</h2><p>Robo Pukač is a name long etched into the annals of OKTAGON. With 15 years on the scene, he’s faced the likes of Kincl, Kertész, and Jungwirth, never shying away from tough challenges. He wasn’t fazed by a sudden change of opponent either, now facing Englishman Ammari Diedrick. Diedrick is on the hunt for a solid win after dismantling one of Slovakia’s best strikers, Hromek. Four of his five victories have come by KO, three in the first round. Will he break the hearts of the home crowd?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1034"></oktfightcomponent><h2>RYŠAVÝ VS. PALOKAJ</h2><p>Slovak fans never say no to "Bombs" from Ryšavý. The champion of the third OKTAGON Challenge is well-acquainted with the scene, so he’s spicing things up by competing in the featherweight division for the second time. Bratislava will surely cheer him on. His opponent, Palokaj, is no pushover. No one in OKTAGON has yet found a way to beat him, and he’s the only one to defeat Dulatov.</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1045"></oktfightcomponent><h2>FODOR VS. LAPILUS</h2><p>He’s been with us from the first OKTAGON Challenge all the way to the 63rd event! František Fodor, with six KOs and two submissions under his belt, has seen it all over the years, so a change in opponent doesn’t rattle him. But Lapilus is no ordinary foe – with 37 fights, draws with stars like Coga and Askhabov, several championship titles, and a black belt in BJJ, will even the experienced Fodor be fazed?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1036"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ABY VS. ZHUMAGULOV</h2><p>One of Europe’s best flyweights and a fighter with a huge heart who has already won the most important battle – against life itself. Despite battling cystic fibrosis and cancer, Aby has proven his passion for MMA with two strong title challenger performances. He will face a formidable OKTAGON newcomer – Zhumagulov from the UFC, who had a streak of bad luck but often appeared as the winner in the eyes of the audience. Ranked #67 globally, he has already won three titles in Fight Nights Global and faced tough opponents like Ulanbekov and Nam, securing valuable wins. Can he shake up the flyweight division?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1040"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ROUŠAL VS. MAGUIRE</h2><p>You never get bored with Roušal. Watching this striking ace's journey in MMA is simply fascinating – his progress is evident with each fight. Although his last bout in Bratislava didn’t go his way, he bounced back in Brno and now dives into another match. His opponent might appear inexperienced, but that’s far from the truth. Maguire is a prominent figure in the Irish amateur scene, with three championship titles and a 2017 fight against Jakub Tichota to his name. Versatile and ready to grind out a win. How will the motivated Roušal respond?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1072"></oktfightcomponent><h2>PAULUS VS. ELONEN-KULMALA</h2><p>Paulus has long been considered one of Slovakia’s biggest talents. The winner of OKTAGON Challenge 5 now faces a tough test as fan-favorite Elonen-Kulmala returns to the organization. Once ranked #80 globally, Elonen-Kulmala enjoyed a four-year unbeaten streak and is currently riding a winning wave, having finished his last two opponents early. Will Slovakia be shaken to its core?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1039"></oktfightcomponent><h2>SMOLKOVÁ VS. SIMPLICIO</h2><p>Veronika Smolková embodies emotion and authenticity. After a tough debut in Bratislava last year, she bounced back with a summer victory, showing her determination. Training alongside Lucie Szabová, she seems to be on a promising path. Facing her is a fierce Brazilian Amazon, Simplicio, who recently ended Šormová’s career with a brutal win, sporting an impressive 4-1 record. Smolková will have her hands full.</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1038"></oktfightcomponent><h2>CIGÁNIK VS. ENZ</h2><p>Tomáš Cigánik is another Slovak hope. He nearly bested the tough Staines in the third round and shone in the amateur ranks, winning a title in the Irish organization Clan Wars. His opponent, Kevin Enz, is part of the German crew heading to Bratislava, armed with three first-round wins and a black belt in BJJ.</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1073"></oktfightcomponent><p></p><p><strong>OKTAGON 63 is just around the corner! Don’t miss Europe’s best MMA show.</strong></p><okteventcomponent eventid="99"></okteventcomponent>

Concise, clear, and to the point: What will Saturday’s OKTAGON 63 in Bratislava bring? Check out the full card and stay in the loop.

YOUR GUIDE: OKTAGON 63 FIGHT BY FIGHT

<p><span>An undefeated hometown talent against the youngest champion in history. Two pairs of brothers on one card. A war of words that, after months of heated messages, is finally moving into the cage, and a clash between two fighters with spotless records. All this and much more awaits at OKTAGON 97 on Saturday, November 7, at Hannover’s ZAG Arena. Here is the full card, fight by fight.</span></p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/68522fbc-aac2-4ba4-98b9-d9b9e6a7bb3f/cs.1793969038811.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/2e619d07-995b-4a03-9972-3eea8b843395/cs.1793969045026.png" link="" croppedcorners="false" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>IGOR SEVERINO VS. MAX HOLZER</h2><p><span>A title fight the home star asked for himself. Undefeated Max “Made in Germany” Holzer (12-0) called out the bantamweight champion right after his May TKO of UFC veteran Khalid Taha. He is 6-0 in OKTAGON and hasn’t tasted defeat in 2,443 days, the second-longest active streak in the organization. To chase the belt, he is leaving the featherweight division and dropping a weight class for the first time in OKTAGON. Across the cage stands Igor “The Hannibal” Severino (10-1), who became the youngest male champion in OKTAGON history in Hamburg at just 22. He has finished nine of his ten wins. He kept his belt in June against Zhalgas Zhumagulov, but that fight ended in a no contest after a low blow, so his first true title defense is still ahead of him. Will Holzer take the belt in front of his own city, or will the Brazilian silence the entire arena?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1476"></oktfightcomponent><h2>GJONI PALOKAJ VS. ZAFAR MOHSEN</h2><p><span>A clash between No. 4 and No. 3 in the rankings, and the winner moves a big step closer to a featherweight title shot. Hometown fighter Gjoni Palokaj (13-4) headlined the first-ever Hannover event last September against Batfalský. A six-fight winning streak carried him all the way to a title fight. In July, however, Machaev stopped him in the first round, handing him his first loss in OKTAGON and his first by KO. Now he faces Zafar “The Powerhouse” Mohsen (15-4), who brought experience from PFL, BRAVE and Cage Warriors into the yellow-and-black cage. He is still unbeaten in OKTAGON. First he outpointed Samuel Bark, then in Berlin he became the first man to knock out Richie Smullen. Will Palokaj get back to winning ways in front of his fans, or will Mohsen add another big scalp?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1493"></oktfightcomponent><h2>OZAN ASLANER VS. DENIS FRIMPONG</h2><p><span>Sparks have been flying between these two for a long time, and both asked for this fight. Irský “The Menace” Denis Frimpong (8-4), a former title challenger and master of mind games, sent Ozan Aslaner (11-6-1) several pointed messages before his fight with Lengál. Those posts really got under Aslaner’s skin. He has the scalps of Tichota and Lengál and comes to Hannover on a two-fight winning streak. Frimpong, on the other hand, was last knocked out by Niko Samsonidse, Aslaner’s training partner. Ahead of the 72 kg catchweight bout, he promises to “take him apart like a kebab on a spit.” Will Aslaner have an answer to the sharp words, or will Frimpong carry his psychological war to a winning finish?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1543"></oktfightcomponent><h2>JUSTIN DETZEL VS. KACPER FRĄTCZAK</h2><p><span>A fight after which one of them will taste defeat for the first time. Justin Detzel (3-0) is another talent from Fightschool Hannover, and even Will Fleury counts him among the gym’s brightest prospects. At the last Hannover event, he turned around a fight with Mate Kola that wasn’t going his way and finished it in the third round with a rare Suloev stretch. Facing him is “The Polish Robocop” Kacper Frątczak (3-0), a multiple-time kickboxing world champion. In his OKTAGON debut in Szczecin, he defeated Zoran Solaja by TKO in the third round. A grappler against a pure striker. Who keeps the zero in the loss column?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1495"></oktfightcomponent><h2>KAROL RYŠAVÝ VS. SAMUEL BARK</h2><p><span>A postponed fight that is finally happening. Karol “Bomby” Ryšavý (15-10-1) and Samuel Bark (13-4) were supposed to meet back in 2025, but the Swede withdrew with an injury. The winner of the third season of OKTAGON Challenge will make his 23rd walk under the yellow-and-black banner. In January in Düsseldorf, he choked out Deniz Ilbay in a fight he said could have been his last had he lost, and in Bratislava he then fought Daniel Schordje to a draw. Bark is a Swedish Thai boxing champion, a former WBC International Muay Thai champion and a UAE Warriors champion, and he was the first man to beat Sanikidze at featherweight. He arrives in Hannover on a two-fight skid, though, the latest a hard KO by Radek Roušal, and he needs a win just as badly as his opponent.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1528"></oktfightcomponent><h2>DANIEL MAKIN VS. PETR BARTONĚK</h2><p><span>Hannover experience against Czech determination. Hannover veteran Daniel Makin (10-17) has 27 professional fights behind him and has shared the cage with names like Nezhad and Khalid Taha. The four-time champion of a German promotion is also a big draw for the home crowd. Facing him is Petr Bartoněk (8-7), a Czech fighter with a wrestling base and Muay Thai experience, who first appeared in OKTAGON back in 2020. When he returned to the organization in February, though, Endrit Brajshori choked him out in just 55 seconds. Both men are still waiting for their first win in an OKTAGON MMA bout. Who will finally get it in Hannover?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1490"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HACI AKSEKER VS. JONATAN KUJAWA</h2><p><span>An elite boxer meets world-class karate. Haci Akseker (3-1) from Fightschool Hannover has won all three of his professional fights by first-round KO, and even Max Holzer and Gjoni Palokaj regularly feel his punches in training camp. In May, however, he narrowly lost a split decision to Raphael Federico. Jonatan “Jaguar” Kujawa (5-3) holds a second-degree black belt in karate, tried to make the national team and trains in the same gym as Michał Materla and Tomasz Narkun. His OKTAGON debut in Szczecin ended in a decision loss to Henrique Madureira. Both are coming off a loss, and neither will want to give an inch.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1492"></oktfightcomponent><h2>JAN HOLZER VS. JÁN ŠVAGERKO</h2><p><span>The Holzer family night starts as early as the prelims. Jan Holzer (0-0), the younger brother of the main event challenger, opened OKTAGON 88 in May with an amateur win over Paul Kulze, while Max closed out the event a few hours later. His original opponent, Rastislav Zvara, got injured, so Ján Švagerko (0-0) jumped at the chance. He is a product of Spartakus Fight Gym and a participant in the first season of Tipsport Cage Game. He lost his fight on the reality show, but he was still one of the strongest stories of the whole series. In Hannover, both make their professional debuts. Will Jan handle the pressure of his famous name, or will the Slovak spoil the party for the home crowd?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1551"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ISLAM DJABRAILOV VS. KENJI BORTOLUZZI</h2><p><span>Two experienced debutants at featherweight. Islam Djabrailov (11-6) has spent his entire career at Fightschool Hannover and is one of the main sparring partners of Hugo Vach, Max Holzer and Gjoni Palokaj. The former German champion returns to the cage after a year and a half and will fight in OKTAGON for the first time, in front of his home fans. Facing him is Swiss veteran Kenji Bortoluzzi (12-7-1), who has been fighting professionally since 2013. The champion of German, Austrian and Swiss promotions has twenty fights under his belt and a dangerous submission arsenal. Will the hometown fighter shake off the long layoff, or will the Swiss make full use of his experience?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1571"></oktfightcomponent><h2>JOSEFINE KNUTSSON VS. YASMIN GUIMARÃES</h2><p><span>The former world No. 16 at strawweight against the former world No. 22. Josefine “Thunder” Knutsson (8-2) went 2-1 in the UFC and has a rich kickboxing career. Her OKTAGON debut in Liberec ended bitterly, though, when Mileide Simplicio choked her out five seconds before the end of the first round. Heading to Hannover to face her is Brazilian debutant Yasmin Guimarães (10-4), who gained experience in Jungle Fight and LFA and has shared the cage with former OKTAGON title challenger Leidiane Fernandes. She proved her toughness in an LFA title fight, going all five rounds with a dislocated arm. Will the Swede get back to winning ways, or will the Brazilian claim a big scalp right away?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1573"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MATHEUS SEVERINO VS. ABDUL BADAKHSHI</h2><p><span>The champion’s older brother, Matheus Severino (15-5), beat Shawn Marcos da Silva on points in Hamburg in March, at the same event where Igor won the belt. The champion of three Brazilian promotions and former LFA title challenger now sits at No. 4 in the flyweight rankings. His opponent is debutant Abdul Badakhshi (9-4), who has previously fought for the WOW title and has also competed in BRAVE and ACA. In front of the home crowd, he will want to spoil the Brazilians’ family trip. Will Matheus kick off a Severino night, or will Badakhshi stop him in Hannover?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1581"></oktfightcomponent><h2>KATHRIN HABERLE VS. THAIS VASCONCELOS</h2><p><span>The evening kicks off with the OKTAGON premiere of two bantamweights. Hometown fighter Kathrin Haberle (1-0) from German Top Team is a multiple-time amateur champion and won gold at last year’s IMMAF European Championships, among other titles. She turned pro only six months ago and won by TKO. Facing her is Brazilian fighter Thais Vasconcelos (1-0), who won her only professional fight on points and returns to the cage after two and a half years. Both unbeaten, both making their OKTAGON debut. Which of them will step into the yellow-and-black cage and win?</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1572"></oktfightcomponent><p></p><p><span><strong>Twelve fights, two pairs of brothers and a battle for the bantamweight belt. The ZAG Arena is completely sold out, but you don't have to miss a single second. Watch OKTAGON 97 live on PPV at </strong></span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://OKTAGON.TV"><span><strong>OKTAGON.TV</strong></span></a><span><strong> on Saturday, November 7, from 6:00 p.m. and be part of the action with us!</strong></span></p><okteventcomponent eventid="146"></okteventcomponent>

An undefeated hometown talent against the youngest champion in history. Two pairs of brothers on one card. A war of words that, after months of heated messages, is finally moving into the cage, and a clash between two fighters with spotless records.

HANNOVER FIGHT CARD BREAKDOWN: WILL GERMANY CROWN ITS FIRST CHAMPION?

<p><span>The title fight pits two men against each other who both have a brother on the same card. But there’s more waiting for you: a former baker, a physiotherapist nicknamed Jaguar and a fighter who accidentally knocked out his own coach before his debut. OKTAGON 97 kicks off on Saturday, November 7 at the ZAG Arena. How many of these stories do you already know?</span></p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/cc48df6a-9f98-4318-9257-35ab0d9df343/cs.1793802361516.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/0f70e6d3-1722-451e-addc-ee35b00e1f6b/cs.1793802369151.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>FAMILY NIGHT: TWO PAIRS OF BROTHERS ON ONE CARD</h2><p><span>Only four pairs of brothers have ever competed on the same OKTAGON event. In Hannover, two of them will share a card for the first time. Brazilian champion <strong>Igor Severino (10-1)</strong>, the youngest male champion in the organization’s history, fights on the same night as his brother <strong>Matheus Severino (15-5)</strong>, who is six years older. The city of Bauru has inducted Igor into its hall of fame, and at the ceremony his coach called the Severinos “a family of winners”.</span></p><p><span>The home side’s answer is called Holzer. <strong>Max Holzer (12-0)</strong> fights for the belt in Hannover, the city where he grew up, while his younger brother <strong>Jan Holzer (0-0)</strong> makes his professional debut. The brothers already shared a card in May, when Jan opened the event and Max closed it. Max can only celebrate the anniversary of his first professional win once every four years. He turned pro on February 29, 2020, a leap day, at Hannover’s Swiss Life Hall. <strong>Daniel Makin (10-17)</strong> fought that same night, and now he is back on the same card as Holzer.</span></p><h2>BATMAN, A DINOSAUR AND GHOSTFACE</h2><p><span>Holzer’s walkouts are a chapter of their own. He has come to the cage as Batman and as Buzz Lightyear, and once he was carried out on the shoulders of his brother, who was wearing an inflatable dinosaur costume. He has even ridden to the cage on a scooter.</span></p><p><span>But he won’t be the only costume expert in Hannover. His younger brother Jan faces Slovakia’s <strong>Ján Švagerko (0-0)</strong> from the first season of Tipsport Cage Game. It was his girlfriend who pushed him into fighting, and today the two of them make videos for social media together. On the reality show, he walked out dressed as Ghostface from the horror movie Scream.</span></p><h2>FROM THE BAKERY TO THE CAGE AND A JAGUAR WITH A DEGREE</h2><p><span>Švagerko trains at Spartakus Fight Gym, just like <strong>Karol Ryšavý (15-10-1)</strong>. Ryšavý played football as a striker from the age of six and turned down offers from Petržalka and Dunajská Streda. After school he worked in an Austrian bakery and then as a courier. He only came back home when he heard that Spartakus was opening in Trnava. In Hannover he steps into his 23rd OKTAGON fight, and only Ronald Paradeiser has had more. He also holds the organization record for submission attempts (28).</span></p><p><span>Poland’s <strong>Jonatan Kujawa (5-3)</strong> has degrees in both physiotherapy and dietetics, is a Polish champion in Olympic karate and tried to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The nickname “Jaguar” fits: he studies how animals move and brings it into his fighting. Outside the cage, he loves fashion. His opponent <strong>Haci Akseker (3-1)</strong> has finished all three of his wins in the first round, in an average of 1 minute and 39 seconds. Their bout will be the 1200th fight in OKTAGON history.</span></p><h2>LOCKER ROOM KNOCKOUT AND A LEG BEHIND THE HEAD</h2><p><span>Kickboxing world champion <strong>Kacper Frątczak (3-0)</strong>, known as “The Polish Robocop”, had one of the most bizarre debuts imaginable. While warming up in the locker room, he accidentally knocked out his own coach, who was out cold for three minutes and only came to just before the walkout. Across the cage stands home fighter <strong>Justin Detzel (3-0)</strong>, who turned around a losing fight in Hannover in May with a rare Suloev stretch that left his opponent with his leg behind his head. Detzel and Akseker both turned pro on November 8, 2025, so the day after the event they both celebrate their first anniversary. Detzel and Frątczak both enter the cage at 3-0, but one of them is about to lose his perfect record.</span></p><h2>THINGS YOU HAVEN’T HEARD YET</h2><ul><li><p><span>The ZAG Arena is older than both men in the main event. It opened in April 2000 for the EXPO world fair, and the first thing fans saw there was a boxing title fight between Michalczewski and Rocchigiani.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Six fighters on the card train at the local Fightschool Hannover: both Holzers, Palokaj, Akseker, Detzel and Djabrailov. That’s a quarter of the card.</span></p></li><li><p><span>Daniel Makin started his career 1-12. He didn’t give up and went on to become a four-time We Love MMA champion.</span></p></li><li><p><span><strong>Samuel Bark (13-4)</strong> is a champion in three sports and won the UAE Warriors belt with a broken hand.</span></p></li><li><p><span>The card features the winners of both the 900th and the 1000th fights in OKTAGON history: Max Holzer and Samuel Bark.</span></p></li></ul><p><span><strong>Hannover comes alive with the yellow-and-black show for the third time. OKTAGON 97 kicks off on Saturday, November 7 at the ZAG Arena and promises a night to remember. Secure your seat while you still can! Tickets are available at the link below.</strong></span></p><okteventcomponent eventid="146"></okteventcomponent>

The title fight pits two men against each other who both have a brother on the same card. But there’s more waiting for you: a former baker, a physiotherapist nicknamed Jaguar and a fighter who accidentally knocked out his own coach before his debut.

HANNOVER FUN FACTS: TWO PAIRS OF BROTHERS, A DINOSAUR AND A LOCKER ROOM KNOCKOUT

<p>„If you bite me, I'll knock your teeth out!“ That was Max Holzer's message to the man he picked out himself. For this fight, the unbeaten star of German MMA is leaving featherweight behind, putting his zero on the line and going after his first belt. At home, in Hannover. Across the cage stands Igor „The Hannibal“ Severino, the youngest male champion in OKTAGON history, who has looked a level above everyone around him in his last two fights. On top of that, both men have a brother on the card. The bantamweight title fight goes down on November 7 at the ZAG Arena, and only one of them will take the belt home.</p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/3d3accb8-eb79-4166-b964-2974da2dd581/cs.1793705112977.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/a8cfa5e2-e8ee-4cbd-9871-4222be2812e8/cs.1793705124391.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>MAX „MADE IN GERMANY“ HOLZER: THE HANNOVER KID WHO ASKED FOR THE BELT</h2><p>Max Holzer (12-0) was born in Warburg, but he moved to Hannover at the age of ten and it has been his city ever since. His childhood wasn't easy. The way off the streets came through the <strong>Fightschool Hannover gym and coach David Palokaj</strong>, who also gave him the nickname „Stifler“. It was for his wild nature and his resemblance to the character from American Pie. He made his pro debut on a leap day, February 29, 2020, in Hannover of all places, and choked his opponent out in the first round.</p><p>His OKTAGON debut came in January 2024 at OKTAGON 52, where <strong>he choked out Corey Fry in the second round</strong>. In Frankfurt he submitted <strong>Eemil Kurhela</strong> with the same technique and <strong>Mohammed Trabelsi</strong> by TKO in the third round. Fans also fell for his walkouts: he has entered dressed as Batman and as Buzz Lightyear, and he even rode to the cage on a scooter. In April 2025 he headlined an event for the first time and <strong>choked out Deniz Ilbay in the fourth round</strong> in Dortmund. Emotions kept boiling long after the fight. Then health problems stopped him, and he had to pull out of the autumn fight with Khalid Taha. His answer came this May in Hannover. He took the UFC veteran apart on the feet, broke him with a knee to the body in the first round and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.</p><p>He is 6-0 in OKTAGON and <strong>has now gone 2,443 days without a loss</strong>, the second-longest active streak in the promotion. Right after beating Taha, he called for Severino. He says the zero on his record doesn't matter to him, he wants the belt. He is leaving featherweight to his gym partner Gjoni Palokaj and <strong>cutting down to bantamweight for the first time in OKTAGON</strong>. His younger brother Jan also makes his pro debut on the same card, so the whole Holzer family will be on the line at the ZAG Arena.</p><h2>IGOR „THE HANNIBAL“ SEVERINO: THE YOUNGEST KING FROM THE AMAZON</h2><p>Facing him is a champion who <strong>has been fighting professionally since the age of fifteen</strong>. Igor Severino (10-1, 1 NC) comes from Juruti in the Amazonian state of Pará and trains in Bauru with Chute Boxe João Emilio, a school known for relentless pressure on the feet. He had his first pro fight in December 2018 and choked out his opponent in under two minutes. In the Brazilian promotion Jungle Fight he won four fights without letting a single one go to the judges, and <strong>walked away with the flyweight belt</strong>. A stoppage win on <strong>Dana White’s Contender Series opened the door to the UFC</strong>, but his run there ended after his very first fight, with a disqualification. To this day it is the only loss of his career. Instead of breaking, he turned it into his brand. He took on the nickname „The Hannibal“ and walks out to the cage in a mask.</p><p>He stepped into the yellow-and-black cage in December 2024 at OKTAGON 65 at Prague's O2 Arena and right off the bat <strong>defeated former champion Jonas Mågård</strong>. It was the first decision win of his career. Then came a long wait. The title fight was cancelled and rescheduled several times, and he didn't return to the cage for fourteen months. This March in Hamburg, though, he left nothing to chance. <strong>He stopped the experienced Khurshed Kakhorov by TKO in the second round</strong>. At twenty-two years old, he became <strong>the youngest male champion in OKTAGON history</strong>. The whole family had reason to celebrate, because his brother Matheus Severino also won on the same card.</p><p>In June in Bratislava came a champion vs. champion clash. Against flyweight king Zhalgas Zhumagulov he controlled the entire first round, but in the second his body shot landed low and his opponent couldn't continue. The fight ended in a no contest and the belt stayed with the Brazilian. <strong>He has finished nine of his ten wins before the limit</strong> and sits fourth in the pound-for-pound rankings. Now, though, he faces something he has never experienced in OKTAGON: <strong>an arena that will stand against him</strong>. He comes to Hannover with his brother at his side again, as Matheus takes on Abdul Badakhshi on the card.</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1476"></oktfightcomponent><h2>TWO FAMILIES, ONE CAGE, ONE BELT</h2><p>Both stand 170 centimetres tall, both are finishers, and both have already turned up the heat on social media. Holzer has made seven opponents tap and has spent almost forty-four minutes in ground control in OKTAGON. Severino has five wins by strikes before the final bell. The German has already gone into the fourth round once, while the Brazilian has never fought beyond three. <strong>Their brothers Jan and Matheus will be pacing nervously in the locker rooms too</strong>, each heading into a fight of his own. Max <strong>Holzer wants to take the belt</strong> in front of his own city, and <strong>Igor Severino is coming to defend it</strong>. Will Hannover crown its own kid, or will Hannibal carry the crown out of the lion's den?</p><p><strong>Hannover is in for a night it will remember for a long time. OKTAGON 97 lights up the ZAG Arena on November 7 with a title fight that has absolutely everything, and you can be sitting just a few metres from the cage. Don't wait while seats are still available. Get your tickets at the link below.</strong></p><okteventcomponent eventid="146"></okteventcomponent>

„If you bite me, I'll knock your teeth out!“ That was Max Holzer's message to the man he picked out himself. For this fight, the unbeaten star of German MMA is leaving featherweight behind, putting his zero on the line and going after his first belt.

ALL OR NOTHING: HOLZER TAKES ON HANNIBAL SEVERINO AT HOME IN HANNOVER

<p><span>Seven decisions, four first-round finishes and one split decision. The judges in Munich were kept busy right up to the final fight of the night. On top of that, the new welterweight champion proved that losing the opening round, knockdown included, doesn’t have to mean a thing. How did the judges see the Halloween edition of OKTAGON 96 at Munich’s SAP Garden on October 31?</span></p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/744d199c-1a24-4661-8dbc-73bea3d79c4c/cs.1793627144339.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/9c26ce54-1cd2-48f4-9acc-88980539c00b/cs.1793627149702.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>AMIRAN GOGOLADZE VS. JESSIN AYARI</h2><p><span>The welterweight title fight could hardly have started any worse for the Georgian. Around the minute-and-a-half mark, Jessin Ayari dropped him with a heavy shot. He was only a few punches away from a finish and took the opening round on all three scorecards, although none of the judges went as far as 10-8. Those were the last points he would collect. From the second frame on, Amiran Gogoladze was the sharper and busier fighter. He took the round unanimously, and the third stanza began with the fight level. Then “Sniper” started targeting his opponent’s lead leg, and from that moment on the scorecards tilted only one way. Rounds three, four and five, the last of which saw Ayari land one final hard shot, all went to Gogoladze on all three cards. Identical 49-46 scores across the board mean a unanimous decision and a new king of the welterweight division.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1563" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>RONALD PARADEISER VS. TYRONE PFEIFER</h2><p><span>Rony Paradeiser stepped into his record 25th OKTAGON fight with a clear game plan, and the scorecards leave no room for doubt. Three takedowns in the opening frame earned him the first round on all three cards. In the second, Tyrone Pfeifer was dangerous on the feet, but the Slovak veteran tied him up again, controlled him with all his experience and banked another unanimous round. In the final five minutes, he practically glued himself to his opponent and gave him no room to get anything going. All three judges gave him all three rounds, and the unanimous 30-27 snapped his two-fight losing streak.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1505" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>LAZAR TODEV VS. SIMON BIYONG</h2><p><span>The only split decision of the night in Munich, and a true heavyweight chess match. Two of the three judges gave the more cautious opening round to Simon Biyong, who showed slightly more initiative, while the third saw it for Lazar Todev. The Bulgarian came out more active in the second, but the tally on the cards stayed 2-1 in favor of the Italian. Only this time, the judges split differently. Heading into the final round, two of the three judges had the fight level at 19-19, while the third had Biyong ahead 20-18. Everything came down to the last five minutes. Todev upped his punch output and won over all three judges. That was enough for a narrow 29-28 win on two cards, while the third judge scored it by the same margin for Biyong. “Punisher” celebrates his fourth straight win.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1501" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>GÖKHAN AKSU VS. RENE RUNGE</h2><p><span>The judges had nothing to write down here. Gökhan Aksu swarmed Rene Runge with punches from the opening bell, put him on the canvas and finished the fight with heavy ground and pound. Referee Piotr Jarosz waved it off at 1:58 of the first round, and “Abinator” now has fifteen wins inside the distance.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1564" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MICHAEL DEIGA-SCHECK VS. LUKÁŠ CHOTĚNOVSKÝ</h2><p><span>The Munich matador built a lead from the start that proved decisive. Calf kicks, higher output and a late takedown earned him the opening round on all three cards. He took the second just as unanimously, answering a hard rear hand from Chotěnovský with a knockdown and working his way to his opponent’s back. That meant he entered the final round two points up on every card. Lukáš Chotěnovský pressed forward in search of the finish and won the third round on all three cards, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback. Identical 29-28 scores mean a unanimous decision for Michael Deiga-Scheck, who snapped a three-fight losing streak.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1523" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MAREK BARTL VS. BRIAN MANNING</h2><p><span>The scorecards stayed blank. After an early takedown attempt came up short, Marek Bartl eventually got on top of Brian Manning, landed a hard elbow and finished the job with a flurry of strikes. Referee Kamil Zuziak stopped the fight at 3:03 of the first round, handing the Irish showman the first stoppage loss of his career.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1498" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>ENDRIT BRAJSHORI VS. CHRISTIAN MACH</h2><p><span>A wild opening round full of momentum swings never made it to the scorecards. Debutant Christian Mach pushed Endrit Brajshori against the fence and rocked him in one of the exchanges, but then the tables turned. Brajshori landed a hard uppercut, followed it with a right hand and dropped his opponent. He pounced immediately, and referee Pavel Touš stopped the fight at 4:38 of the first round.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1530" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>HENRIQUE MADUREIRA VS. DANIEL SCHORDJE</h2><p><span>“Mad Max” was well on his way after two rounds. More accurate kicks and punches earned him the opening frame on all three cards. He took the second just as unanimously, repeatedly dragging Daniel Schordje to the mat. That meant the Brazilian entered the third round with a 20-18 lead on every card. There, the Austrian finally made it on top, and two of the three judges gave him the round. The third still saw it for Madureira, who stayed in control even from his back. Final scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 mean a unanimous decision for Henrique Madureira.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1502" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>IVAN KLEVETS VS. RONALDO FERREIRA</h2><p><span>Ronaldo Ferreira stepped in on the day of the event and managed to make life uncomfortable for Ivan Klevets early on. The Brazilian took the fight to the mat and controlled from top position for a while. The Ukrainian sambo specialist reversed the position, however, and with two minutes left climbed into a dominant spot himself. That convinced two of the three judges, while the third saw the opening round for Ferreira. From the second frame on, there was nothing to argue about. Klevets repeatedly took his opponent down, controlled him and won both remaining rounds on all three cards. He walks away with a unanimous decision and his sixth straight win.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1567" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>KEVIN HANGS VS. BURAK KIZILIRMAK</h2><p><span>Hangs’ return to the promotion after almost four years gave the judges no work at all. Burak Kizilirmak was the more accurate fighter from the start, worked his way into top position, escaped a guillotine and answered with a barrage of strikes. Referee Kamil Zuziak stopped the fight at 1:54 of the first round, and the debutant celebrates a TKO win.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1529" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><h2>MARAT NESSAR VS. ABDULMALIK ALIEV</h2><p><span>The start of the fight belonged to Marat Nessar. A minute in, he rocked his opponent with two hard punches and took the opening round on two of the three cards. From the second round on, though, Abdulmalik Aliev held the reins. He took the fight to the mat, threatened a rear naked choke and won the round unanimously. Heading into the final five minutes, two of the three judges had the fight level at 19-19, while the third had the Viennese talent in front. In the third round, Aliev dominated from top position, threatened an arm triangle, and all three judges rewarded him with a 10-8. Scores of 29-27, 29-27 and 30-26 in Aliev’s favor mean a unanimous decision in his yellow-and-black debut.</span></p><oktscorecardfightcomponent fightid="1508" smallerversion="true"></oktscorecardfightcomponent><p></p><p><span><strong>You won’t have to wait long for more action. On Saturday, November 7, we return to Hannover’s ZAG Arena, where unbeaten hometown star Max Holzer challenges bantamweight champion Igor Severino. Secure your seat and be there when the belt is on the line! Get your tickets at the link below.</strong></span></p><okteventcomponent eventid="146"></okteventcomponent>

Seven decisions, four first-round finishes and one split decision. The judges in Munich were kept busy right up to the final fight of the night. On top of that, the new welterweight champion proved that losing the opening round, knockdown included.

MUNICH THROUGH THE JUDGES’ EYES: SNIPER DIDN’T DROP A ROUND AFTER THE KNOCKDOWN

<p><span>Five rounds, one knockdown and a belt for the man who was on the brink of defeat early on. Amiran “Sniper” Gogoladze survived a devastating shot from Jessin Ayari, turned the title fight around and was crowned the new king of the welterweight division. Rony Paradeiser won his record-setting 25th fight in the organization, Gökhan Aksu ran through his opponent in under two minutes and legend Marek Bartl became the first man ever to finish Brian Manning. Halloween night at Munich’s SAP Garden also delivered four finishes and two winning debuts. Check out how every fight at OKTAGON 96 played out.</span></p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/cba49768-7ea6-40e0-bf16-e6f8d8abb669/cs.1793489961786.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/d4f0c779-56a8-4dec-b947-eb417ab968ee/cs.1793489967667.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>AMIRAN GOGOLADZE VS. JESSIN AYARI</h2><p><span>The main event delivered drama right from the start. About a minute and a half in, Jessin Ayari landed a devastating shot that sent Amiran Gogoladze to the canvas. The late replacement from nearby Nuremberg hunted for the finish with strikes and a choke, and he was only a few punches away from ending it. The Georgian showed tremendous heart, survived the critical moment and scrambled back to his feet. The opening round still clearly belonged to Ayari. The second round was a more cautious battle on the feet and in the clinch, but “Sniper” was now the sharper and busier fighter and took the round. In the third, he went after Ayari’s lead leg, and the UFC veteran was soon visibly struggling with it. Gogoladze’s better accuracy earned him that round as well as a close fourth. The two opened the fifth with a firefight. Halfway through the round Ayari landed hard and pressed his opponent against the fence, but the Georgian reversed the situation and took him down. Ayari got back up, yet found no answer to turn things around. After five rounds of war, the welterweight division has a new king. Amiran Gogoladze stays unbeaten in OKTAGON and leaves Munich with the championship belt!</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1563"></oktfightcomponent><h2>RONALD PARADEISER VS. TYRONE PFEIFER</h2><p><span>Both fighters traded quick, hard shots from the opening seconds. After a brief scramble against the fence, Rony Paradeiser landed a textbook takedown around the midway point of the round. Pfeifer made it back up, but the Slovak veteran dragged him down again thirty seconds before the horn to bank the opening round. The German rocket remained dangerous on the feet in the second, so Paradeiser took the fight back to the mat. There he controlled his opponent with veteran savvy and gave him practically nothing to work with, taking the second round as well. He was just as composed in the third, staying glued to Pfeifer and shutting down every attempt to get anything going. The former lightweight champion snapped a two-fight losing streak in his record-setting 25th OKTAGON fight and ended Pfeifer’s winning run in the process. He picks up an important decision win, his 18th under the yellow-and-black banner.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1505"></oktfightcomponent><h2>LAZAR TODEV VS. SIMON BIYONG</h2><p><span>The heavyweight clash began with a cautious feeling-out process from both men. In a tight opening round, Simon Biyong showed slightly more initiative and accuracy and took it on two of the three scorecards. Lazar Todev came out more aggressive in the second, but the Italian fighter kept him from building any real momentum as both men continued their careful exchanges on the feet. This time the scorecards swung in the Bulgarian’s favor. In the third, both men upped the pressure and found good shots, but Todev gradually took over by increasing his output. This close chess match ended with a split decision, and “Punisher” Lazar Todev had his hand raised. The heavyweight number one has now won four in a row.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1501"></oktfightcomponent><h2>GÖKHAN AKSU VS. RENE RUNGE</h2><p><span>Gökhan Aksu set a blistering pace from the first second and immediately put his opponent under pressure on the feet. Replacement Rene Runge had no answer to the barrage. “Abinator” soon put him down, settled into top position and finished the fight with heavy shots. The lightweight number two claims a TKO win in under two minutes, the 15th inside-the-distance victory of his career. After his loss to Legierski in Berlin, Aksu is once again closing in on a title shot.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1564"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MICHAEL DEIGA-SCHECK VS. LUKÁŠ CHOTĚNOVSKÝ</h2><p><span>Michael Deiga-Scheck opened the fight with a series of nasty calf kicks. Both fighters kept up a high volume of punches and kicks, but the home veteran was noticeably busier and more accurate. A takedown with a minute left in the round sealed the opening frame for him. In the second, Chotěnovský landed a good right hand, but Deiga-Scheck countered instantly and dropped his opponent. He took the Czech fighter’s back, but Chotěnovský scrambled to his feet and caught him with a hard elbow against the fence. After another tussle along the cage, the Munich mainstay took that round too. The tables turned in the final round, as Chotěnovský marched forward looking for the finish. Deiga-Scheck weathered the storm, snapped a three-fight losing streak and celebrated a valuable decision win in front of his home crowd.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1523"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MAREK BARTL VS. BRIAN MANNING</h2><p><span>Marek Bartl shot for a takedown right away, but couldn’t finish it, and the fight turned into a battle against the fence and exchanges on the feet. The experienced veteran eventually got Manning down. He landed a hard elbow, took his opponent’s back and unleashed a final flurry that forced the referee to step in. The OKTAGON legend wins this hotly anticipated fight by first-round TKO and hands the Irish showman the first stoppage loss of his career.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1498"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ENDRIT BRAJSHORI VS. CHRISTIAN MACH</h2><p><span>Both fighters stormed out at a ferocious pace, and heavy shots were flying from the opening seconds. Debutant Christian Mach soon closed the distance and pressed his opponent against the fence. Back in open space, the two traded big shots, and this time it was Brajshori who was rocked. Mach drove him back to the fence, but the next exchange turned the tables. Brajshori landed a hard uppercut, followed it with a right hand and sent Mach to the canvas. Gökhan Aksu’s teammate pounced immediately and finished the fight with strikes before the end of the first round. After an opening round full of twists, Brajshori celebrates a TKO win.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1530"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HENRIQUE MADUREIRA VS. DANIEL SCHORDJE</h2><p><span>The featherweight bout began with a battle on the feet, where Henrique Madureira was clearly the more accurate fighter. The Brazilian landed hard kicks and punches and capped the round with a spinning elbow to take it convincingly. In the second, “Mad Max” took his opponent down, but Schordje quickly got back up. After a brief exchange the fight hit the mat again, and the Austrian found no answer there either, so the second round also went to Madureira. In the third, Schordje finally made it to top position, and when the Brazilian stood up, he put him back down. Madureira, however, stayed in control even from his back, and the final exchange on the feet brought no late twist. The 2025 Submission of the Year winner made a successful return to Munich’s SAP Garden and takes the decision win.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1502"></oktfightcomponent><h2>IVAN KLEVETS VS. RONALDO FERREIRA</h2><p><span>Brazilian Ronaldo Ferreira stepped in on fight day, replacing his teammate Hafeni Nafuka, who missed weight. Ivan Klevets greeted him with several hard shots right from the start. Ferreira immediately took the fight to the ground and controlled the action from the top for a while. The Ukrainian European sambo champion reversed the position and took a dominant spot himself with two minutes left, swinging the opening round his way on two of the three scorecards. From the second round on, Klevets was firmly in control. He repeatedly dragged his opponent to the mat, and when the referee stood them up with a minute left in the round, he immediately took him down again. The final round followed the same pattern. Klevets managed the fight with experience and kept the Brazilian under control throughout. He leaves Munich with a decision win and extends his winning streak to six fights.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1567"></oktfightcomponent><h2>KEVIN HANGS VS. BURAK KIZILIRMAK</h2><p><span>Hangs’ return to the yellow-and-black cage after nearly four years did not go according to plan. Burak Kizilirmak was the more accurate fighter from the opening seconds, while Hangs struggled to tie him up in the clinch. Kizilirmak soon worked his way into top position on the ground. Hangs attempted a guillotine from the bottom, but the Turkish-born fighter escaped the choke and responded with a final flurry that prompted the referee to stop the fight. Kizilirmak claims a valuable first-round TKO win in his OKTAGON debut.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1529"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MARAT NESSAR VS. ABDULMALIK ALIEV</h2><p><span>The Munich card kicked off with a lightweight clash between two young prospects. Marat Nessar made an early statement a minute in, rocking his opponent with two hard shots. Aliev tied him up against the fence, however, and before the end of the round put Nessar in trouble himself, though the home fighter narrowly took the opening frame. From the second round on, the Vienna prospect was firmly in charge. He took the fight to the ground early and threatened with a rear naked choke, which Nessar barely escaped. In the third, Aliev once again dominated from top position and also threatened with an arm triangle. He wins his yellow-and-black debut by decision and picks up the second professional win of his career.</span></p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1508"></oktfightcomponent><p></p><p><span><strong>Munich’s Halloween night is in the books, and the next spectacular show is already knocking on the door. Exactly one week from now, on November 7, we return to Hannover’s ZAG Arena, where Igor Severino takes on hometown star Max Holzer in the main event of OKTAGON 97. This is a fight you can’t afford to miss! Don’t wait and secure your seat in the stands. Tickets are available at the link below.</strong></span></p><okteventcomponent eventid="146"></okteventcomponent>

Five rounds, one knockdown and a belt for the man who was on the brink of defeat early on. Amiran “Sniper” Gogoladze survived a devastating shot from Jessin Ayari, turned the title fight around and was crowned the new king of the welterweight division.

OKTAGON 96 RESULTS: GOGOLADZE SURVIVES HELL TO BECOME NEW WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION

<p>The yellow-and-black juggernaut is celebrating Halloween in Bavaria. OKTAGON 96 erupts on 31 October at Munich’s SAP Garden and delivers a fight for the vacant welterweight throne, with a UFC veteran from nearby Nuremberg stepping in at the last minute. You can also look forward to legends of the organisation, a heavyweight clash in which neither fighter has ever been knocked out, five hungry debutants and much more. Here is the full rundown of what awaits you in Munich.</p><oktresponsiveimagecomponent url="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/7228556e-322f-4a23-a0df-28763e91b3cb/cs.1793369761938.png" mobileurl="https://assets.oktagonmma.com/COMMON_IMAGE/ffd3e8b9-3ae5-465d-adab-03521245d878/cs.1793369775805.png" link="" croppedcorners="true" enablecornersmobile="false" smallercorners="false"></oktresponsiveimagecomponent><h2>AMIRAN GOGOLADZE VS. JESSIN AYARI</h2><p>The main event of the night and a battle for the welterweight throne vacated by Kaik Brito. Georgian marksman Amiran “The Sniper” Gogoladze (18-3) was first set to challenge Brito in Brno, then to face the unbeaten Felix Klinkhammer, who has since been injured. The division’s number one is undefeated in OKTAGON and has eight finishes inside 100 seconds. In Szczecin, after almost two years out of the cage, he put former champion Ion Surdu down in the very first round. The shot at the belt goes to UFC veteran Jessin “Abacus” Ayari (19-6) from nearby Nuremberg. In an ironic twist, he was supposed to fight Klinkhammer himself in July, only to pull out injured. Ayari is 2-0 in OKTAGON. In 2012 he beat Kerim Engizek, and nine of his wins have come by submission, while Gogoladze has never lost by submission. Will the Sniper live up to his number-one status and take the belt, or will Ayari, seventeen years into his career, win the title just down the road from home?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1563"></oktfightcomponent><h2>RONALD PARADEISER VS. TYRONE PFEIFER</h2><p>Legend versus German rocket. Former lightweight champion Ronald “Rony” Paradeiser (23-11) steps in for a record 25th OKTAGON fight. No one in the organisation’s history has more wins (17) or knockdowns (11). The Slovak, however, arrives on a two-fight skid, after losing to Kaik Brito in a welterweight title fight and to Jack Grant in Bratislava. Tyrone Pfeifer (8-1), on the other hand, rides a three-fight win streak. He finished Marek Bartl on his OKTAGON debut and beat former UFC fighter Niklas Stolze in Berlin in just 22 seconds. Will Rony snap his losing streak, or will Pfeifer claim the biggest scalp of his career?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1505"></oktfightcomponent><h2>LAZAR TODEV VS. SIMON BIYONG</h2><p>The heavyweights offer a true test of durability. Neither Bulgarian “Punisher” Lazar Todev (14-7) nor his opponent has ever lost by KO. The two-time title challenger and division number one has won three in a row since his loss to Will Fleury, most recently beating Martin Buday in Bratislava. He now enters the yellow-and-black cage for the ninth time, more than any other heavyweight in OKTAGON history. Simon “Hemlé” Biyong (12-6), a Cameroon native representing Italy, studied fine art, and his nickname means “Lion Heart” in his native dialect. He has gained experience in RIZIN, Bellator and the PFL, and in Hannover he dropped Olympian Yevhenii Orlov with a left hook in the first round. Will the artist with dynamite in his hands prevail, or will the “Punisher” take another step towards a title shot?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1501"></oktfightcomponent><h2>GÖKHAN AKSU VS. RENE RUNGE</h2><p>A late change and a new opponent for one of the most feared strikers at lightweight. Gökhan “Abinator” Aksu (14-7-1) was set to face Niko Samsonidse, but Samsonidse got injured and experienced German Rene Runge (14-8-1) has stepped in. The bout will take place at a catchweight of 73 kilograms. The lightweight number two has won all fourteen of his fights inside the distance and knocked out Denis Frimpong at the SAP Garden last November. The Turkish fighter trains in nearby Rosenheim and last fought for the belt in Berlin, eventually losing to Mateusz Legierski in the first round. Runge is a former We Love MMA lightweight champion, has been fighting professionally for almost ten years and finished his opponent in the first round at the end of August. Will the debutant seize the chance of a lifetime, or will Aksu add another finish and stake his claim to another title shot?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1564"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MICHAEL DEIGA-SCHECK VS. LUKÁŠ CHOTĚNOVSKÝ</h2><p>Munich’s matador is back. Michael “Vivo” Deiga-Scheck (11-8) has built a strong fan base in the Bavarian capital. He has years of K-1 and Muay Thai fights behind him and now runs his own gym in the city. He lost his last fight to Teo Smith right here in Munich, and that is not how he wanted to say goodbye to his career. The home veteran comes in on a three-fight losing streak, this time at bantamweight. Across the cage stands Lukáš Chotěnovský (8-3), a training partner of Patrik Kincl who works as a graphic designer outside the cage. In Szczecin he weathered a fierce onslaught from the favoured Michał Hawro and choked him out with an RNC in the third round. Will the hometown fighter end his losing streak in front of his own fans, or will Chotěnovský leave Munich with another valuable scalp?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1523"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MAREK BARTL VS. BRIAN MANNING</h2><p>A banger at middleweight. Marek Bartl (17-16) is a living OKTAGON legend. He was the very first man ever to step into the yellow-and-black cage and has both a Knockout and a Submission of the Year to his name. You won’t find a boring fight on his résumé. Last time out in Bratislava, he stopped Jozef Wittner. Brian Manning (6-1) has quickly become one of the division’s most prominent names thanks to his entertaining walkouts, sharp tongue and hard-hitting finishes. All six of his wins came inside the distance, but in Bratislava he lost for the first time as a pro when Robert Pukač beat him by decision and exposed the holes in his game. Will the Irish showman strike back after his Bratislava stumble, or will the experienced Bartl teach him another lesson?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1498"></oktfightcomponent><h2>ENDRIT BRAJSHORI VS. CHRISTIAN MACH</h2><p>The welterweights bring a clash between a lightning-fast finisher and a debutant eager to erase an old loss in Munich. Endrit Brajshori (6-2) trains in Rosenheim alongside Gökhan Aksu, and his last two OKTAGON fights lasted a combined 2:28. He knocked out Jan Malach in 93 seconds and choked out Petr Bartoněk in 55. Now he takes on debutant Christian Mach (10-5) from the Planet Eater team. Mach arrives with BRAVE CF experience and two straight finishes, including a hard KO of Enrique Marín. The catch? Aksu knocked him out in 65 seconds back in 2022. Will Mach shake off the shadow of the past, or will Aksu’s teammate hand him a similar ending?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1530"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HENRIQUE MADUREIRA VS. DANIEL SCHORDJE</h2><p>The featherweights offer a duel between a master of unexpected submissions and a man who has yet to taste defeat in OKTAGON. Brazilian “Mad Max” Henrique Madureira (10-7) wrote himself into the history books at the SAP Garden when, hanging upside down, he locked in the only standing triangle in the organisation’s history and won the 2025 Submission of the Year award. He returns to Munich on a winning streak, most recently beating Jonatan Kujawa in Szczecin. Daniel “Bad Moon” Schordje (10-1-1) from Graz is a champion of a Hungarian promotion and has never lost by TKO or submission. In OKTAGON he has beaten Závičák and drawn with Karol Ryšavý. Will Madureira find another way out of an impossible position, or will the Austrian prove that losing is not in his vocabulary?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1502"></oktfightcomponent><h2>HAFENI NAFUKA VS. IVAN KLEVETS</h2><p>A new addition to the card and a duel between two men linked by a common opponent. Hometown fighter Hafeni “The Namibian Nightmare” Nafuka (12-5) from Munich Allstars is one of the most dangerous grapplers in his division. The German with Namibian roots started combat sports at the age of twelve and has submission wins over Kevin Enz and Matěj Kuzník in OKTAGON. Last time out, at Štvanice in Prague, he lost a three-round decision to Tomáš Mudroch. Ukrainian European sambo champion Ivan Klevets (5-3) racked up 89 wins in the amateur ranks and represents MMA Monster and PriMMAt Gym. At Štvanice he knocked out none other than Enz in the first round, the same Enz whom Nafuka had choked out in the opening round last year. The bout will be contested at a catchweight of 72 kilograms. Will Nafuka make up for his Štvanice loss in front of the home crowd, or will Klevets extend his winning streak?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1565"></oktfightcomponent><h2>KEVIN HANGS VS. BURAK KIZILIRMAK</h2><p>A return after three years and eight months. Kevin “Alpha” Hangs (15-9) made his OKTAGON debut in 2023 right here in Munich, where Marek Bartl stopped him by TKO in the first round. The former footballer, who only took up MMA at 27, has gone 7-2 since then and returns to the yellow-and-black cage determined to make up for that failed debut. He faces debutant Burak Kizilirmak (12-3) from Vienna’s MT Gym 23. Ronald Paradeiser knows that name well. In 2016, Kizilirmak choked him out with a guillotine when the then 18-year-old Slovak was having only his third professional fight. Will Hangs show that he returns to OKTAGON a better fighter, or will Kizilirmak prove he belongs on the big stage?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1529"></oktfightcomponent><h2>MARAT NESSAR VS. ABDULMALIK ALIEV</h2><p>The night kicks off with a clash of two debutants who have just two professional fights between them. Marat Nessar (1-0) is a social media star with more than 550,000 followers on TikTok, and in August in Magdeburg he finished his professional debut with elbows in the first round. Facing him is 21-year-old Abdulmalik Aliev (1-0) from Vienna, the youngest fighter on the card. He choked out his opponent in the first round of his BRAVE CF debut and now returns to the cage after two years. Will Nessar prove that his popularity carries over into the cage, or will Aliev spoil his yellow-and-black premiere?</p><oktfightcomponent fightid="1508"></oktfightcomponent><p></p><p><strong>Halloween in Munich promises a night to remember. OKTAGON 96 erupts on 31 October at the SAP Garden and brings a card packed with finishers, legends and new faces. Don’t miss the crowning of a new welterweight champion and be there live in the arena. Get your tickets via the link below.</strong></p><okteventcomponent eventid="138"></okteventcomponent>

The yellow-and-black juggernaut is celebrating Halloween in Bavaria. OKTAGON 96 erupts on 31 October at Munich’s SAP Garden and delivers a fight for the vacant welterweight throne, with a UFC veteran from nearby Nuremberg stepping in at the last minute.

MUNICH CARD FIGHT BY FIGHT: A HALLOWEEN BATTLE FOR THE VACANT THRONE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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