With Oktagon MMA ready to celebrate their historic 50th show, Akonne Wanliss, is debating hopping on a flight to catch Ronald Paradeiser vs Ivan Buchinger 2 in person.
Blessed with lightning kicks, powerful punches and palpable charisma exhibited through his amusing Star Wars-themed antics, ‘The Jedi’ has all the makings of a future champion. But he’ll have to wait for his shot at gold, as on December 9, it will be Paradeiser and Buchinger, trading leather for the biggest prize in the promotion on a massive card in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
With an unrelenting will to reach the top, Wanliss will make sure he’s watching, with the hope of fighting the winner at the forefront of his mind. However, there’s one man he wants in particular — Buchinger.
Possessing a solid knowledge of the market, the Brit knows all too well that a victory over the Slovakian hero would cement his status as a British MMA legend. But he’s not overly confident that the former champion has what it takes to overcome his rival.
Akonne Wanliss gives his Paradeiser vs Ivan Buchinger prediction
Wanliss said: “They’ve fought before once, and Paradeiser got submitted. I remember that being quite a shock to me when I watched the fight.
“Buchinger has a lot of good skills; he is definitely someone that I want to fight before he retires. So I hope he does become the champion and he doesn’t decide to call it a day before I get the chance to fight him.
“He’s a legend of the game. He’s fought Conor McGregor. So, I want to go out there and test my skills out there against him and really climb the ranks.”
The lightweight continued: “He is definitely someone that has been on my radar for a while. But Paradeiser is another interesting stylistic match-up with me; both very long, both like to mix it up on the feet. I want to take them both out. I want to build, bit by bit up the rankings. No one is getting left off my hit list.
“I feel the fight between them two will show how much Paradeiser has grown since that first fight. Buchinger might be on the decline, even though he has had some great results at this stage of his career. Being honest, I just feel like Paradeiser has shown everyone what he can do. He will get the decision victory in the end.
“There may be knockdowns on both sides, with plenty of good grappling and I’m just leaning towards Paradeiser.”
When will Akonne Wanliss fight next?
With his last fight ending via No-Contest in just 25 seconds, after he accidentally landed a knee to Jakub Bahnik’s groin, Wanliss is chomping at the bit to jump back in the cage to showcase his skills.
And with Oktagon MMA returning to the UK for a massive event at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle on January 27, the Birmingham brawler has his sights set on a night on the Toon.
He beamed: “Every time OKTAGON comes to England, I want to be on the card – unless it is seven times a year! I’ll go to Newcastle, come back to Manchester or Birmingham. I hope I can headline one of those with OKTAGON.
“I’ve heard some amazing rumours about what is coming in the future for the UK. I am so excited by it. There is so much to be excited about with OKTAGON MMA and especially in the lightweight division.”
Tickets can be purchased for Oktagon 52 in Newcastle by following this link: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/oktagon-52-newcastle-upon-tyne-27-01-2024/event/1F005F75B887423E
Featured Image Credit: Oktagon MMA
