Fighter bounces Jaffa Cakes off opponent’s head after epic Star Wars entrance — Akonne Wanliss shines at Oktagon 56

When Akonne Wanliss threatened to bounce a Jaffa Cake off his opponent’s head at Oktagon 56, nobody realised he was actually serious.

When ‘The Jedi’ got the opportunity to battle it out with his ultimate rival in front of his hometown crowd at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, he knew he had to seize his opportunity to make an impression that the fans would never forget.

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Initially, the Englishman and his nemesis Sahil Siraj, were scheduled to battle it out in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in a match-up that caught the imagination of MMA enthusiasts across the globe.

Alas, when two of the Swede’s coaches took issue with Wanliss’ Jaffa Cake-related threats at the press conference on the day before the fight, they attacked him, leaving the victim in no state to compete.

However, determined to complete the story, Oktagon promoters, Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotný hastily rearranged the bout for their third trip to the UK. And it played into Wanliss’ hands.

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Exhibiting his inner performer, Wanliss stood the hairs on the spectators’ arms on edge, walking towards the cage with a breathtaking lightsabre, sending anticipation for the bout through the roof.

And then, in just 38 seconds into the first round, the Star Wars fanatic landed a left hook that sent shockwaves through the mixed martial arts community. But the show wasn’t over yet. Like he always promised he would, Wanliss jumped on the cage and started launching Jaffa Cakes in Siraj’s direction.

Akonne Wanliss revelled in embracing his love of Star Wars

Having advanced to the quarter-finals of the €1,000,000 Tipsport Gamechanger tournament in front of his friends and family in style, the Birmingham brawler really couldn’t have asked for anything more.

At the post-fight press conference, he told Sporf: “It was more than I envisioned. I got mobbed when I came out of the cage. It was absolutely spectacular. To be able to walk out as the true Jedi, not have my clothes ripped off me before going out. I retired from stripping a while ago now; I’m trying not to strip anymore. In Manchester, they wanted me to see Galaxy comeback, and I was like, ‘No, it’s Jedi time’.”

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He continued: “I’m happy. I hope everyone enjoyed the performance. I bring something new every time I walk to the cage. I feel like Oktagon loves to build stories, and it’s not hard to build a story around me. It’s a great partnership, and I look forward to more.

“That KO was amazing. This guy has had around 80 fights, and I don’t think he’s ever been knocked out clean like that before. That was a lightsabre straight to the chin. Enough said. Mic drop.”

Featured Image Credit: Oktagon MMA

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