The journey to European dominance has been nothing short of spectacular for Oktagon MMA, and there’s much more to come, with the organisation making several huge announcements at their yearly press conference — Oktagon Time.
On December 9 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, the promotion celebrated its historic 50th show with a dominant performance from Losene Keita, who rendered Niko Samsonidse unconscious to claim featherweight gold.
In a night filled with excitement and explosive knockouts, 12,500 fans sat in awe, immersing themselves in the sensational atmosphere the company has become renowned for creating.
However, Oktagon’s road to success wasn’t achieved overnight, with Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotný giving everything in their power to build events that give fans memories that will last a lifetime.
In their first 50 shows, they’ve given the world, ‘The Fight of the Century’ in the form of Karlos Vemola vs Attila Végh, outsold the UFC in Germany and created the world’s first MMA mascot, a charismatic gorilla named Gogi. But rather than rest on the laurels of their remarkable achievements, the pair of promoters are dead set on going even bigger, making several massive announcements at the press conference the day prior to last week’s epic event.
1) TIPSPORT GAMECHANGER 2024
The first season of the TipSport Gamechanger has revolutionised the sport of MMA, solidifying its place as the ‘Champions League of MMA’. With double knockdowns, crushing finishes and monumental upsets, the likes of David Kozma, Christian Jungwirth and Alex Lohore have all fallen by the wayside to make way for the two warriors who’ll compete for a whopping €300,000.
On December 29 in Prague, Czech Republic, at Oktagon 51, Bojan Veličković and Andreas Michailidis will go toe-to-toe in a battle that fight enthusiasts can’t wait for. And next year, the promotion will do it all over again with the announcement of a new competition at lightweight.
READ MORE: FROM PRISON TO A 2X OKTAGON CHAMPION — THE LOSENE KEITA STORY
The field looks nothing short of excellent, with 155-pound champion, Ronald Paradeiser, and Birmingham brawler, ‘The Jedi’ Akonne Wanliss, already confirmed.
Confirmed participants in the 2024 Lightweight €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger:
- Ronald Paradeiser (17-8) representing Slovakia
- Makwan Amirkhani (17-9) representing Finland
- Akonne Wanliss (7-2) representing England
- Predrag Bogdanović (14-1) representing Serbia
- Acoidan Duque (19-4, 1NC) representing Spain
- Mohamed Machaev (13-1, 1NC) representing Austria
- Daniel Torres (14-5, 2NC) representing Austria
- Miloš Janičić (16-3) representing Montenegro
- Marcel Grabinski (23-9) representing Germany
- Konrad Dyrschka (16-2, 1NC) representing Germany
- Mateusz Legierski (10-1) representing Poland
- Vladimír Lengál (6-1) representing Czech Republic
Karlos Vemola vs Attila Vegh 2 – Eden Stadium
In 2019, fans watched in shock as Attila Vegh knocked Karlos Vemola out cold in possibly the most significant moment in Oktagon history. And now, four years on, ‘The Terminator’ will finally get his shot at redemption.
Inside the stunning 27,000-seater The Fortuna / Eden Arena, which hosts popular football club, Slavia Prague, the pair will battle it out in a bid to settle their rivalry once and for all.
Oktagon Pound-for-Pound rankings
After a tough deliberation period, the media made their votes, selecting Patrik Kincl as the number one P4P fighter in Oktagon MMA. However, after an emphatic showing at Oktagon 50, many believe Losene Keita will rocket up the rankings and take the number one spot.
Other notable names include Vemola and heavyweight King, Hatef Moeil, who bagged the other two spots on the podium. In addition, Katharina Dalidsa, the only female on the list, secured fourth place, and Oktagon legend, David Kozma, sneaked in at the number 10 position.
Oktagon introduce Open-Scoring
With the world regularly complaining about horrific judging, trailblazers, Oktagon MMA, will introduce open-scoring in a bid to ensure that their promotion is the fairest in the sport.
Furthermore, not only will this hopefully eradicate poor judging, but will also add huge jeopardy to the fights. Picture the idea of Vemola and Vegh tied 2-2 going into the fifth, both knowing they need to make a statement to win the bout — it’s the stuff dreams are made of.
Featured Image Credit: Oktagon MMA