Oktagon 62 Preview; Massive Stadium Show, Fleury Returns

Europe once again puts other continents to shame with the biggest show of the year going down this Saturday. Oktagon 62 is filling out the 58,000 capacity Deutsche Bank Park, the home of Bundesliga football team Eintracht Frankfurt. The German crowds bring the noise and we should see an unbelievable spectacle. There are eleven contests on the card, including two title fights.

The main event features the biggest battle of Christians in Germany since Martin Luther posted his theses on the church door in Wittenberg, beginning the Protestant Reformation. In one corner we have Christian Eckerlin (16-6), a former football player who came through the academy in nearby Darmstadt. The 37-year-old was born in Erbach, about an hour outside of Frankfurt and will have massive support in the crowd. The German has won nine of his last eleven, and will make his sixth walk under the Oktagon banner. He’s a good wrestler with a wicked submission game, and has an effective boxing style on the feet. 88% of his wins have come via finish. In the other corner we have Christian Jungwirth (15-8), another massive crowd favourite. The 37-year-old is tough as nails and has heart for days. The Stuttgart man has absolutely no qualms about getting into a bloody war. “The Kelt” likes to let his fists do the talking, and turn it into a war of attrition. His key to victory is to make this an ugly brawl. Only one can be the King of Germany, and I’m picking Eckerlin to be crowned.

The OKMMA Middleweight Championship is on the line in the co-main event. Patrik Kincl (28-10) recently re-signed with the promotion following a four-fight undefeated streak, and makes his fourth defence of his title here. The Czech is one of Europe’s best operators and has a lethal kickboxing game. “The Inspector” has won nine of his last ten, with the only blemish coming against the great Roberto Soldić. The 35-year-old has good grappling to complement his beautiful striking, and has seven finishes by submission. The challenger is Kerim Engizek (20-4), a highly rated talent training out of Düsseldorf in the much lauded UFD Gym. Born in Germany with Turkish heritage, he’s had a flawless start to life with Oktagon with two knockout wins in the very first round. The 33-year-old has a fan friendly style and has picked up titles whichever promotion he’s in. Power is his biggest weapon, he also has a wicked kickboxing game and his submissions are not to be sniffed at. The aforementioned Mr. Soldić is a training partner of Engizek. This is his biggest step up to date and he’ll be eager to show he belongs at the top of the table. Kincl’s skill and experience should be enough to stave off another foe.

A couple of European veterans are next on deck. Max Coga (26-8-1) is another local that will have very vocal support on the night. A veteran of the PFL, Brave CF and M-1 Global, there’s very little the German hasn’t seen. “Mad Max” is an exciting fighter who is always looking to finish. The 35-year-old has an eclectic style and he can utilise his fine striking game or his grappling expertise to end proceedings. The strength of opposition he’s faced is up there with the toughest on the continent. Antun Račić (27-11-1) makes the leap up to lightweight and is looking to dust off the cobwebs after being out for over a year through injury. Born in the beautiful Dubrovnik, the Croat is a former KSW bantamweight champion and trains out of the UFD Gum in Düsseldorf with Soldić et al. The 34-year-old is a hard nosed striker who can go the full fifteen right in your face. “Killer” has half his wins via submission, with many lethal chokes in his bag of tricks. If he’s not subbing you, he’s likely causing you trouble on the way to a decision. Coga has a weight and height advantage here, so I’m edging that direction.

Nico Samsonidse (10-3) makes his first appearance of 2024. The Berliner made a name for himself on the local scene before transferring to one of Europe’s top promotions. The 29-year-old came up short to Losene Keita last time out, however 99.99% of opponents would suffer the same fate, such is the level of the man. The German has a nice blend of striking and grappling, and he loves taking the back and sinking in a choke. On the feet, beware of his powerful punching. Daniel Torres (15-6) is a former KSW lightweight champion. Born in Brazil, he trains out of neighbouring Austria. “Tucanão” is also looking to bounce back from defeat, losing to Rony Paradeiser in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament in the summer. The 30-year-old has a beautiful, technical striking style that’ll cause you fits for the duration. Seven of his wins were via knockout. I can see his classy style leading the way to victory here.

Next up are the big boys, aiming to swing bungalows to earn a shot at the belt. This is a rematch of an April 2023 bout between the pair, with Lazar Todev (10-6) getting his arm raised via unanimous decision that night. The Bulgarian has won eight of his last nine, and has dabbled in pro kickboxing in between. “The Punisher” is dubbed as such due to his ability to knock anyone’s lights out with one fell swoop. Seven of his opponents felt the wrath of his fists and couldn’t continue. Adam Pałasz (9-3) is a similar type of fellow, causing more blackouts than Polish vodka. “Adaś z Jawora” will march across that cage with ill intent, aiming for the head. Like his opponent, seven of his wins have come from sending his opponent into the land of wind and ghosts. Revenge is on the menu here in my view.

Rounding out the main card is über prospect Max Holzer (8-0). “Stifler” has blazed through his opponents to date, six of which he’s choked out using various techniques from multiple angles. The 22-year-old is red hot and has passed test after test as he ascends the ladder. The German is one to watch, the best time to get onto the bandwagon is now. Mohammed Sadok Trabelsi (12-7) trains out of Munich. The 28-year-old makes his promotional debut following performing for local GMC and NFC, as well as in Brave CF. The German is a tough striker who will be coming forward every second of the fight. Five wins have come via knockout with a further five coming by decision. I’ll go with Holzer via submission.

The prelims are headlined by the OKMMA Strawweight Championship bout. Katharina Dalisda (11-3) defends her crown for the second time and she fights out of Frankfurt. The 33-year-old is predominantly a gritty striker who loves to box up their opponents. The German employs intelligent game plans and has a great guillotine to discourage challengers trying to take her down. She’s in the form of her life with six wins in-a-row. One of those victories was against the blue corner’s Mallory Martin (9-6). The American once again crosses the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of gold. The 30-year-old is a UFC, Invicta and LFA veteran and trains at high altitude in Denver. Wrestling is her strongest skill and where she needs to focus on during the fight. She has the cardio to go five hard rounds with the grappling. The first fight only had three rounds, so this mixes things up a bit. That said, Dalisda by decision again for me.

Mochamed Machaev (14-2) is a “small but mighty” type of guy. A veteran of the legendary XFN promotion in Czechia, the Austrian has also competed for Brave CF and UAE Warriors. The 24-year-old is a tricky striker with half his wins coming via knockout. “The Beast” has a lower centre of gravity which he uses to add extra spice to his power. He’s looking to bounce back after losing in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament to Acoidan Duque in a close decision. That was his first loss since 2021 and the young man is improving all the time. James Hendin (9-2) is a former Cage Warriors title challenger who had a great promotional debut in April, a knockout win over Oktagon mainstay Jakub Dohnal. The 26-year-old was born in Viersen, Germany and he trains out of Team Fish Tank in northern England. There are very few fighters as exciting as “The Honeybadger”. We should be set for an all-action offence, with fists flying and submissions being attempted. This will be close, I’d side with Machaev in a tight decision.

Will Fleury (12-3) brings his massive personality to the big stage as he marches towards a title showdown. The Tipperary man has great physical strength and he uses that power to control opponents wherever the fight goes. The 35-year-old is very heavy in top positions and loves to land bludgeoning blows. The Irishman has six wins on-the-bounce and is very comfortable in himself and his style. Pavol Langer (13-10) is a former OKMMA interim champion and will have a couple of inches of height advantage. The Slovakian has won four of his last five, and is a well rounded individual with an even split of finishes between knockout and submission. I expect Will to try and put him on his back and use his ground and pound for the win.

Another elite prospect is set to shine early on the prelims. Hafeni Nafuka (9-1) was defeated for the first time last March in the opening round of the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament. Born in Germany of Namibian heritage, the young man bounced back with aplomb by submitting Giorgi Gogotchuri in the first round in May. The “Nightmare” is exquisite on the deck, has slick submissions and loves to use ground and pound. He’s explosive and powerful. Arijan Topallaj (7-0-1) is another highly touted talent training out of Germany. The Albanian is a ruthless finisher, mostly via knockout. The 25-year-old is good at getting it to the mat where he utilises massive ground and pound, and where he can search for his patented anaconda choke. Another toss up, I would slightly favour Nafuka.

You know it’s a big show when Deniz Ilbay (6-1) is tasked with opening the card, airing free on YouTube. The German switched codes to MMA following a successful boxing career. Since strapping on the smaller gloves, he’s shown a knack for grappling, mostly using ground and pound to brutalise opponents, but also to throw in some submissions. The 29-year-old likes to finish things early and is very aggressive at looking to get opponents out of there. Michael Deiga-Scheck (11-5) is a well rounded veteran who has dabbled in boxing recently. The Brazilian born German has big power in his hands, and a flashy submission game where he can whip out fancy techniques such as Americanas. His striking defence is where things have gone wrong for him in the past and that’s where I expect Ilbay to exploit to get the win.

Oktagon 62 is live from Frankfurt on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv and DAZN.