Oktagon 69 Preview; Holzer v Ilbay

Oktagon brings their big production west once again this Saturday, heading into the German industrial heartland of Metropolregion Rhein-Ruhr. Oktagon 69 goes down in Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle, with eleven fights on deck to delight the crowd.

Max Holzer (10-0) is one of the brightest prospects in European MMA. The colourful 23-year-old has magnetic charisma and has been a tour-de-force in the promotion. The German is a whizz in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game, and a master of the choke techniques. His wrestling is strong, with mean ground and pound, and he can handle himself on the feet. Watch out for his epic entrance. Deniz Ilbay (8-1) is slightly further ahead in his martial arts journey. The Cologne man started out in boxing, and has transitioned extremely well to the small gloves. The UFD Gym man of course has heavy and accurate punches, however his takedown ability surprises everyone. The 30-year-old loves to be on top, smashing away at ground and pound and making you quit. On the feet, he mixes levels well and rips to the body frequently, depleting gas tanks on the regular.

In the co-main event, there is an influencer fight. “Flying” Uwe Schüder (1-1) is a web video producer, entrepreneur and had a stint as a pro back in 2019. The German has a big following across the socials, significantly on Twitch and Instagram. Back when he fought for GMC, he was known for his powerful striking style. Ediz Tasci (debut), aka “Der Breite (translates to “the width”)”, has no professional experience to speak of. The German is a content creator on Twitch and YouTube, where he picks up a lot of views with his gaming videos. Whilst popular across the nation online, his fighting prowess will remain a mystery until Saturday.

Khalid Tafa (14-5) is a UFC veteran who has also competed for Rizin and Brave CF in the past. The German born with Lebanese heritage is looking to make a big impression with his heavy handed striking game. The 32-year-old is a fast starter who flies out of the gates looking to knock your block off. He’s got a serviceable submission game. Jose Zarauz (26-10-1) is a dangerous gun for hire, usually fighting his home games in FFC in his native country. The Peruvian is game and always comes ready for a three-round battle. The 31-year-old has no fear and will stand and trade with the best of them, lacking a little heat in his fists. Attrition is his main weapon, and he’s only losing to very good competition such as UFC fighters David Martinez, Esteban Ribovics and former FEN/Combate champ Frans Mlambo.

Fedor Duric (7-0) is another hot prospect coming out of Deutschland. The Frankfurt man has a nice well rounded game, starting life as a pro with a lot of BJJ success. In recent times, he’s shown a dangerous striking acumen. The 20-year-old has faced a high calibre of opponent so far in his career, with none tougher than he’ll face on Saturday night. Pedrag Bogdanović (16-2) cut his teeth in the Serbian Battle Championship, and has only been felled by Losene Keita and Will Brooks since competing at a bigger level, high quality foes. The Novi Sad man has a wicked wrestling game, strong and powerful on top, prefers position over submission, but will pounce on any mistake and utilise his choke game. He’s got Balkan bravery on the feet and isn’t afraid to throw his strikes, although he only has a couple of knockout wins.

Gjoni Palokaj (10-3) has had a great start to life in Oktagon, scoring a hat trick of decision wins. Born in Germany of Albanian heritage, he’s a big threat on the feet where he loves to get into the pocket and swing. The Hannover man can boast as being the only person to beat Islam Dulatov, and he’s as tough as an old boot. Marko Novák (6-1) is on a four-fight win streak, including three under the Oktagon banner. One of Slovakia’s biggest hopes, he has competed in pro kickboxing and Muay Thai, however all of his finishes in MMA have involved his wrestling getting it to the mat, and then ending it with submission or ground and pound. He’s tough and durable, and will dig in and trade shots for fifteen minutes if he needs to.

Jorick Montagnac (6-2) is the type of man that if he’d existed during the Renaissance period, every city would have a statue of him. The Frenchman is a mean and explosive striker who’s yet to find the kill switch regularly. When it clicks for the 31-year-old, let the bodies hit the floor. Frederic Vosgöne (3-0) never looks like a man who has much joy in his life, and his style wants to make your day miserable as well. The German is a grappling specialist, and he has a habit of snatching your legs for kneebars and heel hooks. He’s no one trick pony and doesn’t discriminate, he’ll sink in that arm triangle to make you nap too.

Mohamed Grabiński (23-11) is a man in need of a win after coming up short in a couple of Tipsport Gamechanger tournaments, and also in a few close decisions lately. The German is a very talented individual who just needs to get the engine back running, and he has to get his impressive striking game rolling where he poses a knockout threat. He’s at his most dangerous early and he tries to end things quickly, and if his punches don’t do it, he can fall back on his submission game. Karol Skrzypek (11-3) has won his last six bouts and comes in from TFL in his nation’s regional scene. The Pole is a mean striker who loves to get in closer and to clinch where can utilise his brutal knees and elbows. In the open waters, he’s got a savage punch in his locker. To sum him up in one word, violence.

Lucie Pudilová (15-11) continues to show huge bravery in the face of personal tragedy and she’s looking to get back in the win column under the Oktagon banner. The Czech is a hard nosed striker who goes into battle for the full fifteen minutes, using every technique of her kickboxing background. The UFC veteran competes at every grappling competition possible, sharpening her submission tools. The 30-year-old is a very tough competitor and does tend to fight to the level of her opponents, leading to some close fights. Brittney Cloudy (6-5) is an Invicta and LFA veteran with a good amateur career to match her pro record. The American travels to Germany for the first time and is a well rounded martial artist who will fancy her chances in striking with her power, and also offers a submission threat. It’s hard to finish at this level in this division.

Karol Ryšavý (13-8) is one of Oktagon’s most fan favourite journeymen, making his eighteenth walk under the promotional banner. The man named “Bomby” tries to practise what he preaches by removing senses from opponents with his strikes. The 32-year-old Slovakian also has a submission game should he choose to use it. Eugen Black-Dell (10-7) was on a three-fight win streak before running into Max Holzer in his Oktagon debut, this man is a former amateur champion who is a streaky fighter. The German is very well rounded and can win anywhere, he just needs to get his game working early on and start to use his strikes to dictate where he wants to play the game out.

Aaron Aby (16-10-1) has one of the most inspiring stories in MMA, a man diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child, and battling testicular cancer (check them gentlemen) as an adult. The Welshman is an all-action fighter with a desire to get things to the ground. The Wrexham man can go fifteen minutes easily on the feet, however he wants things on the mat where he can use his submissions. He’s very tough and durable. Mohammed Walid (7-4) is a newcomer making his first appearance for the promotion. The Kurd sometimes trains out of Dortmund, amongst other notable places like Aurora MMA  in Rome. The 30-year-old is a grappling specialist to some degree in two ways, the first is that he can dominate in back takes, and the second in that he has a mean guillotine if your takedown is sloppy. He’s got a little bit of pop on his punches.

The free YouTube prelim is usually a bit of fun, and Saturday should be no different. David Hošek (11-6-1) is a KSW veteran and makes his eighth walk in the Oktagon gloves. The Czech is known for his striking, with big power on his punches. The Renegade man starts quickly, and he’s finished most of his fights within the first couple of rounds. Aleksandar Stefanovic (5-6) has been doing this since 2006, however maybe his record isn’t doing him justice. The German’s last loss was in 2011, a totally different time, and he’s undefeated in four fights since December 2023, when he returned to MMA after a twelve year layoff. The Serbian trains out of nearby Düsseldorf and he is decently well rounded.

Oktagon 69 is live from Dortmund on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.