Oktagon 88 Preview: Holzer v Taha

Oktagon is back on German soil this Saturday. The ZAG Arena in Hannover will host Oktagon 88, with ten bouts on deck.

Max Holzer (11-0) is one of the stars of the Oktagon European expansion. The Hannover man is a white hot young talent, and he’s got a great personality to match his skills. The 24-year-old has picked up five wins in the promotion to date, and his stand-out is his grappling game. The German is a fantastic wrestler with a wicked submission game, predominantly winning via the rear naked choke. This man is heading for the top. Khalid Taha (16-5) is a UFC veteran who picked up a pair of promotional wins since joining in April of last year. The 33-year-old is more of the striking persuasion, notching up eleven knockout wins. The Warendorf man has a cannon of a right hand and if it lands, it generally brings an end to the proceedings. The German throws wicked knees and elbows, and he’ll be looking to come over the top with a big hook.

Simon Biyong (11-6) is a Rizin, PFL and Bellator veteran looking for his first Oktagon win, losing his promotional debut last October by decision. The Italian is a knockout artist and an extremely fast starter. The 35-year-old uses his elbows and punches to bludgeon opponents, and he’s picked up eight knockout wins to date. He was a champion over in Africa for EFC. Evgeny Orlov (9-1) trains out of the Renegade gym in Prague and returns to the promotion for the first time since his defeat to Martin Buday in 2019. The Ukrainian comes from a Greco Roman wrestling background and he was the IAF heavyweight champion. The 37-year-old has finished all of his wins, with seven coming via his fists for knockouts, and a further two via submission, tapping out opponents with a shoulder choke and an arm triangle. We’re dealing with seconds with this man, not minutes.

Hugo Vach (7-1) is positioning himself as a top name on the scene. The “German Tarzan” won both his promotional bouts to date, and he will be a hometown favourite. The Hannover man likes to do his work on the feet, carrying a knockout threat with his punches and elbows. The 26-year-old has good movement, nice footwork and four knockout wins in his pocket. Teo Saldana Smith (5-1) is an FNC and WOW veteran, and he made a big impression with a huge elbow knockout win in the first round last November. The Swiss has had a lot of success on the feet in recent times, using his kickboxing to get the job done. The Geneva man has a good wrestling base with a wicked rear naked choke, and he loves to include ground and pound in his grappling.

Altin Zenuni (3-0) already has a hat trick of wins in the promotion and has a lot of amateur experience, competing thirty times before turning pro. The IMMAF veteran was a national champion at that level, and he is one of the brightest prospects in the UFD Gym in Düsseldorf. The German has a very good grappling game, utilising many chokes to get the tap out, with his speciality being the D’arce. His ground and pound ends fights. Dawid Jarowienko (3-0) is a new name on the scene. The Pole trains out of Portsmouth in England and has had all his pro career in the Shock n’ Awe promotion. The “Polish Tank” is strong on the feet and has a lot of pop on his punches. The second round has been his strongest round so far, picking up two knockout wins.

Christian Draxler (20-9) makes his promotional debut and is a veteran of Vendetta, ACA and GMC. The Austrian is a submission expert, running through opponents with his rear naked choke. Other successful techniques include a guillotine, heel hook and arm triangle. Fifteen of his victories have come via tap out. Daniel Makin (10-16) was a regular on the WE LOVE MMA scene and he’s one of those guys whose record doesn’t tell the full story. The German has won eight of his last nine, and he won two titles on the regional circuit. The Langenhagen man has a Thai boxing background, however it’s his grappling game that’s put him on the right track. He has big ground and pound, and is a fan of using the arm triangle and RNC.

Ivana Petrović (7-4) is a former ARES champion and two-time amateur Cage Warriors title holder. The Croatian was born and still trains in Norway and she is a UFC veteran. The 31-year-old is a very good operator on the mat, brutalising opponents with ground and pound. She has a nice rear naked choke and arm triangle. Danielle Mistelli (5-4) shocked the world by beating Sara Luzar Smajić in February 2025. The Swiss woman has won her last four bouts and is a submission player. The “Housewife” has tapped out four opponents so far, and will be looking to surprise everyone again this time out.

Justin Detzel (2-0) is a hometown fighter and makes his Oktagon debut after impressing on the GMC scene. The Hannover man is tall and showed some good kickboxing early in his amateur career, scoring a pair of knockouts. As a professional, it’s his work on the mat that has earned victories. He utilised ground and pound well in his debut, and followed it up with a RNC win in December. Mate Kola (1-0) comes in from Infinitus and doesn’t have an amateur career to speak of. The Berlin man’s sole MMA appearance was a second round knockout win, using his big punches to secure the victory.

Haci Akseker (3-0) is another fighter on the card without an amateur background. The German turned pro in November and has packed a lot of living into his career since. All three bouts ended the same way, using his punches to score a hat trick of first round knockouts. Raphael Federico (5-2) has trained in SBG Ireland and he was unsuccessful in his first two Oktagon bouts. The Italian IMMAF veteran is a good striker with plenty of power, earning him a title in Lutador de Elite. On the mat, his ground and pound is dangerous and his submission game is serviceable.

Imran Daurbekov (4-0) is another Hannover fighter that will have fan backing. The Ingushetia born fighter is a very strong wrestler with a good submission game. The 30-year-old has won two bouts by arm triangle and the rest by decision. Bedirhan Kabak (1-0) steps into Oktagon for the first time and he is known from the GMC scene. The German doesn’t have an amateur background to talk about, and his pro win was a quick first round knockout.

Jan Holzer (1-0 amateur) is the brother of the main event’s Max Holzer and this fight will be contested over three rounds of three minutes. The Hannover man has only one bout to his name so far, and it’s expected that his grappling will be his key to victory. Paul Kulze (2-3-1 amateur) started in the WE LOVE MMA promotion and he has a pair of victories to his name. The German will aim to use his kickboxing and keep this one standing.

Oktagon 88 is live from Hannover on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.