Oktagon 55 Preview; Return to Germany

Oktagon hit up a new German venue this weekend, making their first foray into Stuttgart. Oktagon 55 goes down in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle this Saturday in the German manufacturing city. Twelve fights will take place on the night.

Christian Jungwirth (14-8) has played a key role in Oktagon’s success in the region and has been rewarded with a hometown show. “The Kelt” is a rowdy bruiser who gives as good as he can take. Entertainment is the name of the 37-year-old’s game. The German is coming in to lay hands on his opponent and utilise his boxing to cause damage. Robert Puchač (16-12-1) rides into enemy territory with eyes on causing an upset. It’s been a tough road for the Slovakian of late, winning only one of his Iast six. The 31-year-old will fancy his chances in the grappling if he can get it there, and he’s got four submission wins to his name.

Alexander Poppeck (16-5) is a Contender Series and PFL veteran. The Munich man is a Muay Thai stylist who’s very good at taking things to the mat. From there, the 31-year-old reigns down ground and pound, crushing you as if he was a mortar and pestle. This fan favourite can make life a misery for anyone very quickly. Jeremy Kimball (19-10) is a UFC and Bellator veteran. The American uses leg kicks very well, can piece you up with knees and kicks, and throws heavy punches. The 33-year-old isn’t afraid to mix it up and give the fans their money’s worth.

Máté Kertész (14-7) is a Bellator veteran and an Oktagon stallworth. One of Hungary’s premier martial artists, the 31-year-old has a heavy hitting kickboxing game. As he’s moved up through the difficulty levels, he’s been more of a decision fighter. Niklas Stolze (13-6) had an unsuccessful three-fight UFC run. The Schönebeck man got back in the win column on his Oktagon debut with a first round knockout in November. “Green Mask” has a kickboxing background which he’s built a nice takedown game on. The 31-year-old will use his ground and pound from there to get the finish, or force you to give up your back.

Jamie Cordero (4-2) is a live fast, die young type of fighter. The promising young German sprints out of the traps like a greyhound. Every shot designed to inflict maximum damage, he’s got a wicked kickboxing style with genuine knockout power. Dominic Schober (13-11) is a Brave CF and ACB alumnus. With two wins in seven, he’ll be an underdog. The Austrian is a well rounded fighter with six knockouts and five submission wins to his name. However, when things go wrong for the 33-year-old, it goes drastically wrong within the distance.

Ruben Wolf (12-12) is on the hunt in Stuttgart. The 37-year-old has had a lot of fights under many codes, and he’s not the type to leave it in the hands of the judges. The BAMMA veteran doesn’t mind where he finishes, he just cares about ending it. He’ll choose knockout as Plan A, or strangle you like Homer Simpson if he catches your neck. Sebastian Herzberg (4-0) is the new kid on the block, coming through the We Love MMA local ranks. The German will aim to take this down to the mat where he can use his submissions, or his ground and pound.

Moldova produces a lot of entertaining, no nonsense fighters, and Ion Taburceanu (6-2) is no different. This man has a mean kickboxing game and could knockout the biggest of horses. Ion doesn’t believe in judges. Nenad Avramović (12-9) is a brave man taking this fight on a day’s notice. The 20-year-old was born in Germany with a Serbian background. The Muay Thai stylist is the type that carries his gum shield to the supermarket in case there’s a fight he can take at the last minute. He’s won five of his last six, when he finishes it generally by submission and he’s as tough as old boots. 

Karol Ryšavý (13-6) is a fifteen-fight Oktagon mainstay and has played a big part in the growth of the company to date. The Slovakian has a savage kickboxing style, brutal knees and elbows, heavy punches and kicks, and a masterful working of levels. Arijan Topallaj (6-0-1) was born in Germany and is of Albanian descent. The 25-year-old is a master of the Anaconda choke, so you best protect your neck in all positions. He’s got vicious ground and pound if it hits the mat.

Jorick Montagnac (5-2) is a Sanda stylist. The Frenchman looks every inch the part and he has explosive power. The 30-year-old has mostly gone to decisions to date, which is usually a miserable experience for his opponents. Sebastian Heil (7-2) is not a man who wants to go fifteen minutes. The German is going to come out swinging with grave intent from the first second. The 38-year-old has dynamite in his hands and if he hits you clean, you’ll be sleeping.

Michael Deiga-Scheck (10-5) is a Brazilian with a nice submission game. The adopted German is also competitive on the feet and not short of power. The 38-year-old really excels in the choke game. Nikolaos Serbezis (8-3) is a submission player from Bremen. The German is very good at securing decision wins as well. He gives up the experience in this one.

Lucia Szabová (6-0) is one of the darlings of Central European combat sports. The 26-year-old has a Muay Thai background, however she ain’t no one trick pony. The Slovakian also has a lovely armbar in the arsenal. Róża Gumienna (5-3) is one of the few MMA fighters who could hang with Szabová’s kickboxing, even having more experience. The Wrocław native has been using that talent to secure knockout victories in the mixed fights. She has struggled slightly with some of the better grapplers on the European scene.

Jakub Bahnik (9-4) trains out of the Good Luck gym and to be honest, that’s what you need to have if you stand with this man. The Czech has been a mainstay in both Oktagon and XFN, racking up numerous first round knockouts along the way. Wahid Najand (7-2) is an ACA veteran. The Afghani is a talented kickboxer with solid wrestling. The 30-year-old is tough, and can hang in there for fifteen minutes and win decisions.

The YouTube free fight is doozy in the strawweight division. Jacinta Austin (5-2) goes once more into the fray coming all the way from the southern hemisphere. The Australian is an IMMAF veteran who dabbles in many arts. Pro boxing, kickboxing and BJJ, the 29-year-old is a keen practitioner of sports. Lately she’s found a niche for the grappling game, using it to find finishes with rear naked chokes. Karolina Wójcik (11-4) is a lady who has been fighting around the globe from Invicta, to KSW, to the Contender Series. The Kraków native isn’t afraid to mix up her training, getting work in over in Las Vegas, the U.K. and in her homeland. The Pole is a Tasmanian devil who’ll hurry you around the cage and ready to pounce on your every mistake. The 29-year-old is ambitious, aggressive and very tough to beat.

Oktagon 55 is live from Stuttgart on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Channel 4, Oktagon.tv and DAZN.