Oktagon 79 Preview: Surdu v Kalašnik

Oktagon return to our screens this Saturday night. The Winning Group Arena in Brno will host Oktagon 79 and we will be treated to eleven bouts during the show.

The main event was due to be an OKMMA Welterweight Championship bout, however incumbent Ion Surdu (16-7) lost his title on the scales and as a result, only the challenger can walk away with the gold. Surdu had recently moved up to compete in the Tipsort Gamechanger Middleweight tournament, and came up short to finalist Krzysztof Jotko. The Moldovan is an exciting striker who always brings the action. The 30-year-old won the strap with a highlight reel knockout win over Kaik Brito. The 30-year-old has felled twelve foes with his fists and legs. His head kick is absolutely lethal and his right hand is as heavy as they come. Andrej Kalašnik (13-5) is a local lad who is on a three-fight win streak heading into the fight. This will be his fourteenth appearance for Oktagon and he’s also a man who likes to push the pace and put on a show. The Czech is aggressive with his striking from the off, and a decent chunk of opponents get overwhelmed and go down for the count. That historically doesn’t work on Dracula though.

Vladimir Lengál (8-6) will take the short hour long trip over to Brno to compete on Saturday night. The Znojmo man has been very successful in the striking arts, competing in boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai. The Czech has enough power in his hands to power the Moravian area of the country. All eight wins have been knockouts and he likes to get things done quickly. Ognjen Dimić (9-4-1) steps into enemy territory to try and ruin the party. The Serbian is a veteran of SBC in his native land, a competitive promotion where lads usually knock lumps out of each other. He is a skilled boxer with good technique and has one-shot stopping power. This is his third attempt at winning in Oktagon.

Tomáš Mudroch (7-1) is one of the country’s brightest prospects. The Ostrava man has been making light work of opponents since debuting in 2021. The Czech is dangerously attacking arms and legs in the submission exchanges, and is an exciting ball of action on the feet. He hits like a truck with a particularly powerful right hand, and he isn’t afraid to whip out the flashy attacks, such as his flying knee knockout victory over Marián Jakubík in RFA. Jakub Dohnal (13-6) is always a great litmus test for up-and-coming talents. The Brno man will be a popular figure with the crowd, and he’s a very solid wrestler with a decent submission game. The 33-year-old is competitive on the feet, however does struggle with the heavier hitters. Experience is his key to the castle here.

Radek Roušal (5-2) is one of the more colourful characters on the scene and his walkouts alone are usually appointment viewing. Another Brno man, the 30-year-old has won his last two within the distance and he’s competed in pro boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai in the past. The Czech is an exciting striker, usually improving the longer the fight goes, and he likes to go for the kill in the second round. Corey Fry (5-3) is looking to get back into the win column after losing his last two. The Englishman likes to start fights quickly and fly out of the gates with his striking. “The Sniper” goes headhunting as soon as that cage door closes and he’ll be winging venomous punches from the start. Four of his wins have been knockouts.

Daniel Ligocki (5-1) is another lad with a bright future and this is his fourth Oktagon bout. The Czech has competed in pro Muay Thai, as well as having solid submission acumen with a great choke game. He hits heavy and dispenses with most opponents within the first round. Pedro Oliveira (9-4-1) arrives from UAE Warriors and has also been seen in LFA in North America. The Brazilian is an exciting, well rounded competitor and he’s not afraid of a tear-up. The 26-year-old likes to push the pace and throws heavy from the off. The Curitiba man has a decent submission game should he need to smash the glass in case of emergency.

Samuel Bark (8-2) is a former UAE Warriors champion, a Cage Warriors veteran and one of Losene Keita’s former foes. The Swede is one of the hottest talents on the European scene, and he’s never disappointed an audience. The Halmstad man has won his last four contests, and he’s a vicious striker who uses his knees and elbows to bludgeon all-and-sundry. He’s faced an extremely high level of fighter in his career so far. Mate Sanikidze (11-4) is also a guy with a lot of potential, however he needs to get back to winning ways after losing his last two. The Georgian is a former OKMMA Featherweight Champion, and he’s got a good background in the Caucus wrestling style. The 26-year-old is also very handy on the feet, possessing a good technique and a little bit of pop. It’ll be his grappling that is the path to victory in this one.

Lukáš Chotěnovsý (7-2) is another of the new wave of talents coming through the country and this will be his Oktagon debut, having come in from FEN in Poland. The Hradec Kralove (7-2) man is a very well rounded competitor, perhaps edging towards the wrestling and submission side of things. The Czech takes a little bit of time to warm up in the striking exchanges, usually finding his feet in the second round. Nathan Haywood (3-2) is on a two-fight skid and trains out of Team Fish Tank in the North of England. The IMMAF veteran has an absolute gem of a guillotine in his arsenal. The 28-year-old is competitive on the feet and this is his first appearance in well over a year.

Václav Štěpán (3-0) hails from Jaromer in the north of the country and he makes his debut for the promotion. The Czech might be the brightest prospect on the card, having gone a perfect 10-0 as an amateur and undefeated so far as a pro. He’s competent wherever the fight goes, with his biggest successes coming early on with his striking, scoring two knockouts. Karol Kutyła (8-8) is a guy who just loves to compete and will fight anybody. The Pole has fought in Cage Warriors and KSW in the past. The 29-year-old has some good submissions in his back pocket, however he’ll likely go hell for leather on the feet and make things dirty. A lot of his losses are to very tough competitors.

Liam Pitts (2-0) is an IMMAF veteran and came through the Fight Club Rush amateur scene back home. The Swede trains out of the famous Allstars Gym in Stockholm, and he’s been using his fists to get the job done so far as a pro. Both victories were via knockout, however he is capable on the ground as evidenced in his amateur days. Stephan Guidea (2-2) came through EMC as an amateur and has passed his apprenticeship on the local scene. The German has a good wrestling base, some nice ground and pound attacks and a submission threat. He can do a lot of damage very quickly if you let him.

Vašek Klimša (1-0) turned pro last September and will make the quick turnaround to make his promotional debut. The Ostrava man won that bout via knockout in the third round, however he had a lot of success as a submission player in his amateur days. Either way, the man can finish. Jessy Joaquim (debut) is a graduate of the Cage Warriors academy system and he switches to the paid ranks on Saturday. The Belgian is good at leg locks, has a wicked guillotine and a decent amount of power in his fists. He likes to work fast for the finish as the longer the fight goes, the worse it usually gets for him.

Šimon Bruknar (5-1) is part of this new blood into Oktagon, attempting to freshen things up. The Brno man had a long amateur career and has been exciting since becoming a pro. The Czech would like to keep things standing where he can use his heavy hitting style. He has three knockout wins so far. Harun Kurt (4-0) is another CW Academy graduate and has competed for LFL in the Netherlands. The German has a kickboxing base where he likes to work his levels, lulling you into head kick territory. The 29-year-old has the basic submissions in his tool belt, and he’ll be aggressive from the start.

Oktagon 79 is live from Brno on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.