Oktagon 71 Preview: Poppeck v Langer, Frimpong and Rock return

Oktagon will return to Germany this Saturday with another exciting night of fisticuffs. Munich hosts Oktagon 71 in the BMW Park Arena in Bavaria. Eleven fights will take place on the night.

The main event is a fight with possible future title shot implications. Alexander Poppeck (17-5) is the hometown hero and the man people are paying tickets to see. The German bruiser is a PFL and Contender Series veteran and has won five of his last six, excluding a no contest in his last appearance. The 33-year-old is a beast at getting things to the floor and unleashing hell in the form of ground and pound. The Munich man has eleven stoppages as a result of strikes. Pavol Langer (13-11) is a very tall and game man. The Slovak is a former interim champion who holds a split decision victory over his opponent back in 2023. He’s good on the feet and fights long, and has a good submission game if needed. The Košice man doesn’t like when you get into striking range with him and his biggest threat in fights is to get a finish.

Denis Frimpong (5-2) is a man you hear a lot about because he isn’t shy in telling you. Whenever a microphone is within speaking distance, he’ll let you know what he’s thinking. The Dubliner trains a lot with Dublin Combat Academy’s Collie Mahon for his striking, as well as over in the Manchester Top Team. The 30-year-old is a patient and technical stand-up artist with bags of confidence. His footwork makes him hard to hit and he doesn’t accept being in bad positions. Arijan Topallaj (7-1-1) has been on the receiving end of Frimpong’s barbs quite regularly. The German of Albanian heritage was defeated for the first time in his last outing against über prospect Hafeni Nafuka. The 26-year-old is an absolute wizard with his anaconda choke, and his wrestling gives him opportunities in the ground and pound. The Balingen man is also capable in kickboxing exchanges with a massive left hand. All of his wins have been within the distance.

Shem Rock (11-1-1) is another man who talks the talk but can walk the walk. The Next Gen Liverpool man is right in his prime years, and he wants to make big statements real quick. The 31-year-old is a great grappler with a fondness for taking the back and sinking in the rear naked choke. He is a finisher and the only man to defeat him so far was Nathan Kelly, a fine fighter in his own right. Atilla Korkmaz (15-9) takes this fight on less than a week’s notice. The Berlin man has won three of his last five, with one of the losses a split decision to champion Rony Paradeiser. The German is an action fighter who is exciting over the fifteen, with a finishing threat both on the feet and on the ground. The 33-year-old is tough as hell and has only lost once within the distance, all the way back in 2011 in his second fight.

Patrick Vespaziani (4-2) had an impressive knockout win in his debut last December. The MMA Spirit man is a kill-or-be-killed, go out on your sword type of fighter. When the bell rings, the German leaves it all in there. The Gießen native is very tall at 6 ft 7”, and he’s going straight for the knockout. Jovan Zeljkovic (5-1) has won his last five, and an extra pro boxing win on top. The Serbian is similar to the main event’s Poppeck in that he’s an expert in getting things to the floor and utilising his ground and pound. On the one occasion it wasn’t successful, he made the opponent give up his back for the rear naked choke.

Gökhan Aksu (12-6-1) often trains out of Rosenheim in Germany. The Turkish born, Austrian based fighter mixes things up well. The 33-year-old showed lovely kickboxing on the regional scene with brutal fists and knees, knocking out several opponents on the feet. His grappling isn’t to be sniffed at, he has a very good top game, does damage with his ground and pound, and is good at taking the back and sinking in a choke. Ognjen Dimić (8-3-1) lost his debut against the great Agy Sardari in December. The Serbian is competitive on the feet, showing great bravery to get his shots away and carries big power. The Somdor man has good durability and has cardio to go all fifteen.

Tomáš Mudroch (6-1) is a highly touted up-and-comer and a man the promotion has big plans for. The Czech won his debut by knockout last February, and he’s got a 100% finishing rate. The 26-year-old is flashy in the kickboxing game with damaging power and is legit in the leg lock game. Ozan Aslaner (9-5-1) won his first Oktagon bout via split decision last December against the very talented Jakub Tichota. The German is a very talented striker who is dangerous over the three rounds and his power lasts. The 27-year-old is durable on the receiving end, and is looking to put a streak together after finding it hard to get activity in recent years.

Two insanely talented prospects meet at the top of the prelims. Hafeni Nafuka (10-2) has only lost to the best of the in Oktagon, Ivan Buchinger and Predrag Bogdanovic. The German is insanely active and is no stranger to competing four or five times a year. The Regensburg man has a great wrestling game, and is very good at taking you back and choking you out. He also loves a bit of ground and pound, and an armbar. George Staines (5-0) is one of Britain’s top talents, having an incredible amateur career where he represented his nation at IMMAF level. The 24-year-old is perfect as a pro so far, and he’s always excelled at the grappling arts. The Englishman has two submission wins so far, and he’s known for having a wicked guillotine. His last outing saw him defeat Jakub Tichota, a very bright prospect. 

Jakub Dohnal (13-5) makes the Oktagon walk for the twelfth time, and the handsome Czech is used to walking into enemy territory. The 33-year-old is a good wrestler and submission player, as well as being competitive on the feet. The only downside is the lack of a finishing touch standing. His recent defeats have been to former champions and challengers in top promotions. Wanderley Junior (17-10) makes his second Oktagon appearance after losing to Lom-Ali Eskijew in February. “Mexicano” hails from São Paulo and he’s a very good submission player, with a nice guillotine and general choke game. The Brazilian is also exciting on the feet, taking plenty of risks to entertain the fans.

Zdenek Polivka (9-7) is a ten-fight promotional veteran who returns to action for the first time since November 2023 after health problems. The Czech’s first plan is to fight it out on the feet, where he carries lots of power and causes damage. Excitement is the name of his game. Harun Uzun (5-1) makes his debut and hails from the German industrial heartland of Dortmund. The 32-year-old is predominantly a submission player with four taps on his record already. His last win was in December 2023, and he’s struggled to maintain activity since.

Peter Gabal (6-3) is a battle hardened IMMAF veteran with experience in spades. The Czech has won his last two, as well as a boxing bout on top, and has only lost to Nafuka since 2022. The 26-year-old is well rounded with a powerful punch and a nice rear naked choke. Elias Jakobi (4-0) makes his debut. The German is known for the damage he causes in the striking exchanges. He can knock you out with his fists, or brutalise you badly enough to have the doctor pull you from the fight.

Jan Malach (18-15) will make his tenth promotional walk on Saturday and he’s won three of the last four. The Czech will be wrapping those hands, strapping on the gloves and as soon as that bell rings, he’ll be balling those hands into a fist and rocket it at your head. Eleven wins have come via knockout. Endrit Brajshori (4-2) is German born of Kosovo and Albanian heritage. The Rosenheim man is on the fifth fight of an exciting Oktagon run, with only one going to a decision. He’ll likely meet Malach in the middle and trade, and he can cause heavy damage.

Oktagon 71 is live from Munich on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.