Oktagon 89 Preview:

Oktagon continues their 10th anniversary birthday tour and Saturday night will return to one of their ancestral homes of Bratislava and home of co-founder Pavol Neruda. Oktagon 89 goes down in the Slovakian capital and a packed crowd will fill out the Tipos Arena. Eleven fights are planned for the show, including a high level bout for an OKMMA championship.

Igor Severino (10-1) finally won the OKMMA Bantamweight Championship against Khurshed Kakhorov last March after a few delays, scoring a second round knockout win to earn the belt. Saturday will see his first defence, and the 23-year-old has the skills to pay the bills. The Brazilian is one of the best 135ers in the world, regrettably ending his UFC stint by biting an opponent, the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record. The Chuto Boxe man is a menace on the feet with power well beyond the weight class, he shows great patience and ups the pace once he’s settled in. He’s also got a mean choke game if you leave your neck hanging out there. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (19-9) is the OKMMA Flyweight Champion with one defence to his name, and he’s going up in search of champ champ status. The Kazakh is a seven-fight UFC veteran in his own right, and he’s all about the volume. The 37-year-old comes in hot off a win over the excellent David Dvořák in December, one of five wins in-a-row, and he narrowly lost out on a split decision to UFC champion Joshua Van. The American Top Team man has the cardio to keep the pressure on for the full twenty-five minutes, and he’s a durable, gritty striker. This is the highest level matchup you could put on in Europe.

Ronald Paradeiser (23-10) is a legend around these parts and he is a former OKMMA Lightweight champion. The Slovak is a striking supremo who can hurt you in any minute of the fight. The 28-year-old is big and long, picking up fourteen knockout wins with his impressive power. This will be his twenty-fourth Oktagon appearance, part of the backbone of these promotional birthday celebrations. The Bratislava man is pure entertainment and he’s not afraid to go out on his shield. Jack Grant (20-9) is a hard-nosed veteran of the UK scene, and we’ve seen him perform for PFL, Bellator, Cage Warriors and UAE Warriors. The Englishman has a high level of grappling under his belt, with a particularly beautiful anaconda choke in his arsenal. The 34-year-old is also an accomplished striker and is one of Scott Askham’s main training partners. Nineteen victories have been within the distance. This is our first time seeing him in the cage in almost two years.

Lazar Todev (13-7) is a big bruiser in the heavyweight division. The Bulgarian has won his last two bouts and a win here should earn him a rematch with champion Will Fleury. The 30-year-old is a fine kickboxer who isn’t afraid of using any limb to cut you up and send you into the land of wind and ghosts. Nine of his victories have been via knockout, including a victory over ex-UFC Josh Parisian in January. Martin Buday (16-3) is a former OKMMA Heavyweight champion and won five of his six fights in the UFC. The Slovakian is simply one of the best 265ers in the world, and he was unsuccessful in his comeback last December with a knockout loss to current champ Will Fleury. The 34-year-old has won six bouts with his fists, and in the submission game he loves to use a kimura to tap people out or improve his position.

Robert Pukač (20-14-1) has won four of his last five, coming up short in a decision to the legendary Patrik Kincl in December. The 34-year-old is in the “records are for DJs” category, and his kickboxing has flummoxed many a foe in recent years. The Bratislava man has knocked out big names Christian Eckerlin and David Kozma in recent bouts, and this will be his seventeenth walk for the company. Brian Manning (6-0) is a colourful newcomer who picked up a big first round knockout in his debut last January. The Irishman travelled to the city personally to call out his opponent, and the rivalry will be settled in the cage. The Cork man is a wicked striker who has represented his country at IMMAF level and won titles at amateur level with Cage Legacy. At pro, he was a Cage Conflict title holder, and he’s got five knockouts on his record already. The exception was a rear naked choke victory, so he hasn’t gone the distance in the paid ranks.

Veronika Smolková (9-3) is the main training partner of two-weight Oktagon champion Lucia Szabová, and she’s on a seven-fight win streak. The Slovakian is as vicious as her teammate, displaying a fierce meanness that is intensifying as she grows in the sport. The Slovakian marches down opponents and launches huge combinations that overwhelm even the most capable foe, winning five knockout wins in the process. “Sweetheart” is anything but when the cage door closes. Lisa Kyriacou (9-3) comes from a land down under and is a veteran of the Road to the UFC and One Championship. The Australian was a title holder in HEX in her homeland, and her losses were to top opponents such as Cynthia Calvillo and Jacinta Austin. The 32-year-old likes to use her striking where she has a nice clean, technical game, albeit lacking a bit of power.

Marek Bartl (16-16) is the quintessential Oktagon fighter and a guy who embodies what the promotion is about. This will be his eighteenth bout and it proves that wins and losses aren’t everything, it’s about heart, passion and emotion. The Czech will bite down on the mouthguard and wail punches until either he is out or his opponent is out. In the submission game, he’s quite good at armlocks. Józef Wittner (16-6) is a PFL veteran making his sixth walk in the promotion. The Slovakian trains out of Brno in Czechia, and he’s more of the submission persuasion. The 33-year-old is a master of the guillotine choke, tapping out eight opponents along the way. One the feet, he packs a punch all throughout the fifteen minutes. He’s looking for his first victory since 2022.

Radovan Úškrt (8-6) is a man who only knows how to win by knockout, and eight opponents will agree with us. Training out of Bratislava by way of Žemberovce, he starts fast and throws heavy, often landing early and finishing things. Usually he’s come undone against high level submission players such as Melvin van Suijdam, and top level fighters such as the UFC’s Marvin Vettori and the legendary Slovakian Samuel “Pirát” Krištofič. Ondřej Raška (11-9) is the classic ten-fight Oktagon journeyman that gives opponents hell and if they’re not up for it, he’ll wipe the floor with them. The Brno man has five submission wins with a focus on neck chokes and cranks, with a decent bit of pop on his punches. He’s won his last two bouts.

The big boys are on deck early on, and Patrick Vespaziani (6-3) is looking to bounce back after defeat to Deedee Škvor in December, having won his last three before that. The MMA Spirit man has only shown one way of attack so far, brutal striking. The German can do it on the feet with his big punches, or he can knock you down and brutalise you with ground and pound. Choose your poison. Adam Pałasz (9-5) is currently walking the boulevard of broken dreams and really needs to get back to winning ways after losing three-in-a-row. The big Pole is a knockout artist and has scored seven wins by using his fists. The Wrocław man is usually at his most potent in the first round, however he’s just as dangerous in the second and the third.

Karol Ryšavý (15-10) is another man who built Oktagon through his blood, sweat and tears. The Slovakian makes his twenty-second walk for the promotion and he’s always accepted every opponent that’s been offered to him. The 33-year-old likes a scrap on the feet, threatening to knock you out in each round. In the submission game, he’s got a whopper of a guillotine choke. Daniel Schordje (10-1) made his Oktagon debut in February and won by split decision, and he had a long amateur background including representing his country at IMMAF level. The 35-year-old is a good wrestler who loves to use ground and pound to soften up opponents. The Austrian can also do damage early on the feet.

Ayton De Paepe (14-6) is a Cage Warriors veteran and a champion at regional level. The Belgian has operated at high levels in the past, and he’s mostly been a deciding fighter in his career. The 31-year-old has a habit of getting into tight fights where he displays his blood and guts, and he’ll gladly duke it out on the feet. Marco Novák (7-2) is a hometown hero making his seventh promotional walk. The Bratislava man is well rounded and he has a lot of experience in exhibition bouts for the promotion. The Slovakian likes to use his wrestling to take things down and use his ground and pound, or try out his triangle or rear naked choke. He’s got some pop on his punches and his last victory in October was a knockout.

Dastan Amangeldy (10-1) is a high level individual who got the job done by decision in his debut in January against Wanderley Junior. The former Naiza champion is a multi-time IMMAF veteran at amateur level, and he’s shown a great submission acumen as a pro. The Kazakh likes to take people down, use his ground and pound, and if necessary, go for the rear naked choke. Moktar Benkaci (25-10) trains out of the London Shootfighters with the likes of MVP and once-upon-a-time Karlos Vermolá. The 34-year-old is a PFL and M-1 Global veteran and he’s a very exciting kickboxer. The Frenchman has thirteen knockout wins, with a mean boxing style that will hit as hard to the body as it will to the head. He’s got vicious kicks and knees, and is a general menace throughout.

Oktagon 89 is live from Bratislava on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.