Oktagon 70 Preview: Pirát v Humburger

Oktagon are back this Saturday and they head into a new Czech market, Karlovy Vary in the west of the country, close to the German border. The KV Arena will host some Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Tournament matchups, an OKMMA title fight and some interesting regular bouts.

Samuel Krištofič (17-6) returns to the cage following over a year out due to injury, and he has eyes on advancing in the Tipsport Gamechanger Tournament. Better known as Pirát, he’s one of the biggest legends in Oktagon history and he’s a former OKMMA Middleweight champion. The 35-year-old will make his seventeenth promotional appearance, and he’s coming in off a knockout win over legend Karlos Vémola. The Slovak has a mean right hook and carries a big knockout threat, and has a very credible arm triangle technique. Dominik Humburger (9-2) makes his Oktagon debut following his acrimonious split from KSW. The Czech is a member of his country’s armed forces, and has also represented his nation at IMMAF level. The 29-year-old is heavy hitting in the striking game, scoring seven knockouts. The Liberec man is tough and durable, and is never out of the fight. He’s coming in fresh from a win last February.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Vlasto Čepo (12-3) is looking to do Vlasto Čepo things, separating his opponents from their consciousness. It’s not clear if anybody has explained the concept of judges to him, however he hasn’t needed them in any of his wins. The 30-year-old has fists that could demolish a building, and if you leave your neck out, he’s snatching that and not letting it go. The Serbian is a first round monster, sending opponent after opponent to bed before last orders. Erhan Kartal (12-2) was stopped by the doctor in his Oktagon debut, so he’s looking to show what he can do in his sophomore performance. The 32-year-old has won his last two, and his only losses were due the aforementioned doctor stoppage and the other through a knee injury. The Austrian is a hugely talented fighter, and particularly dangerous on the feet. He’s lethal throughout the fifteen minutes so he can afford to be patient early on when his opponent is at his most dangerous.

The next Tipsport Gamechanger bout features one of the most exciting fighters in Europe. Ion Surdu (16-6) is the OKMMA Welterweight Champion, and he moves up a weight to claim some more glory. The Moldovan trains out of one of Europe’s best gyms, Ankos MMA in Poznań. The 29-year-old is one of the most vicious strikers you’ll see, he has a wand of a right hand, and his head kick is pure cinema. “Dracula” is him. Krzysztof Jotko (25-6) is a UFC and PFL veteran who errs on the side of effective rather than all out excitement. The Pole is a talented breakdancer in his free time, and an accomplished grappler in his work life. The 35-year-old’s strength is being a fire blanket, stifling his opponent’s attacking threat. It’s not always pretty, but the Elbląg man knows how to win, and that’s a talent you can’t buy in tournament play.

Rounding out the middleweight bracket for the night, former interim OKMMA and Babilon champion Piotr Wawrzyniak (13-6) hopes to continue his good form having won six of his last seven since 2021. The 34-year-old is a long time teammate of the likes of Mateusz Gamrot and Borys Mańkowski in Czerwony Smok in Poznań. The Pole is a very credible grappler, however his career kicked on when his striking game clicked, then the knockouts started to flow, whether that was on the feet or through ground and pound. He’s a very tough gentleman. Marek Mazuch (9-2) is on a three-fight knockout win streak, all in different rounds. The 29-year-old is lethal on the feet, and he’s competed in Muay Thai and boxing as well. The Slovakian is both an explosive threat and an attritional danger. Seven wins have come via knockout.

Andrej Kalašnik (12-5) is a twelve fight Oktagon veteran, and he always takes the toughest fights. “AK-47” won his last two bouts, and he usually does his damage in striking exchanges. Five wins have come via knockout, and the Czech has an aggressive attacking style but can also outpoint you. Máté Kertész (15-8) is another Oktagon mainstay, making his fourteenth walk for the promotion. The Hungarian is also going to try and implement his heavy hitting into this matchup, and he’s also tough enough to go all fifteen. The 32-year-old can be a demon over the entire contest.

Daniel Škvor (8-4) is another of the entertainment machines we see on these Oktagon shows. The 36-year-old won his last fight via ninja choke in February, and he’s looking to climb the rungs of the ladder again. The Czech has big power in his hands and has won four by knockout. Marc Doussis (9-4) is a man chiselled from stone, the most impressive six-pack in the store. The German is a UFD Gym talent, and could do with a win after losing his last two. The German is good everywhere, his kickboxing is impressive and provides a finishing threat, and he’s got a lethal guillotine choke, amongst other submissions.

The OKMMA Strawweight Champion Mallory Martin (10-6) won her belt against Katherina Dalisda in October and this will be her first defence. The American has won her last three, all decisions. The 31-year-old is a teammate of former UFC Champ Rose Namajunas. The UFC veteran’s biggest threat is her wrestling, where she can utilise her ground and pound and try to take the back for the rear naked choke, or simply make you quit. Eva Dourthe (9-6) has won four of her last five, and came up short against Dalisda in her last shot at the belt. Submissions are her biggest strength, however most of her bouts need a Judges’ decision. The Frenchwoman is hard-nosed and willing to scrap.

Radek Roušal (5-1) is a character, walking out in a straight jacket most of the time. The Czech has competed in pro boxing and Muay Thai, and some say there’s a screw loose somewhere in there. The 30-year-old has been reliant on decisions so far, however he’s got good grappling defence and when he gets his first knockout, he should be away to the races. Karol Kutyła (8-7) is another man who takes the toughest fights on offer every time, and as a result, his record is a little salty. The Pole comes from a Taekwondo background which aids his kick attacks, and he combines that point scoring with a little knockout threat. The 29-year-old has won two of his last three.

There’s a tournament alternate bout on the prelims that includes former Babilon champion Łukasz Siwiec (9-4). The 33-year-old has a very good submission game and is able to get it done with many techniques. On the feet, the Pole is a very competent striker. The Radom man has only slipped up to good fighters, and he’s tougher than a two dollar steak. Hojat Khajevand (8-4) has won four of his last five, and has been hovering around the European scene for a while. The Iranian trains out of Germany now, and is a very accomplished wrestler. The Freiburg man has lovely chokes in his arsenal and in his last fight, scored a beautiful knockout win.

The YouTube free prelims feature a national derby. Mateusz Strzelczyk (14-14-1) has won three of his last five, and the two he didn’t win were due to breaking his leg and going to a no contest. The Pole is all action and can cause fits on the feet, and uses his long limbs beautifully in the submission game. You never know what you’ll get. Mateusz Duczmal (3-1) is a new signing on a three fight win streak. The Pole trains out of Leeds in England and has a history in kickboxing and Muay Thai. As a professional, it’s his fists that have done the talking, finishing all three bouts. He’s a man who causes damage with his shots.

Oktagon 70 is live from Karlovy Vary on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.