Oktagon 87 Preview: Szabová vs Fernandes, Humburger homecoming

Oktagon return to the hockey loving border town of Liberec, Czechia this Saturday night. The Home Credit Arena will host Oktagon 87 and will have ten fights on deck, one for an OKMMA tile.

Lucia Szabová (10-0) is the OKMMA Bantamweight champion, and she drops down ten pounds to try and claim champ champ status by winning the vacant OKMMA Flyweight title. The 28-year-old is one of the fiercest fighters on the scene, and she’s known for having a mean armbar amongst other talents. The Slovakian has five submission wins to date, and she also has a kickboxing game to fall back on. The Bratislava native is vicious on the feet and attacks with pure aggression, scoring three knockout wins. Leidiane Fernandes (7-2) is a debutant and has plied her trade on the LFA and Jungle Fights scenes in the Americas. The 34-year-old enjoys the stand-up arts, never fearing a battle. The Brazilian has three wins via strikes, including winning the Jungle Fights title with punches in her last fight.

Dominik Humburger (11-3) is the main ticket seller on the card, he is a native of Liberec and is a soldier by trade. The 30-year-old came up short in the Tipsport Middleweight Tournament against Kerim Engizek, before that he had two impressive wins in Oktagon. The Czech is an impressive striker with big power, especially in punching and elbow range. Nine wins have come via knockout, including one against the legendary Pirát. Zebaztian Kadestam (15-8) is one of four travelling Swedes. The 35-year-old is a former One Championship title holder and has a notable win against one of Europe’s finest, Roberto Soldić. The Muay Thai man is a striker at heart and has picked up thirteen knockout wins, with his boxing being his standout.

Radek Roušal (6-2) is one of the greatest characters in the promotion. The Muay Thai stylist has found his finishing touch lately and has won three bouts in a row with his fists. The Czech has competed as a pro in all the striking arts, and is coming into his prime now. The 31-year-old is a particular menace in the first couple of rounds. Samuel Bark (13-3) is one of the most entertaining fighters to watch in Europe. The Cage Warriors veteran has a multitude of Muay Thai title wins in his history, and he’s been a ball of violence in his MMA career. Six wins have come by knockout, and when he steps in the cage, the cutman gets a bonus. The Swede will either overwhelm you standing or knock you down and put you on the receiving end of his dreaded ground and pound.

Tomáš Murdoch (8-2) is an exciting fighter who came through the GAMMA scene. The Ostrava man is a heavy puncher with a mean right hook, winning six by knockout. The 27-year-old flies out of the blocks with ill intent, always looking for a first round victory. The Czech has impressive victories against veterans Jakub Dohnal and Ozan Aslaner. Josef Hála (1-1 AMMA) comes in from the boxing world. The Czech is known as “The Berserker” due to his aggressive style. He’s mainly known for his bare knuckle style, winning all bouts in that discipline by knockout. This will be a cage boxing bout in MMA gloves.

Vladimír Lengal (9-6) is one of those game dudes that takes the biggest challenge offered to him. The Czech has a lot of pro experience in the boxing and Muay Thai codes. The Znojmo man is a knockout artist who finished all nine wins via strikes within the distance. He’s coming after you with punches, kicks, elbows and knees. Ozan Aslaner (10-6-1) won his last outing in November via split decision. The German will be willing to stand and bang with his opponent, already securing five knockout wins. The former RFC champion shows bravery and will take risks to land his shots. The 28-year-old has a habit of getting into close bouts.

Jan Malach (18-17) is a man born to fight. The Reinders MMA man makes his twelfth walk for the company and is always game to throw down. The Czech is a striker at heart with eleven knockout wins, and he’s at his most dangerous in the first couple of rounds. He’s tough in the stand-up and will be looking to avoid the takedown here. Stefan Končar (4-1) is looking to bounce back from his first pro defeat to the exceptional Tamerlan Dulatov in January. Before then, the Serbian proved he’s a mean striker with knockout power with his two punching wins at the start of his career. The 24-year-old’s last victory was via armbar, and he always smells a finish when it hits the floor.

Mateusz Strzelczyk (16-15-1) comes alive at the mere mention of violence. The Pole thrives in the chaos, using scrambles to lock in leg and arm locks if it hits the deck. The 35-year-old also has massive power in his fists, with a massive right hand. He’s finished ten fights within the distance and is a risk taker. Vojtech Garba (8-8) is a KSW and XFN veteran, coming through the GAMMA amateur scene. The Czech is a knockout artist by trade, winning six within the distance with his strikes. The 29-year-old is known for his damaging blows and he usually gets it done in the first or second round.

Václav Štépán (4-0) has a little bit of hype behind him and is a potential star for the promotion. The Czech was a stand-out amateur with an undefeated ten wins, who then turned pro and carried on along in the same vein. The Jaromer man sprinted out of the blocks with a pair of knockout wins, while also winning his last bout via kimura. Firas Daud (5-0) is a GAMMA amateur standout and one of GMC’s top names on the regional scene. The German will appear in top level European MMA for the first time, and he’ll be keen to show that his power can do damage at this level. The 25-year-old has finished all pro fights by knockout.

Josefine Knutsson (8-1) is a UFC veteran and makes her first appearance since 2024. The Swede is one of Europe’s top talents, and is known for her vicious striking repertoire. The 30-year-old loves to pick up the volume and make your life a misery over the course of fifteen minutes. She will bring the action to this one. Mileide Simplicio (6-3) returns to Oktagon for the first time since 2024, coming in from Fortaleza. The Brazilian is of the grappling persuasion, within all of her three finishes coming from the rear naked choke. The 25-year-old has a notable win over Czech legend Magdaléna Šormová in Slovakia. The Ares veteran has been caught in her striking defence before.

Liam Pitts (3-0) is a huge talent out of the Allstars Gym in Stockholm, a place that’s produced legends such as Khamzat Chimaev and Andreas Gustafson. The IMMAF veteran is a menace on the feet, winning his first two pro bouts with his fists. The former AFN amateur champion also has a submission game, preferring a rear naked choke. Kacper Matyszewski (3-3) trains out of the Mighty Bulls team in Gdynia with the likes of Kacper Formela and Sebastian Przybysz. The Pole competes for the first time in a year and he’ll compete wherever the fight goes. The 25-year-old can hit hard on the feet and offers a submission threat with the rear naked choke.

Alex Hutyra (3-0) is another one to watch with a lot of hype behind him. The 21-year-old has a very successful amateur career. The Czech is known for his ground game and has won all three bouts with his rear naked choke. Umut Birdal (3-0) trains out of Nürnberg in Germany. The 29-year-old is a bit of a brawler, and he’ll be aggressive from the first second. He’s a former Cage Time champion and he’ll throw with full power from the off. He’s got a decent guillotine choke.

Oktagon 87 is live from Liberec on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.