Will Fleury, PFL Credit score: Skilled Fighters League
Saturday, March 8 sees Oktagon MMA in Stuttgart, Germany for the stacked Oktagon 68, a struggle card followers is not going to wish to miss.
The primary occasion sees #1 heavyweight contender Lazar Todev face off in opposition to newly topped gentle heavyweight champion Will Fleury, for the Oktagon MMA heavyweight title. This card has a variety of storylines going into it, and we break down a couple of under.
The Irish Invasion
The aforementioned gentle heavyweight champion, Will Fleury, is not going to be the one Irishman on the cardboard. Alongside him is Manchester High Group product Denis “The Menace” Frimpong. Lazar Todev, initially hailing from Bulgaria, has a big German fanbase, and will definitely have the gang on his aspect. Nevertheless, Fleury is not any stranger to enjoying the position of the unhealthy man, together with his final struggle being in opposition to Czech famous person Karlos Vemola in Prague.
Fleury now appears to win the vacant heavyweight title, that very title that Todev was speculated to struggle for in December, earlier than disputes between Hatef Moiel and the promotion induced a cancellation. That, after Moeil sparked a press convention forward of the struggle.
Frimpong faces off in opposition to Stuttgarts’s personal Robin Frank. Robin Frank will stroll out to a considerable amount of cheers, nevertheless, Frimpong will stroll out to a roar of boos.
Hailing from Eire, the pair of fighters will look to silence the boo-birds. Fleury appears to change into a two-weight class champion inside a 12 months within the promotion, whereas Frimpong returns to Oktagon MMA trying to push his manner in the direction of the highest 10.
The return of Alan Omer
A feel-good story coming into Oktagon 68’S Co-Predominant occasion. Alan Omer is again after a five-year layoff attributable to a mind tumor. The UFC veteran makes his Oktagon MMA debut, and extra importantly his return to the cage in opposition to Lukasz Kopera. Omer made a strong assertion forward of this struggle, saying “The tumor might have hit my brain, but it never hit my heart.”
Makhmud Muradov, UFC London ceremonial weigh-in, July 2023 Credit score: Jamie Theodosi/Cageside Press
Muradov appears to proceed his Oktagon MMA Dominance
After leaving Oktagon MMA to signal with the UFC in 2019, the previous promotional Champion, Makhmud Muradov (or just “Mach”) returned to the promotion in September of 2024, successful a unanimous choice over Scott Ashkam to cement himself because the #1 Middleweight contender. Whereas he isn’t competing within the Tipsport Gamechanger Match, Muradov will proceed to defend his #1 spot. Muradov was speculated to face Joilton Lutterbach, he now faces Yasubey Enomoto within the third final struggle of the evening.
Marek Bartl taking up all of Group Jungwirth
Initially slated to face Christian Jungwirth, Marek Bartl now faces Jungwirth’s teammate Daniel Schwindt. Sadly, attributable to a herniated disk, Christian Jungwirth was unable to make his homecoming bout.
Marek Bartl captured the eye of the Welterweight division when he submitted Endrit Brajshori with an inverted triangle in December. Instantly post-fight he referred to as out Jungwirth. Fairly rapidly, that struggle was made. Nevertheless, the damage took Jungwirth out of the extremely anticipated matchup. Daniel Schwindt, teammate and greatest pal of Christian Jungwirth, additionally misplaced his opponent for this card, so these two had been matched for an exhilarating bout. Schwindt, a middleweight, made his promotion debut at Oktagon 65 in Prague in December, the place he overcame a controversial unlawful knee to win by way of TKO in opposition to Radovan Uskrt. Schwindt was set to face off in opposition to Uskrt once more as a result of controversial nature of the win, however as an alternative finds himself combating his pal’s struggle in a catchweight bout.
Together with UFC 313 this weekend, we’ve Oktagon 68 to maintain struggle followers busy. Fortunately, as this card is going down in Europe, the timing will work out, and it is possible for you to to roll from the Oktagon 68 card, proper into the UFC 313 card on Saturday.
