Berlin's Korkmaz: "Pistolero" Ilbay Continues His Streak of Action
In the world of combat sports, a packed stadium in Prague was bustling with energy as 28,000 spectators gathered for a mixed martial arts event. This was a record-breaking event organized by the promoter Oktagon, who had confirmed the stadium's largest attendance to date at the Eden Arena. Another 45,000 tickets had been sold just one month before for a similar MMA event in Frankfurt. The night was filled with excitement, especially as three German fighters took center stage.
One of them was Attila Korkmaz from Berlin, who faced UFC veteran Makwan Amirkhani in the lightweight division. The battle for returns to the Gamechanger tournament with a €1M prize pool was on the line. In the first round, Korkmaz kept the pressure on Amirkhani with kicks to the head, despite his opponent's defense. Amirkhani eventually managed to land a takedown, but Korkmaz used his strength and agility to get back on his feet. Heading into the second round, both Korkmaz and Amirkhani were still neck-and-neck on points.
For the second round, Korkmaz didn't let up his momentum, landing several punches to the body and legs. A knee strike from Korkmaz led to a takedown attempt by Amirkhani, but he wasn't able to keep the Berliner down for long. By the end of this round, Korkmaz was noticeably more exhaustive after his painfully sustained efforts. It was ultimately conditioning that carried Korkmaz through to the third round, where this advantage seemed to be evident. Amirkhani attempted another takedown, but met with surprise as Korkmaz lifted his opponent and threw him in a powerbomb-like fashion onto the ground, leaving him vulnerable to additional blows and a rear-naked choke. The fight ended with Amirkhani tapping out, awarding the win to Korkmaz.
Deniz Ilbay from Cologne, a former professional boxer, made his promise to the fans come true in the featherweight division. His match against Denis Tripšanský turned out to be a match of quick combinations, intense action, and an even score. However, the decision was made in Ilbay's favour after two takedowns by Tripšanský during the first round. The second round kicked off with a new strategy from Tripšanský: another takedown attempt. Materializing this, the Slovak went to his knees in an attempt to take Ilbay to the ground. Instead, Ilbay met him with a knee strike, stunning Tripšanský and forcing the official to call for a halt in the fight. Ilbay won by technical KO.
Lastly, David Zawada, a middleweight from Düsseldorf, went up against the Slovak Marek Mazuch. Despite Zawada's best efforts, he succumbed to a series of punches that Mazuch delivered in a flurry. With one shot to Zawada's chin, the Düsseldorf fighter was sent stumbling back; the Slovak continued the assault, overwhelming Zawada and landing ten more blows before he could finally surpass him in speed. One of them landed cleanly, bringing Zawada to his knees. The malicious flurry continued until Zawada was forced to lie down. Mazuch awarded with the win by TKO.
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In the realm of combat sports, the attendance at the Eden Arena for the mixed martial arts event was not only record-breaking but also surpassed by another MMA event hosted in Frankfurt just a month prior.
Amidst the packed stadium in Prague, Deniz Ilbay, a former professional boxer from Cologne, showcased his skills in the featherweight division, scoring a victory through technical knockout after stunning his opponent with a knee strike.
