In the contest between Eckerlin and Jungwirth, who secures the title?
The most significant MMA event to date is set to determine who will be crowned as the "Germany's Monarch" inside the cage. But before Oktagon 62 reaches its thrilling finale with the face-off between hometown hero Christian Eckerlin and Christian Jungwirth before an astounding 59,000 fans in Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, there are eleven more battles to be fought. You can follow live updates here or watch the whole spectacle exclusively on RTL+ (1-month subscription for 8.99 euros).
The festivities commenced with Cologne's Deniz Ilbay and Munich's Michael Deiga-Scheck in the featherweight division. Both opponents are celebrated for their powerful striking, promising a thrilling show-down. However, Ilbay seemed somewhat reluctant to deliver immediately. Deiga-Scheck aimed to take the fight to the ground at the onset with swift jabs, managing initial control. Ilbay eventually bounced back, delivering solid blows in the clinch. Having the upper hand in striking, Ilbay repeatedly connected with hook shots and impactful blows to Deiga-Scheck's body. A final hook sent Deiga-Scheck crashing to the ground, and Ilbay finished off the match. The victory mantra from Ilbay was all about respect: "First things first, we pay our respects. After that, we clink beers and return to our families."
Topallaj Defends His Ground
In the second engagement of the evening, Balingen's Arijan Topallaj met Hafeni Nafuka of Germany, two incredibly contrasting styles in one bout. Nafuka is victorious on the mat, while Topallaj shines with his striking skills. And Nafuka had a battle strategy in mind. He pinned Topallaj down and maintained control without inflicting excessive harm. Topallaj managed to engage in short shoots from his position below. When the referee noticed a lack of action, he separated the two lightweight warriors, allowing them to stand once more. In the stand-up, Topallaj landed a hook and a knee thrust on his opponent, but with only ten seconds remaining in the round.
Round two elicited similar patterns: Topallaj marched ahead, pushing Nafuka back, and delivering solid hits. In between, Nafuka dodged a wild strike, taking Topallaj down once more. With control over the action, Nafuka kept the game going. In round three, Nafuka sticked to his plan, making Topallaj's path to victory remarkably challenging. Despite jeers from the crowd, Nafuka defeated a dejected Topallaj with his dominant control time.
The show then continued with Will Fleury and Pavol Langer in the light heavyweight division. Fleury left no stone unturned, initiative showing no mercy. Against the Slovakian, nicknamed 'The Slovak Executioner,' he sent powerful body and head shots, setting up a left hook that connected perfectly with Langer's jaw, sending him sprawling to the mat. Fleury later declared his intentions to challenge Karlos Vemola and thanked the audience for their unforgettable atmosphere.
Next were the two featherweights, Mohamed Machaev and the British fighter James Hendin. The duo showcased raw skill, Hendin attempting to ground the opponent after combinations, but Machaev countered with precise strikes. Despite Machaev's superior grappling skills, Hendin showed relentless tenacity, landing powerful strikes. In the end, Machaev clinched a victorious, albeit unexpected, unanimous decision.
Upsets Await in the Women's Strawweight Division
The women's strawweight title clash unfolded between Katharina Dalisda, the dearly loved Frankfurt champion, versus Mallory Martin, the American contender. Dalisda entered the game as the obvious favorite. The opening round of the battle stirred a tidal wave of cheers, with Dalisda landing one-two combinations coupled with leg kicks. Martin waited for counter opportunities, but both fighters excelled in delivering light hits. A hard jab from Martin found its mark, stinging Dalisda. Dalisda then managed to bring Martin to the ground in the resultant clinch, defended against a submission attempt, and maintained upward pressure. The round saluted Martin as the victor according to the judges.
Dalisda regained her footing for the second round, maintaining a proper distance to apply continuous pressure, despite Martin's tactical maneuvers. Both fighters landed light jabs in the subsequent rounds. Dalisda, however, struggled to find an opening to put Martin in deeper trouble. In the third round, Dalisda launched a sincere grappling effort, trying to nail Martin to the cage, but Martin disengaged effortlessly. Martin eventually shocked Dalisda with a takedown, leaving her struggling on the ground. The match ended with both fighters exchanging minor hits before the final gong.
In the final minutes, only a miracle could salvage Dalisda's title. Martin tactically used Dalisda's distance management to his advantage. With two minutes left, Dalisda scored another takedown, positioning Dalisda on her back. Martin brilliantly secured a decisive victory on points, becoming the party pooper in Frankfurt and leaving Dalisda's title in tatters.
A Character named Max
Max Holzer, flaunting a fanny pack and a Gucci cap, zipped into the Deutsche Bank Park on an e-scooter, blasting "In Love with a Max" in the background. The crowd went wild, cheering and joining in the chorus. Holzer demonstrated he's not just about the show, nailing two solid punches onto Mo Trabelsi straight away. The 22-year-old pinned his opponent against the cage, then transitioned to ground control. Trabelsi fought back, but his situation worsened by the second. Holzer dominated, raining numerous strikes onto his opponent, controlling him for nearly the entire five minutes, despite Trabelsi surviving until the second round.
Holzer continued to dominate in the second round, launching quick jabs and attempting a takedown, albeit unsuccessfully. Trabelsi lost his balance, offering Holzer yet another upper position. The 22-year-old pushed down, dished out elbow strikes, but failed to land any heavy blows. He commanded control over Trabelsi, setting up a precarious kimura armbar, but his opponent found ways to duck out again. In the third round, Holzer swiftly took Trabelsi down and seized top position. Perched on his opponent, he unleashed a flurry of elbows and strikes, forcing the referee to intervene and award Holzer his ninth victory in nine fights.
Lazar Todev and Adam Palasz, two heavyweights, were next. They had met over a year ago, with Todev winning by verdict. Todev had promised a knockout rematch and delivered, knocking Palasz out in the second round. The Bulgarian from Stuttgart will now contest with Hatef Moeil for the title in December.
Dominance by Samsonidse
The next bout was in the featherweight department: Niko Samsonidse clashed with Daniel Torres. The ex-KSW champion Torres had to grapple with a reach disadvantage. On one of his advances, he took a solid jab from the Berliner and fell. Samsonidse took advantage, securing his opponent to the ground. From side control, the German tried to loosen elbows and strikes, yet Torres clung on tightly, providing little room for him to maneuver. The referee put a stop to the stalemate due to inactivity and restarted the fight standing.
In the second round, Samsonidse showcased his smarts, thwarting a kick from Torres and sweeping his opponent. Once again, the 29-year-old found himself on top. He worked his way into a better posture, eventually getting Torres' back and wrapping his arms around his neck in a rear-naked choke, compelling Torres to surrender.
The subsequent fight featured Antun Racic and Frankfurt's Max Coga in the lightweight division. For the gastronome from the Bahnhofsviertel, this was his second duel with the Croatian. His walk into the arena in his hometown was certainly eventful, with the crowd dancing and rejoicing to "Freed from Desire." The contest started off more subtle, with both fighters testing each other out in the early minutes. The significantly smaller Racic attempted to succeed with advances and wild swings, while Coga settled for jab work. There were no major highlights, but the tension was palpable as to who would land the first impactful blow. Two judges ruled in Coga's favor after the first round, with one favoring Racic.
Coga, however, applied more pressure, switching from the center of the ring. He incorporated leg kicks into his jab, driving the Croatian back, who managed to evade. Ultimately, it was a knee strike that pierced through the Croatian's guard and sent him crashing to the canvas, concluding the fight.
And new...
Next was the middleweight crown fight. Challenger Kerim Engizek from Düsseldorf confronted champion Patrik Kincl. Engizek's last defeat was over a decade ago, but Kincl presented a tough battle for the 32-year-old. Kincl avoided direct confrontations with Engizek, instead focusing on kicks to his leading leg to slow him down. Engizek triumphed in striking, with his right hook proving effective, although Kincl managed to remain a threat with counters.
In the second round, Engizek maintained the initiative, but a kick from Kincl caused him to stumble temporarily. Engizek then increased his attacks with more varied combinations, although Kincl continued to deflect most of them. After two rounds, Engizek held a lead in the judges' evaluations. He pushed ahead with more leg kicks in the third round, causing Kincl to slow down and adopt a more defensive stance. Kincl attempted a takedown counter but failed, and narrowly dodged a knee strike from Engizek. Engizek then attempted a takedown of his own, dragging Kincl to the ground, but the champion swiftly recovered.
In the fourth bout, Kinkel eventually managed to lock Kengiz's hip, forcing him to hit the mat, but Kengiz swiftly bounced back up. Kinkel persisted in enhancing his position, launching submission maneuvers from the side control, but Kengiz successfully thwarted them all. On the judges' scoresheets, Kinkel had gained some ground. Despite Kengiz never entering the fourth and fifth rounds before, he seemed more energetic than Kinkel in the concluding minutes, with his striking keeping Kinkel engaged and pressured. Kinkel retaliated with little effect. Kengiz claimed the middleweight title by decision, owing largely to his outstanding performance.
The main event of the night was the clash between Max Schöner and Thomas regner in the middleweight division. A blend of cheers and jeers greeted Thomas regner as he entered the "visiting team" in Frankfurt, while Max Schöner, the hometown hero, enjoyed the crowd's backing. This highly-anticipated duel between Germany's two most esteemed MMA athletes aimed to decide who would be hailed as "Germany's Champion." The crowd roared with chants of "Schöner" and "regner." Schöner, the Frankfurt resident, leaned heavily on his boxing in the first round, connecting with numerous combinations that found their mark, despite regner yet to pose a serious threat. It wasn't until the final minute that regner started landing powerful blows. Schöner's quick jabs maintained their effectiveness, earning him the round.
However, regner from Stuttgart exerted control in the second round. Schöner dodged well but took his fair share of damage. Whenever tensions peaked, he'd retaliate with his jab, consistently landing and halting regner's offense. Both fighters engaged in a clinch for the first time midway through the round, narrowly missing each other with wild swings that left the crowd on the edge of their seats. Regner had impressive moments in the second round, putting Schöner on the defensive, but he, too, couldn't escape taking battering ram-like blows.
In the world of mixed martial arts, Will Fleury showcased his striking skills in the light heavyweight division, displaying merciless power in his match against Pavol Langer. Fleury's left hook connected perfectly with Langer's jaw, knocking him down and setting the stage for an impressive victory.
As the event progressed, Arijan Topallaj and Hafeni Nafuka squared off in a contrasting style matchup. Topallaj, renowned for his striking skills, and Nafuka, a mat specialist, put their unique abilities on display, setting the stage for a thrilling fight in the Mixed Martial Arts arena.
