Legierski had stepped on a lightning-quick scalp. But as it usually happens in MMA, one good passage is enough and suddenly the opponent is on the horse, which is exactly what happened. After two botched rounds, Korkmaz got into a promising position, during which he began to level the duel thanks to precise hits to the opponent’s stomach and was not far from a big surprise. However, he was unable to take full advantage of the key moment, so the Polish favorite won the five-lap shift in the end (4:1 per lap). And the hitting stats? 245:118!
“I feel like when I won the belt for the first time, I’m full of emotions,” recalled the new 2020 lightweight champion of his first time on top of the Octagon. That time he defeated Slovakian Miroslav Štrbák. “Nine months ago the doctors told me I would never be able to fight again. But now I’m here,” added Legierski, who also had to deal with serious health problems that nearly ended his career.
Czech cowboy Matouš Kohout also claimed the green box, who ran into the talented Hafeni Nafuka. The clash, which initially did not offer much action, eventually turned into an exciting carving. The Prague hitman showed great heart after some tense moments and did not celebrate before the final gong. Nevertheless, Kohout managed to win two of the three point judges and took a hard-earned victory. “I showed the heart of a cowboy,” said the Czech hero, who broke a two-game losing streak.
However, there was no double Czech joy. David Hošek, a big outsider, who, paradoxically, could decide right away with the opening kick to the head, came crashing down. “He surprised me with that,” admitted the shapely German Alexander Poppeck, who fell on his shoulder blades, but managed to defend himself and then began dictating the pace in a cat-and-mouse style. He ended the fight in the second round with a hard ground and pound and won by technical knockout. Hošek recorded only eighteen punches, however, he gave the nod to the fight just a few days before it took place as a substitute for the injured Slovak Marek Mazúch.
| Oktagon 80, Munich | Official results |
|---|---|
| Mateusz Legierski – Attila Korkmaz | Winner: Legierski (points – unanimous) |
| Niklas Stolze – Christian Jungwirth | Winner: Jungwirth (4th round – TKO) |
| Alexander Poppeck – David Hošek | Winner: Poppeck (2nd round – TKO) |
| Gökhan Aksu – Denis Frimpong | Winner: Aksu (Round 1 – TKO) |
| Hafeni Nafuka – Matouš Kohout | Winner: Rooster (points – split decision) |
| Máté Kertész – Felix Klinkhammer | Winner: Klinkhammer (Round 1 – Submission) |
| Michael Deiga-Scheck – Teo Smith | Winner: Smith (Round 1 – TKO) |
| Ozan Aslaner – Marco Elpidio | Winner: Aslaner (points – split decision) |
| Henrique Madureira – Eriglent Prizreni | Winner: Madureira (Round 1 – Submission) |
| Eugen Black-Dell – Eemil Kurhela | Winner: Black-Dell (Round 2 – TKO) |
The finish, which immediately went viral, was performed by Brazilian Henrique Madureira. He gripped Eriglent Prizreni with his lower legs so tightly and smartly that he hung upside down on his opponent for several tens of seconds, until the Albanian rival fell to his knees and was forced to tap away. “I haven’t seen this before,” commented Ondřej Novotný, co-owner of the organization.
It was actually a finish with an inverted triangle choke, a technique rarely seen across world organizations. Fans may remember her, for example, from the fight of UFC veteran Jorge Masvidal in 2009. “I told myself that I would come here and make history, which I did,” the South American fighter rejoiced after the fight.
Irish stormtrooper Denis Frimpong also caught it. The Turkish Gökhan Aksu first endured difficult moments, then commanded a great turnaround and decided in an overwhelming way. It was done in less than four minutes. In addition, after the battle, both combatants buried the hatchet. Frimpong provoked his rival long hours before the duel when he had a bizarre haircut in the style of the Brazilian footballer Ronaldo from the 2002 World Cup. At that time, among other things, it was also a fight against Turkey. In addition, Aksu received a bonus of 5,000 euros (roughly 121,000 crowns) for the evening’s performance.
As expected, the only Slovak on the card, Ronald Paradeiser, also dominated. He pushed the Brazilian Neto to the mesh for a long time and gradually dismantled him so much that he forced the referee to end the match early in the middle of the second round. “It wasn’t easy because I couldn’t train for five weeks before the match. I had a broken toe,” explained Paradeiser, why he didn’t finish the match earlier.
The next and at the same time last year’s Octagon tournament will take place on December 28 in Prague’s O2 arena. Organizers have put together an epic card headlined by a heavyweight title battle between Irish champion Will Fleury and Slovakian challenger Martin Buday. Czech heartthrob David Dvořák will also be attacking the throne of the fly division. Fans can also look forward to an exciting federal battle between Patrik Kincle and Robert Pukač. The winner of the popular reality show Survivor, Pavel “Spicy Pája” Tóth, will enter the cage for the first time.
Worth a look
