yesterday 22:02
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On the penultimate evening of the year, for the third time in a row, the tournament organized by Oktagon MMA gave mixed martial arts fans variety.
Main card
Bantamweight: Filip Macek (CZE) – Gustavo López (USA) – guillotine (1st round, 4:44) – received a temporary title
*do 71 kg: Losene Keita (BEL) – Milan Paleš (SVK) – on points (28-29, 29-29, 29-28, extra round: 10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Velterová: Matúš Juráček (CZE) – Alex Lohoré (FRA) – KO (3rd column, 0:16)
Easy: Matoush Kohout (CZE) – Jan Malach (CZE) – on the body (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Semi-heavy: Jorick Montagnac (FRA) – Daniel Škvor (CZE) – KO (1st wheel, 0:38)
**up to 86 kg: Gábor Boráros (SVK) – Vaclav Mikulasek (CZE) – on the body (36-38, 36-38, 36-38)
Foreplay
Pen: Jakub Dohnal (CZE) – Ahmad Villa (BIH) – on the body (28-29, 28-29, 28-29)
Medium: Matej Penaz (CZE) – Joel Dos Santos (BRA) – KO (1st flush, 2:03)
Velterova: Max Handanagic (CZE) – David Jacobsson (SWE) – on teddy (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Pen: Yaroslav Pokorny (JUN) – Can Aslaner (GER) – on the body (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Medium: Radovan Ushtrek (SVK) – Ole Magnor (NOR) – TKO (1st round, 3:54)
up to 74 kg: Martin Pipek (CZE) – Hassan Shaban (LBN) – body (28-29, 27-29, 27-30)
*- underground rules
**- box
Two champions and Vémola resigned
In the main match of the 38th numbered event at Prague’s O2 Arena, middleweight champion Patrik Kincl (26-10) was scheduled to defend his title against Karlos Vémol (33-6). However, both withdrew from the tournament due to injuries (more HERE). Danish bantamweight champion Jonas Magard (13-5) also withdrew at the last moment due to a broken sled.
Graduation in the United States. After the disappointment, Macek has not ruled out the end
His original challenger Filip Macek (27-17) fought for the interim title against American Gustavo Lopez (13-6) in the main duel. The Czech also lost the third fight for the Octagon belt. Previously it wasn’t enough even for Magard and the Slovak Tomáš Deák.
After a minute, Macek dragged his opponent over himself and spent the rest of the duel in last place. Lopez showed excellent fight and control. He didn’t let the opponent do anything and 20 seconds before the end of the 1st round he grabbed the guillotine. Macek knocked almost immediately.
Lopez belongs to educated fighters. He turned down a full scholarship to prestigious Stanford University in his youth, but he has a college degree and is a successful businessman in the United States.
He came to the Octagon straight from the UFC. The last time they drew was last September, before then they have won once and lost twice in the most prestigious organisation. He also has a Bellator scalp. He won the title match on just 8 days notice!
Macek has not ruled out the end of his career after another disappointment: ‘We’ll see. I don’t know if it’s time to do anything else.’
Dirty box in a cage. Baba Yaga defeated Boráros
Václav “Baba Jaga” Mikulášek defeated Gábor Boráros on points in a non-traditional bout under cage boxing rules. The fight was conditioned by several fouls by both sides. Most noticeable at the beginning of the 3rd round, when Mikulášek hit Boráros in the face with a hard blow from behind, clearly after a stoppage.
The winner of the first round of Octagon Challenges had his legs buckled and it took over two minutes to recover. If he cannot continue, Mikulášek will be disqualified. “I hate that Vasek… I have a soft spot for him, but he’s exaggerating. We need to talk seriously about this. Gábor could easily sit on his ass and say he’s shaken and spit it out,” said the promoter of the organization Ondřej Novotný after the tournament.
Boráros finally returned to the match, ‘Baba Jaga’ had a clear lead towards the end. He made the Slovak’s nose bleed, in the last ten seconds he made him count. Despite the point deducted for the foul, he won unanimously by all three judges 38-36.
The confrontation of MMA fighters certainly did not excite boxing fans not only due to frequent fouls and stoppages. The fans booed several times during the match, Boráros asked them for more respect in his post-match speech: “We don’t want to hear ‘whoop, whoop, whoop.’ We’re here for you. Why can’t you be grateful? Come here anytime and show yourself.”
Mikulášek was a paper favourite. He is a former amateur boxer, he had a significant height advantage. Boraros said after the fight: “Fouls weren’t a problem. But Mikulášek, you can be a little ashamed. You couldn’t knock me out. And I was sick all week and didn’t prepare.”
Since September 2021, Boráros has only fought once under MMA rules. In early November at the first Fabriq MMA tournament won after three consecutive defeats.
After the match, Mikulášek apologized to his opponent for the foul and also to the fans: ‘Bittersweet victory. I’m sorry if anyone didn’t like it.’
The triumphant return of Peñaz. Arch-rival Čepo is next
Czech talent Matěj Peňáz (7-1) is po failed attempt to break into the UFC in Dana White’s Contender series he returned to the Octagon in style. The Brazilian Joel dos Santos (16-8), winner of his arch-rival Slovakian Vlast Čep (11-2), was “equipped” in two minutes. The right front straights were enough for him. After one of them, the Brazilian, fell, Peňáz hit his mouthguard on the ground and ended the duel.
Both Peňáz and Novotný confirmed Čepo’s next opponent on 29 April at the Ondrej Nepel Winter Stadium in Bratislava.
Paleš after losing to Keita: I feel robbed
Slovakian Champion Enfusion Cage Events a winner of the Last Man Standing pyramid Under the rules of the Underground, Milan Paleš lost in his discipline to MMA fighter and lightweight Octagon titleholder Losen Keita.
Quick combinations of hands, high kicks or bouncing knees. The fight offered a spectacular fireworks display of positional exchanges. The even duel, after the draw of the lead judges, continued in the extra round, where Keita won unanimously.
After announcing the result, Paleš didn’t hide his disappointment: “I feel robbed. In Muay Thai, kicks matter more and I kicked more. I am disappointed. On the one hand, but also from the judges point. It was scored by referees who practice more or less MMA.” The match was 2-1 in the rounds in favor of the Slovak, with the goal also from commentator and promoter Ondřej Novotný.
Slovak hunter Uškrt shot down Norwegian
Octagon Challenge second series finalist Radovan Úškrt (7-3) also won the second fight after returning after a hiatus of more than three years. After a minute, Ole Magnor (5-7) rocked him with a hard jab, but instead of finishing, he went for a takedown and allowed the Slovakian back into the game. More than a minute before the end of the 1st round, Uškrt sent the Norwegian to the floor with a combination of crushing hooks. He finished off the opponent with ground strikes.
“I danced a little čardáš”, Uškrt answered the critical moment from the very beginning and commented the wild ending with a smile: “He looked like a tavern keeper”. Magnor left the cage with the help of doctors even before the result was announced.
Making his debut against eventual UFC title challenger Marvin Vettori, Uškrt earned his 7th win, his 7th in the 1st round, and his 7th knockout. A Slovakian fighter with a penchant for hunting wild animals has applied to participate in the Oktagon Game Changer project (more HERE). “We’ll see. In any case, it’s a very interesting offer,” replied Novotný.
Lohoré after a brutal KO part by Game Changer
Frenchman Alex Lohoré (22-8) will certainly be part of the game changer. The two-time middleweight title challenger knocked out Matúš Juráček (9-3) early in the 3rd round. The Czech fell only in the fifth game in the Octagon.
Juráček fought from distance and had the upper hand in punch count. Lohoré, on the other hand, owned the results of the rounds. In the first he shook the opponent into his position, in the second he showered him with ground strikes. Juráček was out for several tens of seconds after the devastating knockout hook. Shaken, he convinced the referee that he wanted to continue. He left the cage before the verdict was announced.
The Frenchman wants the title after the quick KO
It only took 38 seconds for Frenchman Jorick Montagnac (4-1) to floor Daniel Škvor (5-2) after a crushing combination of hooks and finish him down and batting. After a hard KO, it took the Czech fighter tens of seconds to realize that the match was over.
“I want a title” were Montagnac’s first words. The Frenchman is currently fourth in the light heavyweight standings. The division champion is Vémola, who won the belt in July with a victory over Aleksandar Ilic.
The Czech legend’s first win after 5 years
Czech legend and opponent of Buchinger, Deák, Kozma and Štrbák Jaroslav “Jubox” Pokorný (15-10) scored his first win since December 2017 on the penultimate night of 2022, when he recorded four losses. He beat the German Can Aslaner (8-4) on points after a clear run. Pokorny suffered a near-fatal knee injury four years ago. He was in danger of losing a leg.
“Even if I argue with professionals, I go to work normally and take care of my daughter. The critics who wrote that I already belong to the old iron: ‘You are right, but you won’t take me there just like that!'” she said Pokorny.
