Latest news with #Oktagon
USA Today
20-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22
UFC veterans competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 20-22 This week, the UFC travels to Azerbaijan for the first time for a Fight Night event. UFC on ABC 8 features a light heavyweight matchup between former champion Jamahal Hill and former title challenger Khalil Rountree at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku. Last weekend, over 30 UFC veterans were in action in an extremely busy weekend on the combat sports regional scene. Scroll below to see how those fighters fared, and see the names and details of the upcoming weekend's competitors. Upcoming event information from Tapology. Last results Anthony Ivy: Knockout loss vs. Magomed Umalatov at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Jeremy Kennedy: Majority decision loss vs. Adam Borics at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Jesus Pinedo: Knockout win vs. Gabriel Braga at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 Tanner Boser: TKO win vs. Vinicius Moreira at UAE Warriors 60 Vinicius Moreira: TKO loss vs. Tanner Boser at UAE Warriors 60 Yoshinori Horie: TKO win vs. Yamato Nishikawa at Rizin Landmark 11 in Sapporo Muhammad Mokaev: Unanimous decision win vs. Thomas Assis at 971 FC 2 Bojan Velickovic: TKO loss vs. Ronald Paradeiser at Oktagon 72 Makhmud Muradov: Unanimous decision win vs. Patrik Kincl at Oktagon 72 Karlos Vemola: Unanimous decision win vs. Attila Vegh at Oktagon 72 Damian Stasiak: Unanimous decision win vs. Michal Domin at KSW 107 Phil De Fries: Submission win vs. Arkadiusz Wrzosek at KSW 107 Randy Costa: TKO win vs. Nick Burgos at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Peter Barrett: TKO win vs. Nash Diederichs at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) John Howard: TKO loss vs. Pat Casey at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Yorgan De Castro: TKO loss vs. Josh Watson at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Parker Porter: TKO win vs. Dillon Cleckler at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun (bareknuckle boxing) Aaron Phillips: TKO loss vs. Robert Casper at Ragin FC 2 Melvin Guillard: June 14 vs. Hunter Smith at Ragin FC 2 Phil Hawes: DQ loss vs. Sasha Palatnikov at DBX 2 (custom rules) Sasha Palatnikov: DQ win vs. Phil Hawes at DBX 2 (custom rules) Boston Salmon: Unanimous decision loss vs. Lamar Brown at DBX 2 (custom rules) Luis Saldana: TKO win vs. Joe Penafiel at DBX 2 (custom rules) Francisco Trinaldo: TKO win vs. Eric Moon at DBX 2 (custom rules) Sheymon Moraes: TKO win vs. Omari Boyd at DBX 2 (custom rules) Jessica-Rose Clark: Unanimous decision win vs. Marilia Morais at DBX 2 (custom rules) Alex Nicholson: TKO loss vs. Robinson Perez at DBX 2 (custom rules) Saidyokub Kakhramonov: Unanimous decision win vs. Alex Caceres at DBX 2 (custom rules) Alex Caceres: Unanimous decision loss vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov at DBX 2 (custom rules) Jairzinho Rozenstruik: TKO vs. Victor Cardoso at DBX 2 (custom rules) Curtis Millender: TKO loss vs. Renato Valente at LXF 25 Nick Maximov: TKO win vs. Handesson Ferreira at 559 Fights 115 Jarno Errens: June 15 vs. Donovan Desmae at Levels Fight League 18 Jake Hadley (12-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Marcirley Alves at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: Submission win vs. Matheus Mattos at 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 on April 11, 2025 Last UFC fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Cameron Smotherman at UFC Fight Night 245 on Oct. 19, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 Liz Carmouche (23-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Elora Dana at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: TKO win vs. Ilara Joanne at 2025 PFL World Tournament 2 on April 11, 2025 Last UFC fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on ESPN+ 14 on Aug. 10, 2019 Record since UFC exit: 10-1 Kevin Lee (20-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) Next fight: June 20 vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov at 2025 PFL World Tournament 6 Last MMA fight: Submission win vs. Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17 on Sept. 28, 2024 Last UFC fight: Submission loss vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC on ESPN 48 on July 1, 2023 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 Mariya Agapova (10-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Jessica Eye at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Submission loss vs. Luana Santos at UFC on July 13, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 0-1-1 boxing Jessica Eye (15-11 MMA, 5-10 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Mariya Agapova at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Unanimous decision loss vs. Maycee Barber at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022 Record since UFC exit: 0-0 Willie Gates (12-13 MMA, 1-3 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Brandon Meneses at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: Submission loss vs. Teruto Ishihara at Urijah Faber's A1 Combat 9 on March 18, 2023 Last UFC fight: Submission loss vs. Ulka Sasaki at UFC Fight Night 87 on May 8, 2016 Record since UFC exit: 0-6 Josh Copeland (18-7-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Andrei Arlovski at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: Unanimous decision loss vs. Anton Vyazigin at RCC 7 on Dec. 14, 2019 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Jared Rosholt at UFC 185 on March 14, 2015 Record since UFC exit: 9-5-1 MMA, 2-1 bareknuckle boxing Andrei Arlovski (34-24 MMA, 23-18 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Josh Copeland at BKFC 76 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): Split decision loss vs. Martin Buday at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024 Record since UFC exit: 1-0 custom rules Cody East (16-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Jarome Hatch at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: TKO win vs. Rakim Cleveland at Peak Fighting 35 on April 20, 2024 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 96 on Oct. 1, 2016 Record since UFC exit: 4-4 MMA, 4-0 boxing, 1-0 kickboxing, 0-1 muay Thai, 2-0 bareknuckle boxing Juan Adams (10-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Richard Carmack at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight: TKO loss vs. Shelton Graves at PCS 3 on June 17, 2023 Last UFC fight: TKO loss vs. Justin Tafa at UFC 247 on Feb. 8, 2020 Record since UFC exit: 5-3 MMA, 2-0 bareknuckle boxing Ike Villanueva (18-14 MMA, 1-5 UFC) Next fight: June 21 vs. Eric Olsen at BKB 42 (bareknuckle boxing) Last MMA fight (also last UFC bout): TKO loss vs. Tyson Pedro at UFC on April 23, 2022 Record since UFC exit: 3-2 bareknuckle boxing Luis Henrique da Silva (19-10 MMA, 2-4 UFC) Next fight: June 22 vs. Well Oliveira at The King Fight 1 Last MMA fight: Knockout loss vs. Marcin Wojcik at KSW 88 on Nov. 11, 2023 Last UFC fight: Knockout loss vs. Gokhan Saki at UFC Fight Night 117 on Sept. 22, 2017 Record since UFC exit: 7-6 Antonio Arroyo (11-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The European MMA promotion selling out 60,000-seater stadiums before the UFC
Who is watching MMA if it's not the UFC? In mainland Europe, it seems they all are. Dana White 's combat goliath is synonymous with the sport. To the ever-lucrative casual audience, the UFC equals MMA. Such brand dominance can often spell doomsday for competitors, unable to get a foothold in the wider perception. However, one promotion is proving you don't need to be the UFC to blaze the trail in the industry. When Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotny founded Oktagon MMA in 2016, they dared to dream big. After all, they had to. Lofty ambitions were a requirement to do what they were seeking to achieve - cultivate mainstream fandom for a sport in a part of the world that previously didn't exist. Starting out in Czechia and Slovakia, the immediate priority was break new ground in the region. Little did they know Oktagon would take MMA, as a global entity, to brand new heights. Fast forward eight years and Oktagon have taken the consumption of MMA to the next level, one that the UFC have yet to touch. They have mastered the art of the stadium show. 'We changed the landscape totally in this area,' Neruda told The Independent. 'How people consume the sport and the perception of the sport. It was an underground sport. Nobody liked it and we were so desperate to change this to how people look at it.' In that pursuit, they have been resoundingly successful, and the events of 12 October 2024 were indicative of that feat. That night, the promotion smashed the UFC's all-time attendance record for a single event. A staggering 60,000 fans packed into Deutsche Bank Arena, the home of Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, to experience an almighty fighting spectacle. Neruda could hardly believe it, even as the showpiece got underway. 'I rented this colosseum for a few days, how crazy is that? I was waiting for the moment it would hit me, to digest the whole experience. You pray for this moment.' Angst may have consumed him on fight night, but when the dust settled, Oktagon had its place in history. While the UFC may lean on its admittedly dwindling starpower to draw capacity crowds, Oktagon go a different way to get fans of this sheer number through the door. 'It's a lot of entertainment, not just sport,' Neruda asserts, revealing there is far more to Oktagon's events than what goes on inside the cage. You only need to look back to Frankfurt to see a glimpse of this, with British singer-songwriter turned DJ John Newman - of ' Love Me Again' fame - taking to the decks for a wild half-time show. But when it comes to the fighters, Neruda is also acutely aware of the importance of storyline and cinema to attract an audience beyond the hardcore combat fans. There is a WWE-esque 'sports entertainment' aspect to the Oktagon's product, something that gets people in their seats from the first fight. 'That's the difference,' he says. 'Our events are full from the fight number one because people are involved in the stories of the fighters. They want to see them and they have a connection with everyone on the card.' Many of Oktagon's top stars are from mainland Europe. Czech sensation Karlos Vemola has captivated the attention of his homeland and beyond, with his 2019 clash with Attila Vegh - sold domestically as the 'Match of the Century' - and his 2023 rematch with Patrick Kincl breaking viewing records for the promotion. The likes of explosive Belgian featherweight champion Losene Keita and German middleweight titan Kerim Engizek, whose victorious debut ended in a 99-second knockout, are among other major continental draws for the company. The promotion has a penchant for virality, with Frederic Vosgrone, nicknamed 'The German Neanderthal', taking Oktagon by storm after just one fight. Looking like a jacked-up Paddy Pimblett, his chaotic, unforgiving fight style has made him a must-watch attraction, with a clip of the undefeated BJJ black belt getting dragged across the cage while refusing let to go over his opponent's leg doing the rounds on social media. Vosgrone went on to put him to sleep. However, Oktagon haven't been afraid to stray to the British Isles to locate some of its largest personalities. Shem Rock, fighting out of Dublin, is one of the promotion's fast-rising stars - a man with a backstory like no professional fighter on the planet. The Liverpudlian spent seven years on the run in Asia after being wrongly accused of burglary with violence and assault in 2014, fleeing the country at the age of 20 as he feared he'd be jailed for a crime he didn't commit. It was while a fugitive that he started training MMA and discovered his talent. He was eventually arrested upon his move to Ireland, with his burgeoning combat career leading the authorities to him. But in 2022, having spent six months on remand in custody, he was found not guilty by a court and acquitted. Now without a criminal shadow casting over him, Rock has fast established himself as a leading draw both at Oktagon and potentially beyond - with his contract up with the promotion at the end of the summer. 'The fighters from UK and Ireland, they are crazy,' Neruda says, who will be savouring Rock for as long as he's got him. His brash showmanship is what has won him over with the fans, wearing a 'Dana' mouthguard to the cage at Oktagon 71 as he prepares to become one of the hottest free agents on the market. 'Everyone wants to be entertained, right?' It's this entertainment factor that has proved pivotal in Oktagon's ability to sell out these 'colosseums', as Neruda puts it. The promotion is among the forerunners in the western world to hone the stadium extravaganza in MMA, following the path first trod by now-defunct Japanese giant Pride, just over two decades on. They go roofless once again this weekend at Slavia Prague's Fortuna Arena, as Vemola and Vegh clash once more in their crucial trilogy bout. It'll be their third football stadium show in the space of 12 months, something which has fast become their niche. But despite the prospect of being lauded as the company that changed the MMA game should other promotions - namely the UFC - begin to follow suit, Neruda is a businessman at the end of the day. And as such, he wouldn't mind it if Oktagon's niche stays just that, even if such a world is unrealistic. 'I would be happy if it would be just us (doing stadium shows) because it's comfortable,' he admits. 'I'm just being honest. It's nice to be able to grow and fulfil your dreams and whatever you wish to create. I'm always trying to stay two or three steps ahead of others - not sleep and wait until someone else who was maybe inspired by your actions to become better than you. 'I wish for as long as possible to be number one, but I know there will be new promotions somewhere hungry to achieve something big, watching what we are doing and dreaming to do it in their own way, just better. It's kind of good because it makes us push to be better and brings the sport better conditions for fighters, for fans, for everyone. It's exciting, but makes tension. You cannot fall asleep.' As things stand, Oktagon doesn't look close to dropping off. The company has endured a mesmeric rise in the past couple of years especially, with Neruda valuing it at a staggering €250m after closing a broadcasting deal with RTL+, the leading mainstream broadcaster in Germany. Next year will be 10 years since Oktagon's inception. The plan is to keep going bigger, with aspirations of hosting mega-events at Champions League final-calibre venues now no longer a pipedream. 'I can imagine doing it at the Allianz Arena,' Neruda says. 'It's possible, with proper fights and promo, it's not that much of a crazy idea.' In these parts, MMA is underground no more.
