OKTAGON head to the Frankfurt this Saturday (May 4), as OKTAGON 57 takes place at the Festhalle.
Since their debut show in Germany two years ago, the promotion have grown from strength to strength in the country and this was clearly on display when OKTAGON 57 sold out in just four days.
In the main event, one of Germany’s top stars, Christian Eckerlin no doubt receive a huge reaction from his native fans when he faces Miroslav Broz in a catchweight contest. Eckerlin has made OKTAGON his home for the last three years, building a 2-1-0-1 record in the process. He burst onto the OKTAGON scene with a first round submission against John Palaiologos at OKTAGON 29. After their first contest was overturned to a no contest, Eckerlin rematched Denilson Neves four months later, with Eckerlin tying up a tight fourth round rear naked choke.
Last time out, Leandro Silva handed the 37-year-old his first OKTAGON loss
In the co-main event, Losene Keita and Agy Sadari will close out the opening round of the Tipsport Game Changer Lightweight tournament. ‘Black Panther’ started life with OKTAGON as a Lightweight, flying through the division and being crowned Lightweight champion at OKTAGON 33. The 26-year-old recently committed his future to OKTAGON, turning down several options that were presented to him by other major organisations. Speaking to MMA Fighting on the decision, he said:
“I’m 26 years old, I have a good record, I’m still learning everyday. I can still have a lot of experience before going to the UFC. I never say the UFC dream is done, but for me, Oktagon is now my home and I’m happy there.”
Former Cage Warriors champion, Sadari enters the bout riding a two fight win streak with wins against Samuel Blasco and Osman Minbatirov. If the promotional newcomer can become just the second man to beat Keita, it would largely be considered as one of the biggest upsets of the tournament thus far.
In a bout that could have serious implications for the Light Heavyweight rankings, number 8 ranked Marc Doussis will look to advance closer to a shot against champion Karlos Vemola, if he can defeat the number 3 ranked Pavol Langer on Saturday night. Langer is fresh off a failed title attempt at OKTAGON 47, as Doussis also looks to get himself back in the win column following a unanimous decision loss to Scott Askham at OKTAGON 48.
Elsewhere on there card, there is an intriguing matchup between the surging Max Holzer and Eemil Kurhela. At 7-0, Holzer is one of the biggest prospects currently on the OKTAGON roster. The German derailed the hype surrounding Corey Fry when he secured a second round submission against the Brit at OKTAGON 52. Kurhela is yet to see the third round as a professional, with six of his seven wins coming in the very first round. Fans can expect fireworks when the two men meet inside the cage.
