Dangerous finisher, Gökhan Aksu (14-7-1), squares off with fellow former title challenger, Niko Samsonidse (13-4), in a lightweight battle at OKTAGON 96. One of the most modern arenas in Europe, SAP Garden, will host the event on Saturday, October 31, which is shaping up to be one of the best in Germany this year.
Aksu has a 100% finishing rate and stopped the likes of Jan Malach and Denis Frimpong on his way to earning a shot at the lightweight championship in June. He came up short in a back-and-forth contest for gold against Mateusz Legierski but he had the Pole in trouble numerous times. If the 34-year-old can get back to winning ways next month, he’ll reinsert himself immediately into the title picture.
Samsonidse competed for the featherweight belt twice but was unsuccessful against both Losene Keita and Mago Machaev. He decided to move up a division after stating the weight cut was impacting his performance and he impressively knocked out Denis Frimpong to make a big statement. ‘One Love’ appears rejuvenated in this next phase of his career and is intent on showing that fans haven’t seen what he’s truly capable of yet.
Elsewhere on the card, Amiran Gogoladze meets Felix Klinkhammer for the vacant welterweight belt on an evening where the division will undertake a big reshuffle. Jessin Ayari clashes with Ion Surdu and Ronald Paradeiser goes against Tyrone Pfeifer.
