An intriguing battle between two of the middleweight division’s top athletes is heading to Cologne.
Former champion, Patrik Kincl (29-12, 1NC), will lock horns with 2025 Tipsport Gamechanger semifinalist, Hojat Khajevand (10-5), on Saturday, July 11, at OKTAGON 91. The important matchup will take place inside Lanxess Arena – the biggest indoor venue in Germany – with an expected attendance of 20,000 fans watching on. As the middleweight belt is up for grabs in this show's main event, the victor will place themselves firmly in the title picture.
Kincl is one of the more illustrious champions in OKTAGON history and he has participated in some of the biggest fights for the promotion. ‘The Inspector’ earned a significant victory in his latest outing, dominating Robert Pukač in the conclusion on their long-term feud inside O2 Arena. That got the 36-year-old back in the win column and he’s now looking to prove that he is still amongst the best in the division.
Khajevand has really come into his own as a mixed martial artist over the past year due to his striking skills improving to the same level of his grappling. He upset former interim middleweight champion, Piotr Wawrzyniak, in the European MMA Champions League quarterfinals last summer but came up short in the last four when he met Krzysztof Jotko. Now he has another chance to face one of the weight class’s elite and a win would mark the biggest achievement of his career.
Elsewhere on the card, middleweight champion, Kerim Engizek, squares off with Polish rival, Krzysztof Jotko, in their highly anticipated rematch for the belt. Jessin Ayari faces Felix Klinkhammer in a feature welterweight matchup and Cihad Akipa takes on Máté Kertész.
