Surdu and Kalašnik clash in huge title showdown at OKTAGON 79 this Saturday

OKTAGON returns to the Czech city of Brno this Saturday, November 1, for a card packed full of fun matchups. Winning Group Arena plays host to OKTAGON 79 which also features the 1,000th bout in promotional history – another milestone for the organisation. The welterweight belt will be up for grabs in the headliner as a Brno native looks to win gold and claim it for the whole of the Czech Republic while his adversary attempts to do all he can to prevent that from happening. The event can be purchased on our global platform, OKTAGON.TV.

Ion Surdu (16-7) is the man who wants to retain the championship in his first defense opposite fan favourite, Andrej Kalašnik (13-5), in the evening’s main event. ‘Dracula’ won the title last December when he followed up a devastating knockout of David Kozma to stop Kaik Brito with a stunning head kick. After moving up a weight class to challenge himself in the 2025 Tipsport Gamechanger tournament, Surdu now returns to his natural division intent on reminding everyone of his dominance and heavy power.

Kalašnik went 6-4 in the promotion during his first ten bouts with the company, but his career trajectory completely changed following his knockout win of Liam Etebar in Birmingham last April. The ‘Vagabund’ character was born and his performances in competition have been turning heads ever since, which also coincided with the birth of his son. In his most recent outing, he emphatically finished Máté Kertész during round one, sealing this shot at the belt. The whole of the Czech Republic will stand still on Saturday to see if their hero can do them proud and win the MMA equivalent of their world cup.

OKTAGON 79 Showdown: Surdu vs. Kalašnik

In the lightweight co-headliner, dangerous striker, Vladimír Lengál (8-5), takes on Serbian warrior, Ognjen Dimić (9-4-1, 1NC), which will raise the crowd to their feet. Lengál has a 100% finishing rate and came close to besting Ivan Buchinger a couple of months back in his latest showing. Dimić is hunting for his first win in OKTAGON following two tough tests against Agy Sardari and Gökhan Aksu. Fists will fly in this one!

One of the next wave of rising Czech stars, Tomáš Mudroch (7-1), will face the toughest test of his career so far when he meets OKTAGON Challenge veteran, Jakub Dohnal (13-6), also at lightweight. Mudroch has ended five of his bouts in less than two minutes so won’t look to waste any time inside Winning Group Arena. In a featherweight battle, Brno’s own bad boy, Radek Roušal (5-2), will throw down with lethal finisher, Corey Fry (6-3), in a contest that is highly likely to produce a stoppage.

Elsewhere on the lineup, Muay Thai ace, Samuel Bark (12-2), locks horns with former champion, Mate Sanikidze (11-4), who is moving back up to the featherweight division where he once owned gold. All-action, Daniel Ligocki (5-1), aims for another highlight reel victory against Brazilian newcomer, Pedro Oliveira (9-4-1), at a catchweight of 86kg/190lbs and Swedish talent, Liam Pitts (2-0), makes his anticipated promotional debut opposite fellow debutant, Stephan Guidea (2-2), in a 63kg/139lbs catchweight contest.

OKTAGON 79 will be broadcast live on OKTAGON.TV internationally and fans in Germany can watch on RTL+. Viewers in France can also tune in on RMC Sport and Greek audiences can see all the action on Cosmote.tv. S Sport Plus will carry the event for fans in Turkey. The show begins at 5pm GMT/6pm CET/1pm ET/10am PT.