After a packed Friday night of combat sports, the action keeps kicking on Saturday. Between Oktagon MMA, Glory Kickboxing, and the UFC, you’ll have no fewer than 10 or so hours of uninterrupted action in terms of competitive violence. Your day gets started with MMA in Prague, Czech Republic.
As Glory’s single-night tournament in its light heavyweight division happens live from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Stadion Eden in Prague takes center stage in the MMA world for Oktagon 58. Inside the United States, Oktagon 58 will, as usual, be seen wall-to-wall on DAZN with coverage kicking off at noon ET/ 9 am PT with the undercard.
Main card action immediately follows at 3 pm ET/ noon PT on the subscription-based streaming service. In the run-up to the card, Oktagon 58 took a hit, however.
Originally slated to be headlined by a championship doubleheader, just one title fight will be topping the bill on Saturday, but the Oktagon 58 main event is a banger nonetheless.
Light Heavyweight Rematch for Title in Oktagon 58 Main Event Saturday
Current Oktagon Light Heavyweight Champion Karlos Vemola (36-8 MMA, 11-3 Oktagon), an alumnus of the UFC and XFN, will return to the 205-lb. division after a turn at middleweight when he battles challenger Attila Vegh (33-9-2 MMA, 4-1 Oktagon), a veteran of Bellator MMA, in the latter’s first fight in close to four years’ time. As with all Oktagon MMA championship fights, the Oktagon 58 main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round.
🦾 ‘The Terminator’ 🦾
Czech superstar, Karlos Vémola 🇨🇿 competes at the biggest OKTAGON MMA event ever this Saturday!
He defends his light heavyweight title against Végh at OKTAGON 58 in ‘The Rematch of the Century’ inside Eden Stadium.
📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaEp1x & DAZN pic.twitter.com/bwqMILREQz
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) June 4, 2024
The Series So Far…
Going into Saturday’s rematch, the all-time series between these two men stands at 1-0 in favor of Vegh. Back in November of 2019, he scored a first-round knockout (punches) of Vemola during Oktagon 15. How will the second chapter of this story be penned this weekend?
Oktagon 58 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the Oktagon 58 main event on Saturday, Attila Vegh stands as the taller man at 6-foot-2, compared to Karlos Vemola’s frame of six feet even. Vemola, however, owns a two-inch reach advantage (75 inches to 73 inches) over Vegh.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Attila Vegh installed as a -138 favorite on the money line, while Karlos Vemola counters as a +105 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Karlos Vemola Returns to 205 for Oktagon 58 Main Event
Champion Karlos Vemola enters the Oktagon 58 main event this weekend having gone 3-2 in his last five fights. Last time out, he saw a two-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Samuel Kristofic (17-6 MMA, 11-5 Oktagon) during Oktagon 51 right before the new year on Dec. 29.
He fought at middleweight that night, a step down from his usual class at 205 lbs. Win or lose, Vemola is an interesting person away from the cage.
This is a guy who ended up caring for a pair of crocodiles to further his pursuit of owning wild animals, something that he told Sherdog about last year.
“Once, I took my kids to the zoo,” Vemola recounts, “and we obviously had some animals home, and my son, he’s about four, goes, ‘Ah, the crocodile! That’s a nice animal! Should we have it? Should we have a crocodile?'”
Upon Vemola convincing his wife that a crocodile was a good animal to have around, the young boy got his wish a week later. Back to the fight at hand, Saturday’s main event is Vemola’s first appearance at 205 lbs. in nearly a year. Will he return to his winning ways this weekend?
Can Attila Vegh Go 2-for-2 Versus Karlos Vemola?
In the other corner, Attila Vegh has gone 4-1 over his last five bouts inside the cage. Prior to the original bout against Karlos Vemola, his three-fight winning streak ended thanks to a first-round knockout due to punches against Virgil Zwicker (17-8-1 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon) during Oktagon 12 just about four years ago in June of 2019.
Zwicker has not appeared in any MMA promotion since that bout took place. Fighting for, and winning, a light heavyweight championship is by no means rarefied air for Vegh. On the last night of February, 2013, Vegh bested Christian M’Pumbu by unanimous decision to win the 205-lb. strap in Bellator.
The former champion has gone 0-3 in subsequent title bouts, including his first defense of the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. Vegh is tuning out the distractions, as he mentioned to Frontkick last month.
“I see my upcoming fight as doing absolutely everything to win,” the challenger said. “I train in two phases, in Bratislava, Sered, and Trnava, and I prepare really carefully. I’m not thinking about the result yet, it’s written up there, but I’m doing everything to make the result go well for my side.”
Can he score his second win vs. Vemola and win his second career championship in five attempts? Watch the Oktagon 58 main event and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the Oktagon 58 main event looks to favor Attila Vegh. While both the champion and challenger own purple belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Vegh is also a second-degree black belt in Kempo karate.
Karlos Vemola Can End a Fight Rapidly
When Karlos Vemola enters the cage for Saturday’s Oktagon 58 main event, you’re advised to not look away from the screen for a bite to eat. You might end up missing the whole fight if you do. Vemola is a guy who can put away an opponent with one blow.
His October unification fight at 205 lbs. versus Pavol Langer is a prime example. As soon as the referee gave the command to fight, Vemola knocked Langer down, pouncing on him with ground and pound, causing the ref to wave off the contest.
Time of the stoppage: A blistering seven seconds. Like we’ve said time and time again, all it takes is one shot to land right on the button. If Vemola can land the first big punch of the Oktagon 58 main event, it could be the only big punch needed to end the night.
Vegh Can Also Bring the Thunder
In the other corner, Attila Vegh subscribes to the gospel according to Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend.” He’s also been known to deliver a lightning-fast knockout if the situation arises.
Turning the clock back 12 years to a fight vs. Travis Wiuff, Vegh uncorked a right-handed shot to sit Wiuff down and knock him out on contact. Again, don’t blink or you’ll miss it all on Saturday.
Final Thoughts
A popcorn warning is in effect for the Oktagon 58 main event. Be sure to get it ready ahead of time this weekend. You don’t want to get the popcorn ready after the fight starts.
Prediction: Karlos Vemola by First-Round TKO.
