Another year of competitive violence has just about come and gone, but Oktagon 65 looms this weekend after Christmas for MMA fans.
Inside the United States, the end of December may be a quiet time for MMA, but it isn’t the case in the Czech Republic. Sunday afternoon (US time), Oktagon MMA presents its final card of the year, Oktagon 65.
Stateside, live coverage of the Oktagon 2024 finale can be seen live on DAZN beginning at noon ET/ 9 am PT with the prelims. Main card action from Oktagon 65 follows at 3 pm ET/ noon PT.
Co-Headlining Fighter Bows Out Ahead of Oktagon 65
While the main card on Sunday still features three title fights at the top of the bill, there’s been a slight change as it relates to the Oktagon 65 co-main event before Ronald Paradeiser and Losene Keita square off in the Tipsport Gamechanger Lightweight Final. Lucia Szabova (8-0 MMA, 8-0 Oktagon) was forced to withdraw from Sunday’s Oktagon Women’s Bantamweight Championship after taking ill.
Subsequent to the Christmas announcement, Oktagon revealed that Cecille Bolander (3-1 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon) has been elevated from the prelims to try and avenge her only career defeat against Lucie Pudilova on Sunday.
🚨 FIGHT UPDATE 🚨
Lucia Szabová is no longer able to compete at OKTAGON 65 this Sunday due to an illness.
Cecilie Bolander (3-1) 🇳🇴 now steps up to rematch Lucie Pudilová (15-10) 🇨🇿 in Prague for the vacant bantamweight belt.
📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ | DAZN | RTL+ pic.twitter.com/ZaZimzaXh0
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) December 25, 2024
Also on Sunday’s main card is an Oktagon Light Heavyweight Championship affair matching current champion Karlos Vemola (37-8 MMA, 12-3 Oktagon) and No. 1 contender Will Fleury (13-3, 1 NC MMA, 2-0 Oktagon).
Notable Prelims on Oktagon 65
The day starts off with a four-fight undercard, including a free prelim streamed worldwide on the official Oktagon MMA YouTube channel at noon ET/ 9 am PT. It’s time to examine a few of these fights on the undercard.
Oktagon 65 Featured Prelim: Jakub Tichota vs. Ozan Aslaner
At the top of the bill on the undercard, action takes place in the lightweight ranks when Jakub Tichota (5-3 MMA, 5-3 Oktagon) battles Ozan Aslaner (8-5-1 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon.) Tichota enters this featured prelim at Oktagon 65 having posted a record of 2-3 over his last five fights.
He’s fallen on hard times of late, however. Currently he’s on a three-fight losing streak, one that was extended last time out at the hands of George Staines (3-0 MMA, 3-0 Oktagon back in September during Oktagon 61 from Brno, Czech Republic.
To find the last time that Tichota experienced a sustained winning streak in MMA, you’d have to travel back in time to the start of his professional career, when he won five fights in a row.
In the other corner, Ozan Aslaner comes into this weekend’s card in the hopes of getting back in the win column after two years away from competition. On Dec. 3, 2022, during Oktagon 37, he sustained a knee injury against Matej Kuznik and couldn’t continue in the fight. With a clean bill of health, will Aslaner score a victory this weekend?
Oktagon 65 Co-Featured Prelim: Marco Novak vs. Eemil Kurhela
Immediately beforehand, the co-featured undercard contest shifts to the featherweight ranks for a contest between Marco Novak (5-1 MMA, 2-1 Oktagon) and Eemil Kurhela (7-2 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon.) Novak enters this tussle having posted a record of 4-1 over his last five fights and has won three fights in succession.
Last time out, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Radek Rousal (5-1 MMA, 3-2 Oktagon) on July 20 during Oktagon 59: Summer Party from Peugeot Arena in Bratislava. Marco Novak has had a busy two years, appearing in five fights since the start of 2023. Only time will tell if he’ll able to ring out 2024 with his hand being raised at the end of Sunday’s fight.
In the other corner, Eemil Kurhela has gone 3-2 over the course of his last five fights, but has only set foot inside the cage once this calendar year. Back in May, he was on the receiving end of a rear-naked choke submission by Max Holzer (10-0 MMA, 4-0 Oktagon) during Oktagon 57 at a contracted catchweight of 150 lbs.
Given that Kurhela has spent close to eight months away from the cage, will the long hiatus play a factor in this preliminary contest?
Jakub Batfalsky vs. Dominik Topforcer
The Oktagon 65 undercard begins Sunday with a featherweight tilt matching Jakub Batfalsky (5-1 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon) against Dominik Topforcer (4-2 MMA, Oktagon promotional debut.) Batfalsky enters Sunday’s card having posted a mark of 4-1 in his last five fights.
At the present time, he’s on a two-fight winning streak. Back in early October, he scored a unanimous decision victory over PK Zadeh (4-1 MMA) during PML 11. Batfalsky is hopeful to avoid an outcome similar to his Oktagon promotional debut in Oktagon 63 earlier this year. That night, he dropped a unanimous decision to Sami Zarabi (4-2 MMA, 1-0 Oktagon).
Across the way, Dominik Topforcer comes into his maiden voyage with Oktagon sporting a 3-2 mark in his last five MMA appearances. Most recently, he was on the losing end of a unanimous decision versus David Martinik (7-7 MMA, 0-1 Oktagon) in RFA 18. Will he start 2025 coming off of a win?
