The SAP Garden played host to the event, with the brand new venue treated to a night packed with finishes. And none were more spectacular than the one that closed the show.
Surdu produced a brilliant left high kick to catch returning former champion Kaik Brito as he was exiting the clinch. The kick connected flush and knocked out Brito instantly to give Surdu a highlight-reel, title-winning finish.
Heavyweight title main event scrapped after Moeil’s late withdrawal
The welterweight title fight was originally due to be the co-main event, but was promoted up to the main event slot after heavyweight champion Hatef Moeil pulled out of the event on the day of the fight, leaving his title defence with Lazar Todev in tatters.
🤯 WHAT JUST HAPPENED? 🤯
Heavyweight champion, Hatef Moeil 🇩🇪 just turned the pre-fight press conference into chaos and Lazar Todev 🇧🇬 didn’t back down.
They’ll finally get their hands on each other tomorrow night at OKTAGON 64!
📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ | DAZN | RTL+ pic.twitter.com/QnYtUbjkpL
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) December 6, 2024
Moeil and Todev clashed during a fiery pre-fight press conference that saw the champion hurl his championship belt at Todev, with the belt striking promotion co-owner Pavol Neruda in the melee.
A social media statement from the promotion explained that OKTAGON officials had informed Moeil’s team that a sanction would be issued for the incident. That then led to Moeil’s decision to withdraw from the event, leaving fans disappointed and the promotion likely pondering the fighter’s future in the organisation.
Today at lunch, we informed Hatef Moeil’s management that Hatef would be penalized for yesterday’s incident.
Hatef decided on his own not to participate in the match based on this.
We will provide updates on the consequences in the coming days.
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) December 7, 2024
Main card recap
The co-main event ended in disappointing fashion after an illegal knee from German light heavyweight contender Alexander Poppeck left Polish opponent Mateusz Strzelczyk unable to continue.
The knee was ruled to be accidental, and with the bout only two minutes 28 seconds old, the fight was ruled a no contest. It remains to be seen whether the pair are matched up for a return bout, or whether they’ll go their separate ways. But as a contest, this one was over almost before it had really begun.
Also on the main card, undefeated German star Max Holzer claimed a unanimous decision victory over compatriot Eugen Black-Dell, but he didn’t come out of the bout completely unscathed.
“Stifler” entered the garb usually associated with Deniz Ilbay, as he made clear who he wants to face in the future, and he might just get his wish after adding another victory to his growing undefeated record.
The main card opener saw Patrick Vespaziani claim a dominant victory as he stopped the previously undefeated Sebastian Herzberg with a vicious barrage of ground strikes to make a big statement on his Oktagon debut.
Preliminary card recap
The five-fight preliminary card delivered a salvo of submissions, with four finishes in a row thrilling the fans who arrived for the early bouts at the SAP Garden.
Marek Bartl kicked off the run of finishes with an eye-catching inverted triangle choke to finish Endrit Brajshori in the first round, then Gokhan Aksu followed up with a first-round submission of his own, courtesy of a rear-naked choke.
Jamie Cordero is more well known for his striking inside the cage, but he surprised Ion Taburceanu, and most of the fans and journalists watching, when he locked up a Kimura from the back to claim a 60-second finish in his middleweight matchup.
The final preliminary card bout saw Jakub Dohnal claim a third-round submission finish of Michael Deiga-Scheck, who was badly compromised by an injury to his right knee.
Many thought Deiga-Scheck’s appearance would be the last inside the OKTAGON cage, but instead of his expected post-fight retirement, he laid down just the one glove, as he signalled his intention to retire, but stated his aim to go into surgery to repair his knee, then having a couple more fights with Oktagon before finally calling it a career.
OKTAGON 64: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Ion Surdu def. Kaik Brito via knockout (head kick) – Round 1 2:34 – for vacant welterweight title
- Alexander Poppeck vs. Mateusz Strzelczyk ruled a no contest (illegal knee) – Round 1, 2:28
- Max Holzer def. Eugen Black-Dell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Patrick Vespianziani def. Sebastian Herzberg via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:57
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Jakub Dohnal def. Michael Deiga-Scheck via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:43
- Jamie Cordero def. Ion Taburceanu via submission (Kimura) – Round 1, 1:00
- Gokhan Aksu def. Jan Malach via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:28
- Marek Bartl def. Endrit Brajshori via submission (inverted triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:57
- Fedor Duric def. Jan Stanovsky via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
