Hafeni Nafuka vs. George Staines: Lightweight prospects collide at OKTAGON 71

Two of OKTAGON MMA’s most talented lightweight prospects will go head to head at BMW Park in Munich on May 17 as Hafeni Nafuka takes on George Staines.

Nafuka has impressed with his strong wrestling base and heavy top game as he has picked up three victories under the OKTAGON MMA banner.

His first win came on his promotional debut with a second-round guillotine choke finish of Peter Gabal at OKTAGON 41, and he followed up with a first-round armbar of Adrian Kepa at OKTAGON 44 two months later.

“The Namibian Nightmare: dropped a decision to experienced veteran Predrag Bogdanovic at OKTAGON 54 last March but, after a win on the regional circuit, Nafuka returned and outpointed Arijan Topallaj at OKTAGON 62 in Frankfurt.

That win put him in touching distance of the division’s big names, and a second-round TKO loss to former two-division champion Ivan Buchinger showed him there’s still plenty of growing to do before he can consider himself a legitimate title threat.

But his next assignment will see him face another rising star who plans to one day gatecrash the title picture at 155 pounds.

England’s Staines is perfect at 3-0 in his professional career, with the former amateur standout having all of his pro fights inside the OKTAGON MMA cage.

🚨 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
Dangerous finisher, Hafeni Nafuka (10-2) 🇩🇪 takes on one of the best English prospects, George Staines (3-0) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in a lightweight bout at OKTAGON 71.
Will ‘The Namibian Nightmare’ or ‘Saint George’ rise in Munich?
Tickets👇🏼
🎫 https://t.co/kRbxKzgp9f pic.twitter.com/qJdMLESfj9
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) April 7, 2025

Staines kicked off his career with by picking up two exhibition victories in the OKTAGON Challenge: England vs. Ireland season as he defeated Matthew Elliott and Armand Herczeg, before he dominated Denis Frimpong en route to a fourth-round guillotine choke in the season finale at OKTAGON 48 in Manchester, England, in what was his first official professional fight.

Since then, “Star Killer” has outpointed Tomas Ciganic and Jakub Tichota, and now he gets a bump up in competition as he takes on Nafuka, who has been swimming in deeper waters of late.

Victory for either man should push them towards the lightweight elite and their 155-pound matchup in Munich should make for a fascinating contest, with wrestler Nafuka taking on Staines, whose own mat skills have shown him to be a dangerous operator on the ground.

Nafuka vs. Staines joins a growing fight card that is topped by a light heavyweight battle between top contenders Alexander Poppeck and Pavol Langer. Arijan Topallaj and Denis Frimpong will finally face off in a 74kg catchweight contest, while Liverpool’s Shem Rock returns to face Abdullo Khodzhaev at lightweight.