OKTAGON 65 features the finale of the Tipsport Gamechanger, the year-long lightweight tournament that offers a prize pool of €1 million, including €300,000 prize for the winner.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the tournament finale, between lightweight champion Ronald Paradeiser and featherweight champion Losene Keita, will also double up as a lightweight title fight, with Paradeiser stating pre-tournament that he would put his belt on the line if he reached the final.
Now Paradeiser and Keita will resume their competitive rivalry as the pair face off in a hotly-anticipated rematch. Keita defeated Paradeiser on the scorecards after a super-competitive bout for the interim lightweight title back at OKTAGON 31 in February 2022. Nearly three years on from that first meeting, they will do battle again, with undisputed championship gold, and the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament title, on the line.
The co-main event will see OKTAGON legend Karlos Vemola put his light heavyweight title on the line against Irish contender Will Fleury. Vemola has been one of the biggest standard-bearers for Czech MMA down the years, and has captured OKTAGON titles at middleweight and light heavyweight.
Sitting as the current 205-pound champ, “The Terminator” will put his light heavyweight crown on the line against Fleury, who has exploded into title contention with back-to-back finishes against highly-rated contenders.
Fleury submitted former K-1 kickboxer Daniel Skvor via second-round arm-triangle choke at OKTAGON 56 in Birmingham, then made his case for a title shot undeniable with a stunning first-round knockout of former interim light heavyweight champ Pavol Langer at OKTAGON 62 in Frankfurt.
After that win, Fleury called for a title shot against Vemola, and had his wish granted by the OKTAGON matchmakers. Now he plans to deliver another eye-catching finish to capture the promotion’s 205-pound crown.
The third title fight on the card, and the first one to play out on fight night, will see Czech MMA veteran Lucia Pudilova face off against Norway’s Cecilie Bolander in a rematch for the vacant women’s bantamweight title.
In her return to OKTAGON following her second stint in the UFC, Pudilova edged a split-decision verdict against Bolander at OKTAGON 61 in September to improve her record to 15 wins, 10 losses. For Bolander, it was the first defeat of her pro career, in just her fourth professional fight.
The main card also features a pivotal bout in the bantamweight division, as former titleholder Jonas Magard welcomes former UFC prospect Igor Severino to the OKTAGON MMA cage.
OKTAGON 65: Fight card
MAIN CARD
- Ronald Paradeiser vs. Losene Keita – Tipsport Gamechanger Final, for lightweight title
- Karlos Vemola vs. Will Fleury – for light heavyweight title
- Lucie Pudilova vs. Cecilie Bolander – for vacant women’s bantamweight title
- Jonas Magard vs. Igor Severino – bantamweight
- Radovan Uskrt vs. Daniel Schwindt – middleweight
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Agy Sardari vs. Ognjen Dimic – Tipsport Gamechanger reserve bout
- Jakub Tichota vs. Ozan Aslaner – lightweight
- Peter Gabal vs. Benny Bajrami – welterweight
- Marco Novak vs. Eeil Kurhela – featherweight
- Jakub Batfalsky vs. Dominik Toporcer – featherweight
