Fleury battled all the way to the scorecards with Todev in a bout that saw the Irishman become the first fighter to take the Bulgarian down inside the OKTAGON cage. He also enjoyed plenty of success on the feet as he peppered the number-one contender with punches and kicks throughout the first two rounds.
Todev attempted to force his way into the fight in the middle rounds, but a tiring Fleury somehow found more in the tank to take the upper hand through the championship rounds to capture the vacant title via unanimous decision.
Fleury’s OKTAGON career has been a remarkable one. After breaking his hand while sparring Sean Strickland at Xtreme Couture, there were real concerns that his OKTAGON MMA opportunity might be over before it had even begun.
Rather than pulling out of his promotional debut, Fleury fought with a shattered thumb and defeated former kickboxing ace Daniel Skvor via second-round arm-triangle choke to claim an emotional win at OKTAGON 56 in April 2024.
That win earned him a bout with former interim light heavyweight champion Pavol Langer in front of 59,000 fans in a football stadium at OKTAGON 62, and he blasted his way into the title contention with a stunning one-shot knockout victory.
Fleury called for a shot at the light heavyweight champion Karlos Vemola, and at OKTAGON 65 he got his wish as he battled to the scorecards to earn a dominant decision victory to capture the 205-pound title.
Some expected him to drop to middleweight to compete in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament this year, but instead Fleury pivoted to the heavyweight division, and a battle with Todev for the recently vacated heavyweight title.
The belt, which was previously held by Hatef Moiel, was vacated after Moeil started a press conference fracas, then pulled out of his title defence with Todev on the morning of the fight.
It meant that Todev was denied the chance to get revenge over Moeil after he controversially lost a decision to the German for the title at OKTAGON 49.
With Todev determined to put things right against Fleury, and with the Irishman looking to add another title to his legacy by becoming a simultaneous two-division champion, the stakes were sky high in Stuttgart.
And on fight night, it was Fleury who rose to the occasion to win with scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, as he added the heavyweight crown to his light heavyweight title to become a two-division champion for the European promotion.
Will Fleury is tougher than a two-dollar steak. Steps up to heavyweight and goes toe to toe with Lazar Todev for five full rounds to capture the heavyweight title and become @OktagonOfficial champion at both HW and LHW. #OKTAGON68
— Simon Head (@simonheadsport) March 8, 2025
In the co-main event, European MMA veteran Alan Omer made a remarkable return to the sport after five years away from the cage, and scored a unanimous decision victory over Polish veteran Lukasz Kopera.
Five years ago, medical checks discovered an abnormality in Omer’s brain, wihch turned out to be a brain tumor. He underwent brain surgery to have the tumor removed and, remarkably, he made his return to high-level mixed martial arts, and capped off his incredible comeback with a dominant decision victory.
After his victory, Omer said he’d love to face fellow veteran Ivan Buchinger later this summer in OKTAGON MMA’s stadium event in Prague.
Also on the main card, former UFC middleweight Makhmud Muradov picked up an impressive knockout victory over Swiss MMA pioneer Yasubey Enomoto.
OKTAGON 68: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Will Fleury def. Lazar Todev via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – for light heavyweight title
- Alan Omer def. Lukasz Kopera via unanimous decision
- Makhmud Muradov def. Yasubey Enomoto via knockout (punch and knee) – Round 2, 0:40
- Daniel Schwindt def. Marek Bartl via TKO (punches and elbows) – Round 2, 4:41
- Jessin Ayari def. Andreas Stahl via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 4:01
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Denis Frimpong def. Robin Frank via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Elvis Silva def. Roman Paulis via split decision (29-28, 28-29 29-28)
- Jakub Batfalsky def. Joel Batobo via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
- Daniel Ligocki def. Erik Lorenz via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 3:05
- Alina Dalaslan def. Kamila Simkova via TKO (knees) – Round 3, 3:49
- Kevin Enz def. Benny Bajrami via unanimous decision
