A packed crowd at the Westfalenhalle saw Holzer take on compatriot, and noted striker, Deniz Ilbay in the headline bout, and it was Holzer who walked away with the crucial victory.
After a typically larger-than-life walkout, Holzer happily stood and traded with “El Pistolero,” who has finished six of his eight MMA victories by knockout. And, while he got clipped several times during the fight, “Stifler” refused to take a backward step as the pair traded back and forth.
And, as the action went into the final two rounds, Holzer eventually managed to get Ilbay to the mat before taking his back and locking up a rear-naked choke for the victory.
That wasn’t the end of the skirmishing between the pair, however. Some off-colour celebrations from Holzer weren’t well received by Ilbay, who chased after Holzer and pushed him out of the cage. Thankfully, the victor didn’t appear to be hurt as officials and security calmed the situation, while Holzer continued his celebrations outside of the cage.
The co-main event saw two German influencers go head to head, with Ediz Tasci claiming the victory on his professional MMA debut by stopping “Flying” Uwe Schuder with ground and pound mid-way through the first round of their welterweight contest.
Former UFC veteran Khalid Taha claimed victory on his OKTAGON debut with a second-round ground-and-pound stoppage of Jose Zarauz in their 150-pound catchweight bout.
Abd Serbian lightweight contender Predrag Bogdanovic bounced back from his recent loss to Losene Keita by earning a split-decision victory over Germany’s Fedor Duric.
Earlier in the night, undefeated German grappler Frederick Vosgrone announced himself as a potential contender in the light heavyweight division with an arm-triangle choke finish of French striker Jorick Montagnanc.
There were also wins for OKTAGON notables Mohamed Grabinski, Lucie Pudilova and Karol Rysavy, but it was a disappointing night for Welsh flyweight contender Aaron Aby, who lost a unanimous decision to Mohammed Walid in their preliminary card matchup.
OKTAGON 69: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Max Holzer def. Deniz Ilbay via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 4, 4:14
- Ediz Tasci def. Uwe Schuder via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 2:50
- Khalid Taha def. Jose Zarauz via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 2, 4:04
- Predrag Bogdanovic def. Fedor Duric via split decision
- Gjoni Palokaj def. Marco Novak via unanimous decision
- Frederic Vosgrone def. Jorick Montagnac via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:36
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Mohamed Grabinski def. Karol Skrzypek via unanimous decision
- Lucie Pudilova def. Brittney Cloudy via unanimous decision
- Karol Rysavy def. Eugan Black-Dell via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:52
- Mohammed Walid def. Aaron Aby via unanimous decision
- David Hosek def. Aleksandar Stefanovic via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:38
