The vacant 135-pound title was all set to be contested in Cologne at OKTAGON 78, with number-one contender Igor Severino and number-three contender Khurshed Kakhorov set to go head to head for the bantamweight belt. But after Kakhorov was ruled out due to health complications during his weight cut, the bout was removed from the fight card at Lanxess Arena.
Now, the matchup has been rebooked, with the pair finally set to meet at OKTAGON 84 at Ostravar Arena on February 14.
Severino first hit the headlines after he was abruptly cut from the UFC after biting his opponent. He later signed with OKTAGON and made an instant impact with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jonas Magard that immediately put him in the frame for a shot at the title. Now sitting with a record of 9-1, “Hannibal Lecter” is ready to capture championship gold and prove to the world that he’s a legitimate world-class talent at 135 pounds.
Standing across the cage from him will be Germany’s Kakhorov, a 13-1 contender who previously captured the PFL Europe bantamweight title to prove his championship quality.
Now signed to OKTAGON, who have made a hugely successful foray into the German market over recent years, Kakhorov will make his promotional debut at OKTAGON 84 as he bids to capture championship gold for Germany, and potentially set up a title defence on home soil later next year.
Also added to the OKTAGON 84 card is the return of OKTAGON legend and former 170-pound champion David “The Pink Panther” Kozma, who makes his comeback after almost a year away following three successive stoppage defeats.
His knockout losses to Bojan Velickovic, Ion Surdu and Robert Pukac led Kozma to step away from the sport to fully recover before eventually making his return to the cage. That return takes place February 14 as the man who previously defended the OKTAGON welterweight title on five successive occasions looks to re-establish himself as a title threat at 170 pounds once again.
