OKTAGON 33 Results: Losene Keita finishes Ivan Buchinger in three minutes to claim gold, Eckerlin stars

OKTAGON 33 took place on Saturday evening, June 4, from the iconic Festhalle Frankfurt and will go down as one of the greatest and most significant events in the European promotion’s history. A sold-out crowd of 9000 strong witnessed a memorable night of action that saw some of the continent’s most notable names deliver on a grand stage. New stars were also born on the show, which marked OKTAGON MMA’s first-ever event in Germany to kick-start their era of European expansion.

In the headliner, undefeated Belgian sensation, Losene Keita (9-0), delivered the performance of the night when he dropped and finished Ivan Buchinger (39-8) after only three minutes of the very first round to unify the OKTAGON MMA lightweight belts. The 24-year-old stuffed all of Buchinger’s takedown attempts and utilised his blistering hand-speed to finish the European veteran. It was a fantastic performance and cements Keita’s position as one of the brightest prospects on the continent. After the bout, ‘Black Panther’ stated that he would like to drop down to the featherweight division and capture Buchinger’s title there as well, in order to place a belt on each shoulder.

Team Captains of the OKTAGON Challenge TV series clashed in the co-main event and it was Stephan Puetz (21-5) who emerged as the victor over ‘King Kong’ Martin Zawada (29-17-1). The light heavyweight showdown was billed as ‘The Battle for Germany’ and ‘T-800’ made it clear in no uncertain terms that he is the best at 205lbs in the country. Puetz used his excellent wrestling and heavy top-game to stifle Zawada throughout the contest, earning a unanimous decision win. German MMA pioneer, Zawada, was disappointed with the loss and explained it may have been the last time he competed in the sport.

Later in the evening, Puetz confirmed that he would like to fight Czech superstar, Karlos Vemola, in the future as there is only room for one true ‘Terminator’ in OKTAGON MMA. Vemola also expressed interest in the bout and fans will be salivating at the thought of the pair stepping inside the cage together in the future.

In the OKTAGON Challenge Finale, it was Selim Lee Topuz (6-3-1) who came out on top against Hassan Shaaban (3-1) in a five-round, hard-fought contest. The rising welterweight has grown his following and popularity due to the TV series and intends to become a big star in the region.

The roof nearly blew off the Festhalle Frankfurt when Germany’s biggest MMA star, Christian Eckerlin (15-5), entered the arena to greet his hometown fans and the noise level only increased further from there. It was a fast-paced, back and forth fight between the former professional footballer and his late-notice opponent, Denilson Neves de Oliveira (17-9). A foul was called by the referee for a knee thrown by the Brazilian in the first frame, which dropped Eckerlin to the canvas. There was debate about whether the strike was actually legal but despite this, Eckerlin rallied in the second round and landed some heavy ground and pound to stop the bout – much to the delight of the raucous crowd.

Elsewhere on the card, former OKTAGON MMA middleweight champion, Karlos Vemola (32-6), returned to MMA competition for the first time in over a year and locked up an arm-triangle in the opening stanza against Polish fan-favourite, Michał Pasternak (16-8). UFC veteran, David Zawada (18-7), had a successful debut with the promotion, defeating Erhan Kartal (10-2) due to a doctor stoppage in their welterweight bout.

OKTAGON 33 Results

Main Card

Main Event
OKTAGON MMA Undisputed Lightweight Title
Losene Keita (9-0) defeated Ivan Buchinger (39-8) by TKO (punches) at 3:00 of round 1 to unify the OKTAGON MMA lightweight belts

Co-Main Event
‘The Battle for Germany’
Light Heavyweight
Stephan Puetz (21-5) defeated Martin Zawada (29-17-1) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

OKTAGON Challenge Finale
Welterweight
Selim Lee Topuz (6-3-1) defeated Hassan Shaaban (3-1) by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

Catchweight (82kg/180lbs)
Christian Eckerlin (15-5) defeated Denilson Neves de Oliveira (17-9) by TKO (ground strikes) at 0:38 of round 2

Light Heavyweight
Karlos Vemola (32-6) defeated Michał Pasternak (16-8) by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:55 of round 1

Welterweight
David Zawada (18-7) defeated Erhan Kartal (10-2) by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round 1

Preliminary Card

Welterweight
Christian Jungwirth (12-5) defeated Ivica Trušček (41-36) by TKO (strikes) at 4:09 of round 2

Middleweight
Zdenek Polivka (8-5) defeated Cheick Kone (18-12) by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2

Heavyweight
Hatef Moeil (12-4) defeated Kerisson Leal (6-4, 1NC) by TKO (referee stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2

Featherweight
Ahmed Vila (9-4-1, 1NC) defeated Jaroslav Pokorný (14-10) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Heavyweight
Adam Pałasz (7-1) defeated Donald Ćosic (3-1) by TKO (injury) at 3:28 of round 1

Welterweight
Jamie Cordero (2-0) defeated Ibrahim Cholo (4-2) by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Bantamweight
Michael Deiga-Scheck (9-4) defeated Cory Tait (10-7) by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

To build on their current momentum in the market, OKTAGON MMA confirmed they will be heading back to the world-famous Festhalle Frankfurt on October 15, where Christian Eckerlin and David Zawada are already announced for the card.