Aaron Aby faces Elias Garcia for inaugural flyweight title headliner in Manchester

We will crown our first ever OKTAGON MMA flyweight champion in a bout that headlines our debut show in England!

OKTAGON 48 goes down inside AO Arena, Manchester, on Saturday, November 4 and signals the opening of a brand-new division in Europe’s leading MMA promotion. Aaron Aby will fly the Welsh flag with pride while hunting for gold in the biggest fight of his career when he collides with UFC veteran, Elias Garcia.

Aby (15-7-1) has one of the most inspiring and courageous stories in the whole of MMA. He was born with Cystic Fibrosis and his parents were told it would be unlikely he’d live beyond his teenage years. After overcoming these odds to become a professional athlete well into his adult life, he was hit with more devastating news.

Aby was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer which later developed into a large stomach tumour but yet again, he showed dogged determination and grit to battle through, fully recovering from his illness. Now he has the chance to complete the ultimate comeback story and prove that everyone can achieve their dreams, no matter what obstacles they face.

Garcia (9-2) is coming off three straight victories in Combate Global following his run in the UFC. The American has shared the cage with Mark De La Rosa and went the distance with one of the best flyweights in the world, Kai Kara-France. In November, he will travel to Europe for the very first time in his fighting career and hopes to silence the UK crowd, taking the belt back to the USA in the process.

The loaded card in Manchester also features the captivating season finales of ‘Stage to the Cage: Jake vs. Paul’ and ‘OKTAGON Challenge: England vs. Ireland’. The first episode of ‘Stage to the Cage’ has received brilliant reviews, having been watched more than 200,000 times on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel. Furthermore, rising UK and Irish talents, who are also coaches on this series of OKTAGON Challenge, Shem Rock and Akonne Wanliss, will compete in the biggest fights of their careers to date.

Tickets for a live MMA experience like no other at OKTAGON 48 on November 4 can be purchased right now on Ticketmaster.