MMA News, Oktagon

New open scoring features and Tipsport Gamechanger final goes down at OKTAGON 51

Aaron East

December 27, 2023

final card of the year, OKTAGON 51, goes down this Friday, December 29, inside the magnificent O2 Arena in Prague. For the first time in OKTAGON MMA history, open scoring will be utilised so all athletes and their corners will know exactly where they stand with the judges after each round. The crowd and viewing audience will also be informed of the developing scorecards which will provide a new level of excitement and sporting experience for the fans.

In the main event, Bojan Veličković (24-12-1) represents Serbia against Greek Spartan, Andreas Michailidis (16-6), in the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger welterweight tournament final. The 16-man elite European bracket began back in March and has been whittled down until only the toughest two athletes remain. Both Veličković and Michailidis scored huge first round knockouts in their semifinal bouts over David Kozma and Louis Glismann respectively. Who will leave the O2 Arena as the winner of the inaugural European MMA Champions League with a life-changing €300,000 in prize money as well as national pride?

Lethal Slovak finisher, Vlasto Čepo (12-2), collides with Babilon MMA champion, Piotr Wawrzyniak (11-5), in the co-headliner for the interim middleweight belt. King of the division, Patrik Kincl, was set to defend his title against ‘El Chapo’ on Friday night but had to withdraw after suffering a serious injury. The Pole stepped in on late notice and knows he has been presented with the opportunity of his career against a big fan favourite of the organisation. Čepo is one of the most intimidating men in the promotion and has stopped all of his opponents in his victories before the end of the second round. It’s highly unlikely the judges will be needed in this one!

Old rivalries rise again in an anticipated feature bout when Czech superstar, Karlos Vémola (36-7), competes inside O2 Arena for the final time opposite OKTAGON MMA legend, Samuel Krištofič (16-6), at a catchweight of 88.5kg/195lbs. The pair’s history goes back many years, but they’ve never had the chance to settle their differences inside the cage until now. Will it be ‘The Terminator’ or ‘Pirát’ who earns the ultimate bragging rights and proves they are the superior fighter once and for all? Find out more about the intriguing backstory to this fight in the ‘Showdown’ feature below.

Former Glory kickboxer, Daniel Škvor (6-3), throws down with the man known as ‘King Kong’, Martin Zawada (29-18-1), in an exciting light heavyweight matchup that is expected to produce fireworks. Furthermore, devastating striker, Ion Surdu (14-5), is in search of another highlight-reel knockout when he clashes with former Cage Warriors and Venator FC champion, Stefano Paternò (15-4-1), at welterweight in a Tipsport Gamechanger reserve bout.

Elsewhere on the card, fresh off a four-fight run in Bellator, Chiara Penco (8-4), returns to the promotion to take on French all-rounder, Eva Dourthe (7-5), in a strawweight number one contender contest and Radek Roušal (1-0) continues his transition to MMA against British brawler, Kallum Parker (2-2, 1NC), at featherweight.

OKTAGON 51 will be broadcast live on OKTAGON.TV internationally as well as worldwide on the global platform, DAZN, in all markets except from CZ/SK/DE. Fans in the UK/Ireland can tune in on Channel 4 and RMC Sport will broadcast the event for viewers in France. OKTAGON 51 will be streamed exclusively on BILD+ in the DACH region. The action begins at 5pm GMT/6pm CET/12pm ET/9am CT.

OKTAGON 51 Fight Card

December 29th – Prague, Czech Republic

Main Card

Main Event

Tipsport Gamechanger Final

Bojan Veličković (24-12-2) vs. Andreas Michailidis (16-6)

Co-Main Event

OKTAGON MMA Interim Middleweight Title

Vlasto Čepo (12-2) vs. Piotr Wawrzyniak (11-5)

Catchweight (88.5kg/195lbs)

Karlos Vémola (36-7) vs. Samuel ‘Pirát’ Krištofič (16-6)

Light Heavyweight