OKTAGON 75 Results: Palokaj defeats Batfalský, Dvořák & Taha land knockout wins

Hannover, Germany, got it’s first taste of OKTAGON action this past Saturday, September 13, as we took over Zag Arena with a capacity crowd of over 11,000 fans. OKTAGON 75 featured a host of German talent who took the next steps in their careers and the featherweight division was well and truly shaken up.

In the main event, Gjoni Palokaj (12-3) extended his winning streak to seven as he bested Jakub Batfalský (8-2) over fifteen minutes to claim victory. The Fight School Hannover product once again displayed his well-rounded abilities, but it was his grappling dominance which really came to the fore. Palokaj has well and truly placed himself in the title picture at featherweight while Batfalský’s spirited performance ensures his stock doesn’t drop.

Lazar Todev (12-7) continued his pursuit of heavyweight gold in the co-headliner by earning a decision victory over UFC veteran, Luis Barbosa (16-10, 1NC). The matchup mostly took place on the feet where the Bulgarian managed to land the more accurate and cleaner strikes over the distance. Todev is always on the edge of a crack at the strap and with the upcoming championship bout between Will Fleury and Martin Buday on the horizon, he’ll plot his next move carefully.

Gjoni Palokaj showed impressive grappling during the main event

As part of a flyweight feature bout, David Dvořák (22-6) successfully returned to the organisation by knocking out Mohammed Walid (8-5) in the very first round. He threw a perfectly timed right hand which dropped Walid to the canvasand the referee waved off the contest shortly thereafter. A shot at the belt against reigning king, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, in an intriguing clash could well be next!

Khalid Taha (16-5, 1NC) was trailing Edgar Delgado Jimenez (15-8) on all three scorecards heading into the third round of their featherweight meeting before unleashing some explosive punches to finish his adversary in very impressive fashion. During the post-fight interview, Taha once again called to face the man he was originally supposed to headline this event against, Max Holzer, in a bout that just became even more mouth-watering. Also at featherweight, Mago Machaev (16-2, 1NC) dominated Wanderley Junior (18-11) on the way to a TKO victory in the second frame.

Elsewhere on the card, Emilio Quissua (7-0) remained undefeated and became a name to watch in the light heavyweight division by finishing Mateusz Strzelczyk (15-15-1, 1NC) due to strikes. ‘The German Tarzan’, Hugo Vach (6-1), also had a successful promotional debut against Moritz Merten (2-2) at a catchweight of 69.5kg/153lbs.

David Dvořák delivered a huge knockout

OKTAGON 75 Results

Main Card

Main Event
Featherweight
Gjoni Palokaj (12-3) defeated Jakub Batfalský (8-2) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Co-Main Event
Heavyweight
Lazar Todev (12-7) defeated Luis Barbosa (16-10, 1NC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Flyweight
David Dvořák (22-6) defeated Mohammed Walid (8-5) by knockout (punches) at 3:56 of round one

Featherweight
Khalid Taha (16-5, 1NC) defeated Edgar Delgado Jimenez (15-8) by knockout (punches) at 0:37 of round three

Light Heavyweight
Emilio Quissua (7-0) defeated Mateusz Strzelczyk (15-15-1, 1NC) by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of round one

Preliminary Card

Featherweight
Mago Machaev (16-2, 1NC) defeated Wanderley Junior (18-11) by TKO (punches) at 4:37 of round two

Catchweight (69.5kg/153lbs)
Hugo Vach (6-1) defeated Moritz Merten (2-2) by TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of round one

Welterweight
Lukáš Eliáš (5-1) defeated Emir-Can Al (2-2) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:35 of round two

Featherweight
Henrique Madureira (8-7) defeated Nikolaos Serbezis (8-5) by knockout (punch) at 2:35 of round one

Catchweight (80kg/176lbs)
Jixie Molapo (1-1) defeated Finn Griessmann (1-3) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Khalid Taha landed a highlight-reel stoppage

OKTAGON are back this weekend as we return to the place where our German story all began, Festhalle Frankfurt. Daniel Weichel comes out of retirement to headline OKTAGON 76 against Abou Tounkara and viral sensation, Frederic Vosgröne, takes on Fabio Moraes. Attila Korkmaz, Denis Frimpong, Alina Dalaslan, Fedor Duric and Tamerlan Dulatov will also be in action.

Official photographs from OKTAGON 75 can be found on this link. If they are used in any articles, please credit ‘OKTAGON’.