Christian Eckerlin closed out a historic night for OKTAGON on Saturday, overcoming Christian Jungwirth in front of more than 50,000 supporters.
Frankfurt, Germany’s own Eckerlin won via unanimous decision in the main event of OKTAGON 62, which took place in front of a massive turnout at the Deutsche Bank Park stadium. The five-round win earned him a special “King of Germany” title and gave him the biggest spotlight at one of the biggest European MMA cards of the year.
Eckerlin had a dominant performance against Jungwirth, showcasing a well-rounded skillset en route to a comfortable decision win.
The striking skills of Eckerlin were on display early, out-boxing Jungwirth in stand-up exchanges. While Jungwirth was clearly losing in most exchanges, he remained aggressive on the feet and was able to get his own strikes through at times as well.
The grappling of Eckerlin was on display later in the fight as well, obtaining controlling positions on the ground in rounds three, four, and five. He remained active in ground positions, coming close to a kimura late in the third round before running out of time.
Due to OKTAGON’s usage of open scoring, it was known after the third round that Eckerlin was on pace to win via decision. Despite being ahead he continued to pick up rounds as the fight progressed, eventually sweeping scorecards in total.
Eckerlin, a 37-year-old who was born in Erbach but has represented the MMA Spirit gym in Frankfurt, ends his 2024 with a pair of wins in OKTAGON. He previously picked up a stoppage win in May, beating Miroslav Broz in the main event of a card.
Jungwirth snapped a losing streak in his previous appearance, beating Robert Pukac in March.
Engizek Ends Kincl’s Two-Year Middleweight Title Reign
The lengthy title reign of Patrik Kincl came to an end in Saturday’s co-main event, as Kerim Engizek took him the distance and won on scorecards to become the new OKTAGON Middleweight Champion.
Engizek proved to be the sharper striker in the first three rounds of the fight, landing a higher volume against defending champ Kincl. Engizek not only was the more active fighter on the feet but connected with the more impactful and cleaner shots against a reserved Kincl.
Kincl looked to focus on his grappling later in the fight, allowing him to find his first notable moments of success. He took the fourth round on scorecards, getting Engizek down early and eventually moving into side control on the canvas.
Despite losing the fourth round, Engizek rounded out his performance with a solid final frame. Loads of leg kicks throughout the fight from Engizek started to pile up for Kincl by the closing minutes, dropping Kincl at one point in the fifth round. While Engizek finished the fight on a strong note, being up three rounds to one meant that he had to simply just survive to the final bell to become champion.
Kincl held OKTAGON’s middleweight belt for more than two years, first gaining the belt in early 2022 with a decision over Samuel Kristofic. He defended the championship three times since that victory, including an arm triangle choke submission win earlier this year over Piotr Wawrzyniak.
Engizek was given a title shot this weekend following a pair of quick finish appearances in OKTAGON and a 10-year run of no losses as a pro. The Turkish fighter, who has spent his entire 25-fight career in Germany, was understandably the fan-favorite in Frankfurt.
Former UFC Fighter Martin Dethrones Strawweight Champ Dalisda
Mallory Martin scored the biggest win since the end of her UFC run as part of Saturday night’s prelims, avenging a 2022 loss against Katharina Dalisda and capturing the OKTAGON Strawweight Championship.
Martin controlled the fight from start to finish, having Dalisda’s number both on the feet and on the ground. Her right cross punch landed frequently early in the bout, finding a home frequently and allowing her to lead the fight in striking exchanges.
After getting ahead on scorecards with her boxing, Martin started to control the bout in championship rounds on the ground. She was able to score a takedown in both the fourth and fifth rounds, allowing her to land with ground and pound from a top position.
Much like the two five-round matchups that would take place later in the evening, it became clear who would walk away with the decision win before the announcer even officially revealed the result.
Martin lost her OKTAGON debut back in 2022, not being favored on scorecards against Dalisda. The fight was her first appearance following a four-fight UFC run, which saw her score one win through four appearances.
Newly-crowned champion Martin credited Dalisda for pushing her as a fighter.
“I have to thank Katharina, she made me who I am today,” Martin said in her post-fight interview. “The loss to her in 2022 changed me. I came back, I won one and I didn’t know, maybe I thought that was it. [My team] believed in me and they said ‘Let’s keep it goin’. And now I got this opportunity to fight in front of you guys, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I’ll never get this again.”
The Denver, Colorado-based fighter worked her way back up to a title fight with a pair of wins over the past year, beating Magdalena Sormova in late 2023 and getting past Anita Bekus in May.
Dalisda became the inaugural OKTAGON Strawweight Champion last year, submitting Jacinta Austin in the third round to capture the vacant belt. The Frankfurt-based fighter defended her belt for the first time in February, beating Eva Dourthe on scorecards.
Quick Results
Bout 11: Christian Eckerlin def. Christian Jungwirth via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Kerim Engizek def. Patrik Kincl via Decision, Unanimous (OKTAGON Middleweight Championship)
Bout 9: Max Coga def. Antun Racic via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:40)
Bout 8: Niko Samsonidse def. Daniel Torres via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:06)
Bout 7: Lazar Todev def. Adam Palasz via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:20)
Bout 6: Max Holzer def. Mohammed Trabelsi via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:23)
Bout 5: Mallory Martin def. Katharina Dalisda via Decision, Unanimous (OKTAGON Strawweight Championship)
Bout 4: Mochamed Machaev def. James Hendin via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Will Fleury def. Pavol Langer via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:31)
Bout 2: Hafeni Nafuka def. Arijan Topallaj via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Deniz Ilbay def. Michael Deiga-Scheck via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:19)
Knockdown News 