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Five biggest takeaways from OKTAGON 61
OKTAGON 61. Photo via OKTAGON MMA (Instagram)
This past Saturday’s OKTAGON 61 delivered a lot of high caliber MMA action! The card featured the OKTAGON € 1 million tournament lightweight semi finals, as well as a bunch of other highly interesting matchups.
Check out Tobias Lindkvist’s five biggest takeaways from the night in Brno.
Cecilie Bolander is a star in the making
Cecilie Bolander. Photo: Chris Önnerby
Cecilie Bolander may have lost her OKTAGON debut against UFC veteran Lucie Pudilova, but she won the hearts of MMA fans all over Europe.
With a broken nose, Bolander just kept pushing forward with a relentless pace during three rounds, and showed that she is so much more than a judoka.
I actually had the fight 29-28 to Bolander after the final bell, but win or lose, the Norwegian showed that she belongs among the absolut elite of European MMA.
The marvelous Losene Ketia
Losene Keita. Photo via OKTAGON MMA
What more can be said about Losene Keita? The MMA phenomenon has beaten his way to the top of the European scene and intends to cement his position at the top later this year.
Next up, Keita will face off with Paradeiser in the highly anticipated final of the million-euro tournament. There’s no doubt that the winner will be the official king of European lightweight!
Can Ronald Paradeiser be stopped?
Ronald Paradeiser. Photo via OKTAGON MMA
Ronald Paradeiser has once and again proved that he is one of the absolute greatest lightweights on the European continent.
This past Saturday, the tall and lanky 155er used his range and power to secure a first-round knockout against Acoidan Duque. The performance earned him a well deserved €5000 post-fight bonus as well.
Paradeiser’s upcoming final against Losene Ketia is four sure of the best fights on paper in 2025. I just can’t wait for it!
The violence of Vladimir Lengal
Vladimir Lengal. Photo via OKTAGON
Czech boxing champion and kickboxing champion Vladimir Lengal is a force of nature inside the cage.
This past Saturday’s clash with Corey Fry was a display of entertaining violence from both fighters, but Lengal punctured the fight with a brutal knee in the second round. What a fight!
Amazing atmosphere in Brno!
OKTAGON 61 took place in Brno.
The atmosphere at the Winning Group Arena, Brno, delivered just as much as promised!
Check out the loud crowd in the player below!
OKTAGON 61 results
Main card
- Lightweight bout: Ronald Paradeiser def. Acoidan Duque via KO, (punches), round 1
- Middleweight bout: Makhmud Muradov def. Scott Askham via unanimous decision
- Lightweight bout: Losene Keita def. Mateusz Legierski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
- Bantamweight bout: Lucie Pudilova def. Cecilie Bolander via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Welterweight bout: Andrej Kalasnik def. Ioannis Palaiologos via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Featherweight bout: Vladimir Lengal def. Corey Fry via TKO (punches), round 2
Undercard
- Catchweight bout: Tomas Hron def. Fred Sikking via TKO (doctor stoppage)
- Bantamweight bout: Jack Cartwright def. Mate Sanikidze via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lightweight bout: George Staines def. Jakub Tichota via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Featherweight bout: Radek Rousal def. Nezar Bahaji via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Lightweight bout: Agy Sardari def. Attila Korkmaz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Lightweight bout: Jan Stanovsky def. Gleb Shadrin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Want to read more about European MMA?
- Cecilie Bolander talks OKTAGON debut and Norwegian MMA: “I’ve been an underdog since day one!”
- Fan favorite Alexander Lööf inks multi-fight deal with Cage Warriors – set for new fight!