On Saturday, May 17th, Oktagon MMA hosted a memorable card in Munich, Germany. In the featured prelim, George Staines took on hometown favorite Hafeni Nafuka. Coming into this fight, Staines was holding a 5-0 record, now he moves to 6-0, with a performance that sent a mesage to the Oktagon Lightweight Division.
George Staines is back
“Saint” George Staines returned the Oktagon MMA cage for the first time in 8 months. It has been a frustrating time for Staines, with many fighters turning down fights with him. Staines fought a smart fight, nullifying Nafuka for the most part, and not getting hit. Nafuka only landed 12 significant strikes over the course of 3 rounds. “There is only one George Staines” was being sung by his fan section, while the Munich crowd fell silent.
Staines will now, like his former adversary Denis Frimpong, look to break into the top 10 of the Lightweight division. His issue will be finding someone to fight him. Coming from a powerhouse of a camp in Next Generation MMA Liverpool, Staines has otherworldly self-belief. Staines knows how hard he works in the gym, so when he enters the cage on fight night, he knows exactly how the fight is going to go.
Hafeni Nafuka claims he won the fight
Despite the scorecards being pretty clear, Nafuka was convinced that he won the fight. Following the fight, he made an Instagram post stating:
“Aggressive wrestling, top control, the fight every time determined where he should…well, but we know for the next time we can’t rely on the points but should just send the boys to sleep!!! There are often wrong decisions in MMA, so wipe your mouth and move on!! See you at the top”
As for Hafeni Nafuka, a step back in competition may be needed. He has now lost 3 out of his last 4 fights, to top competition. A matchup with the likes of Peter Gabal, who was also victorious last night, would be a lot of fun.
