OKTAGON 63 went down this past Saturday night (November 9) from Tipos Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia, and totally lived up to its billing. Many were predicting an evening of fun, exciting contests and that’s exactly what happened as the leading European promotion’s unrivalled 2024 schedule rolls on.
In the main event, Ivan Buchinger (44-10) proved he is still capable of competing against the best the continent has to offer by stopping Hafeni Nafuka (10-2) in a 73kg/161lbs catchweight contest. ‘The Namibian Nightmare’ got the better of the early going, dropping Buchinger, but it was the first ever OKTAGON MMA double champion who got the last laugh. During round two, the intense pace became too much for Nafuka to handle as ‘Buki’ stormed his way to a TKO victory. The 38-year-old teased retirement in his post-fight interview but then made it known he wasn’t ready to hang up the gloves just yet!
‘Apollo’ Silva (29-12-1, 1NC) defeated fellow former title challenger, Máté Kertész (15-8, 1NC), at an 80kg/176lbs catchweight in the co-headliner. ‘Apollo’ was constantly one step ahead of his opponent and was the better athlete in all facets of MMA. It was the best that the Brazilian has looked in competition for a while, showing a more aggressive and urgent side to his skillset on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
In a feature bout, Zhalgas Zhumagulov (17-9) put the entire flyweight division on notice by absolutely dominating Aaron Aby (16-11-1) over fifteen minutes. He knocked the Welshman down to the canvas during the opening round and also utilised his physicality to dictate the whole fight. After the contest, he announced that his sole aim is to claim the OKTAGON MMA flyweight title and he has champion, Sam Creasey, firmly in his sights.
Robert Pukač (18-13-1) earned a decision victory over Ammari Diedrick (6-3) in a 79.5kg/175lbs catchweight matchup and Gjoni Palokaj (10-3) bested Karol Ryšavý (13-8) at featherweight in a brilliant, back and forth encounter. Damien Lapilus (18-18-2, 3NC) also successfully returned to the promotion, finishing František Fodor (10-9) by TKO in just over a minute.
Elsewhere on the card, Jack Maguire (3-1) delivered a contender for ‘Comeback of the Year’ by submitting Radek Roušal (3-2) after being close to knocked out himself, and Veronika Smolková (5-3) defeated Mileide Simplicio (4-2) due to strikes at flyweight.
OKTAGON 63 Results Main Card Main EventCatchweight (73kg/161lbs)Ivan Buchinger (44-10) defeated Hafeni Nafuka (10-2) by TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round two Co-Main EventCatchweight (80kg/176lbs) ‘Apollo’ Silva (29-12-1, 1NC) defeated Máté Kertész (15-8, 1NC) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Catchweight (79.5kg/175lbs)Robert Pukač (18-13-1) defeated Ammari Diedrick (6-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) FeatherweightGjoni Palokaj (10-3) defeated Karol Ryšavý (13-8) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Catchweight (72kg/159lbs)Damien Lapilus (18-18-2, 3NC) defeated František Fodor (10-9) by TKO (kick and punches) at 1:19 of round one FlyweightZhalgas Zhumagulov (17-9) defeated Aaron Aby (16-10-1) by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) Preliminary Card Catchweight (68kg/150lbs)Jack Maguire (3-1) defeated Radek Roušal (3-2) by submission (triangle choke) at 2:44 of round two Catchweight (63kg/139lbs)Roman Paulus (11-4) defeated Janne Elonen-Kulmala (18-13-1, 1NC) by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:12 of round three FlyweightVeronika Smolková (5-3) defeated Mileide Simplicio (4-2) by TKO (punches) at 1:06 of round one Catchweight (72kg/159lbs)Tomáš Cigánik (4-2) defeated Kevin Enz (3-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
Discover more from FightBook MMA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
