Oktagon 93 Preview: Roušal vs Mågård

Oktagon is back on our screens from their native Czechia this Saturday evening. The Winning Group Arena in Brno will host Oktagon 93 and we will see ten mixed martial arts matchups and two “Stand & Bang” bouts.

Hometown hero Radek Roušal (7-2) takes to the stage in the main event of the evening. The Brno man is one of the biggest characters on the roster and he entertains from the walkout to the final belt. The 31-year-old comes from a striking background and has competed across boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing. The Czech has found his rhythm of late in MMA, winning his last four and finishing them all with his striking. He’ll come out hot in the first couple of rounds looking for the kill. Jonas Mågård (19-7) is a former FEN and OKMMA bantamweight champion and is moving up to featherweight in this one. The Dane has great grappling credentials and often outwrestles his opponents at ease. The 34-year-old is an expert at the Japanese Nextie, scoring five tap outs with the technique. He also has a good guillotine choke and his boxing is developing all the time. The Manchester Top Team man isn’t afraid of a scrap and he’s starting to find his power.

Andrej Kalašnik (13-6) will also sell a lot of tickets to local fans and he trains in the city. The Czech has won three of his last four, coming up short in his last bout against Ion Surdu for the title. The 32-year-old is coming into his prime and it’s all starting to click for him. The Brno man is known for his striking and knockout threat, and is dangerous with his punches and kicks. Six wins have come via knockout. Kennedy Rayomba (7-6) marches into enemy territory in search of his first promotional win. The German has dabbled in Muay Thai competition, and three of his early career MMA wins were due to his damaging strikes. “Bomaye” also does the basic submissions well, earning three tap out wins, usually by rear naked choke.

Vladimir Lengál (9-7) grew up about an hour’s drive from the arena so should have plenty of fans in attendance. The Znojmo man is known for taking the toughest fights possible and never taking a step back. The Czech has a combat sport background in boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing. He will fight anyone, any time and he’s known for his aggressive striking style. Nine wins have come via knockout. Maurice Adorf (6-4) is a man in need of a win and he was unsuccessful in his promotional debut in January. The German had a good run in GMC where he had a lot of joy with his striking. The Oberhausen man has two knockouts on his record and is generally a very game opponent.

Josef Hála (1-1 amateur) is the red corner of the second “Stand & Bang” striking only bout of the night. The Czech was a BKFC champion in bare-knuckle, and he’s been brutalising people on that scene for a few years now. The 32-year-old faced Tomáš Mudroch in this ruleset last April, finishing it in the second round. His knockout streak stands at seven in-a-row and if you line them up, he’ll knock them down. Radovan Úškrt (9-6) has been one of the biggest destroyers in Oktagon since debuting in 2017. The Slovakian melts opponents before the judges have had a chance to see if their pens are working. All nine victories were due to his concrete fists, and it usually only takes a few minutes to find his target.

Daniel Ligocki (5-3) comes into this on a two-fight skid having won five in-a-row before then. The Czech had a successful amateur career where he showed a well rounded skillset, combining his rear naked choke with his striking to end fights within the distance. The 29-year-old has competed in Muay Thai bouts, and in pro MMA he’s very quick out of the blocks looking for an early knockout. His submission threat has continued into the paid ranks. Brajan Przysiwek (5-1) won a decision in his Oktagon debut in February. The Pole represented his nation at IMMAF level multiple times. The Oleśnica man has power in the hands in early rounds, possessing one hitter quitter potential. His submission threat is usually from knocking you down and sinking in a rear naked choke, or he might prefer to use his ground and pound.

Vojtech Garba (9-8) represented his country on the GAMMA amateur scene and he won his Oktagon debut by first round ground and pound in April. The Czech is a heavy hitting striker who uses punches and elbows to cut you up and spit you out. The 30-year-old has seven knockout wins and not much of a ground game. Robert Lau (11-3) is a newcomer to Oktagon but has been on the scene for almost fifteen years. The German is a kickboxer with a lot of power and a real durability that allows him to hang in the pocket and trade. The 28-year-old has won his last two bouts, and overall has seven knockout wins. The vast majority of his victories have been early in the first, and he likes to utilise a rear naked choke if he finds an opening.

Jakub Dohnal (13-7) will make his sixteenth appearance for the promotion, and he’s a popular local fighter. The Brno man is good in the BJJ exchanges and he has an array of chokes he can use to get the tap out, with six submissions on his record. The 34-year-old is competitive on the feet and he’s good at managing decisions. The Czech doesn’t have a tonne of power, with only one knockout win so far. Vojto Barborík (16-4) is a KSW and PFL veteran, and a man who carries a large reputation. The Slovakian is one of the best BJJ players on the roster, and has amassed eleven submission wins to date. The 33-year-old loves an armlock or choke, and will snap up your neck instantly if you leave it hanging around. The Nitra man is a tough cookie and he doesn’t usually go to decisions.

Tomáś Cigánik (7-4) makes his seventh walk for the promotion and he has some kickboxing experience to add to his MMA bouts. The Slovakian excels in wrestling exchanges and has a great knack of snatching the back and sinking in a rear naked choke, picking up four so far as a pro. He doesn’t have huge power, but he can cause issues on the feet over fifteen minutes. Berkan Badur (4-0) is a young lad with a bit of hype behind him, coming through the GAMMA amateur scene and as a pro in GMC. The Gelsenkirchen man is well rounded, with a lethal choke game. The 21-year-old can land a submission from any position, always looking for the neck. The German has shown some pop on his punches of late and has one knockout win.

The second “Stand & Bang” bout features Robert Fošum (2-1), a man with recent experience of boxing in small gloves, scoring two first round knockouts. The Czech is all about speed, he likes to get started quickly and smash opponents with his big fists. Both his MMA fights were done in one with his punches. Dustin Rabiega (debut) has a lot of experience in bare-knuckle competition. The Brit picked up three wins in a one-night Gromda tournament in May 2023, and his style is very damaging to opponents. He cuts you up, he drags you into deep waters and he’s got a lot of heart.

Šimon Bruknar (5-2) came up short on his Oktagon debut last November, so he’s looking for his first win in front of his hometown fans. The Czech is an IMMAF veteran and his fights are usually exciting. The 26-year-old likes to be on the front foot pushing the action, and if you let him get going he’s hard to stop. The Brno man has hard punches and he’s used them to win three bouts by knockouts. Nathan Haywood (4-3) was defeated back in January to Harun Kurt, a common opponent who beat them both. The Durham man is also an IMMAF veteran and one of his biggest weapons is the guillotine choke. The 28-year-old is very game on the feet and he has the power to end things quickly. Whether it’s by strikes or by tap, all of his wins are within the distance and three of them were in the first.

Niamh Kinehan (2-0) has a lot of noise behind her and she’s already got two great promotional wins under her belt. The Englishwoman comes from the kickboxing and Muay Thai world, and fought UFC title contender Cong Wang in the past. The 27-year-old is technical, aggressive and always ready to do damage. Alana Cook (6-2) crosses the ocean from CFFC to try and derail the hype train. The Canadian is a gritty and durable veteran who has seen it all in this sport. She has amateur experience in Muay Thai and kickboxing, and her finishing threat is the rear naked choke. After that, it’s been all decisions. Her sole finish loss was to a guillotine.

Ali Gündüz (6-1) was a champion over in GMC and he lost a close split decision on his Oktagon debut in March. The 22-year-old won tournaments on the GAMMA amateur scene, and he’s happy enough wherever the fight goes. The German has plenty of power in the kickboxing game, picking up three knockouts. In the submission game, the rear naked choke is the danger and he’s tapped out two people with it so far. David Daniel Komar (5-2) makes his debut and he’s fought for Hexagone in the past. The IMMAF veteran is on a three-fight win streak and he’s at his best when he’s grinding the fight out and maybe using his wrestling. The Hungarian hasn’t shown a lot of power in striking exchanges so far, however on the mat he can lock in a rear naked choke fairly quickly. This is a big step up for him.

Oktagon 93 is live from Brno on Saturday night from 17:00 Irish time on Oktagon.tv.