OKTAGON 58 VÉMOLA VS. VÉGH 2: Preview & How To Watch
OKTAGON MMA has steadily been building its reputation as one of MMA’s most exciting promotions, and this week, the organization takes another giant step forward with OKTAGON 58.
The 10-fight card will take place on Saturday, 8 June, inside Prague’s Eden football stadium. It will mark the company’s first event in an open-air football stadium, making it the perfect time for those who have yet to check out an OKTAGON event to do so. The card is available to be purchased at OKTAGON TV and will also be live on DAZN in all markets apart from CZ/SK, as well as RMC Sport in France.
A Highly Anticipated Main Event
Headlining the card is a rematch over four years in the making, which sees Czech fighter Karel Vémola, who fought six times under the UFC banner, putting his light heavyweight title on the line against the Slovakian Attila Vegh.
The pair first met at OKTAGON 15, with Vegh, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, ending the contest in the opening round after landing a heavy overhand right that sent Vémola crashing to the canvas and silenced his fervent fan-base.
Vegh has not graced an MMA cage since that night in Prague, while Vémola dusted himself off to become one of OKTAGON’s most successful fighters, capturing a middleweight title en route to becoming the light heavyweight champion.
Now Vémola has the chance to avenge that devastating loss to Vegh in front of his home fans. The fact that he has confirmed that this will be the final fight of his career adds an extra dimension to the contest.
Who Wants To Win A Million Euros?
Saturday night’s card will feature two of the Tipsport Gamechanger 2 Lightweight Quarterfinals. All four men competing on the night will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals, and the competition’s overall winner will pocket a cool one million euros.
The first quarterfinal bout will see Spain’s Acoidan Duque taking on Chechen-born Austrian Mago Machaev. Duque did not overly impressive in the opening round, which saw him earn a split-decision victory over Germany’s Marcel Grabinski.
The Spaniard will square off against Machaev, one of the most intriguing prospects in the European scene. The 24-year-old Austrian has been competing in the pro ranks since 2017 and booked his quarterfinal spot with a third-round TKO victory over UFC veteran Makwan Amirkhani.
The second quarterfinal between Poland’s Mateusz Legierski and the UK’s Akonne Wanliss has the potential to be the fight of the night. Legierski is undefeated in the OKTAGON cage and was the former lightweight champion before leaving the promotion in 2020.
Since his return, he has chalked up four straight wins and is one of the favourites to walk away with the one million euro. However, this week, he is up against a rising star with a wicked stand-up game and all the confidence in the world.
Wanliss may have a somewhat polarizing personality. However, the former exotic dancer is serious about his craft and turned heads with his opening-round knockout victory over Sweden’s Sahil Siraj at OKTAGON 56.
A Pair Of Pivotal Welterweight Clashes
The night’s co-main event will see OKTAGON’s former welterweight David Kozma champion square off against Romania’s Ion Surdu. The Czech has not fought in ten months but looks in great shape though he will need to be at his best to get past Surdu’s dangerous striking game. The Romanian is a known KO artist and will relish the chance to compete on what will be the biggest stage of his career.
The winner of this bout will be in line for a shot at the vacant title, and will take on the victor of the night’s earlier welterweight clash between Brazil’s Leandro Silva and Georgia’s Amiran Gogoladze.
OKTAGON 58: VÉMOLA VS. VÉGH 2 Full Fight Card
- Light Heavyweight Championship: Karlos Vemola vs. Attila Vegh
- Welterweight: David Kozma vs. Ion Surdu: Welterweight
- Middleweight: David Zawada vs. Marek Mazuch
- Lightweight: Jaroslav Pokorny vs. Shem Rock
- Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Mateusz Legierski vs. Akonne Wanliss
- Catchweight 195 lbs: Milos Petrasek vs. Kamil Wojciechowski
- Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Acoidan Duque vs. Mago Machaev
- Welterweight: Leandro Silva vs. Amiran Gogoladze
- Featherweight: Deniz Ilbay vs. Denis Tripsansky
- Lightweight: Attila Korkmaz vs. Makwan Amirkhani
