Outside Source
Stuffed to the rafters of the PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany, some 15,000 spectators bore witness to the speedy conclusion of the Czech Republic-based league’s middleweight tournament. The 185-pound Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran put a stamp on the Oktagon MMA 16-man grand prix on Saturday. Only one of the two athletes engaged for a bit over three-and-a-half minutes, as Jotko (29-6, 1 NC) chased the retreating Kerim Engizek (24-5) around the cage for much of that time. Eventually getting hold of his foe’s back, Jotko procured the rear-naked choke and did not let go until the champ surrendered.
Advertisement
Engizek failed to engage for the majority of the encounter, and one lone half-hearted takedown attempt was met by the stonewalling Jotko, who took full advantage of the situation. In the blink of an eye, Jotko assumed back control and finished the submission, with Engizek hardly throwing a strike for the three minutes, 37 seconds that the match lasted. The victor promptly breakdanced around the cage before hoisting the tremendous trophy in the air joined by his American Top Team comrades.
The Polish tournament winner halted Engizek’s 10-year, 17-fight win streak in a flash, and claimed his first submission triumph since a tapout of Fabian Loewke in 2012. Jotko collected 300K euros for his handiwork, and confetti showered the cage as the event came to a close. In victory, Jotko suggested a rematch could be in order, as Engizek came into this match nursing an injury so significant that some pondered if he would be able to compete at all.
Here’s Gjoni
Featherweight contender Gjoni Palokaj (13-3) is nothing if not consistent. For all six of his Oktagon appearances, the German has won a clean sweep on all judges’ scorecards. This includes tonight’s outing, as he edged James Hendin (10-4) every round in a battle decided not by major moments but small mistakes. Palokaj outstruck his foe by a fair margin on the feet, and did not allow the Brit to turn his takedowns into success.
Even though Hendin kept it relatively close and won over some hearts and minds with his walkout of Boney M.’s “Daddy Cool,” there remained zero doubt as to the victor when the dust settled. Palokaj claimed a trio of 30-27 scores, and called his shot for not an opponent but to compete again in his native Germany.
Rysavy Silences ‘El Pistolero’
Karol Rysavy (15-10) slugged a beer on the top of the cage after snatching up a slick guillotine choke on Deniz Ilbay (8-3) towards the end of the first round. The third time proved to be the charm, as the longtime Oktagon vet put a bit of green on a ledger that had otherwise run red as of late. The shorter Ilbay showed plenty of success on the feet, knocking the taller man’s head around as Rysavy’s chin stayed far too high for his own liking.
During an exchange, Ilbay pressed the featherweight to the fence only to get snared in the guillotine from his opponent. The bearded “Bomby” promptly jumped guard, and locked the submission down before they hit the ground. “El Pistolero” immediately tapped, and ended up leaving the cage in frustration as Rysavy celebrated. The tap came at 3:49 of the first round, with the victorious Rysavy welcoming fans to watch him fight in his home country of Slovakia when the promotion travels there in June.
Dangerous Dulatov Delivers
Racing out of his corner like his hair was on fire, Tamerlan Dulatov (4-0) ran through Stefan Koncar (4-1) in less than a round. Stinging the then-unbeaten Koncar with massive swings, “Most Wanted” Dulatov ran through a book of submissions including a Suloev stretch and a deep rear-naked choke. When Koncar briefly reversed position, the German slapped on a triangle choke.
“The Butcher” survived the triangle, but could not get out of position to prevent Dulatov’s transition to a textbook armbar. As Dulatov cranked the limb with all his might, referee Josef Louc intervened at 4:46 of Round 1 when registering that Koncar tapped. Earning his BJJ brown belt for his performance in this 180-pound catchweight contest, a fired-up Dulatov refused to shake hands with his defeated foe and instead demanded an apology for their pre-fight trash talk.
‘Sagat’ Soars Again
A wellspring of experience and pinpoint accurate striking overcame youthful exuberance as the main card opener displayed 15 minutes of action. Ex-UFC striker David Zawada (20-12) registered a knockdown in the first round, and his aggressive forward pressure got the better of the younger Daniel Ligocki (5-3). The 28-year-old came in on short notice to keep the middleweight tournament reserve match intact, with the winner ready on standby in case the main event fell through—although it did not.
With “Sagat” winning the opening round and Ligocki taking the second on the open scorecards, the three voting members were split as two dropped 29-28 tallies for Zawada against one 29-28 for the Czech athlete. The Dusseldorf native righted the ship after a three-fight skid, picking up his first victory since 2024 and just his third at the hands of the judges.
Mohsen Defangs Bark in Oktagon 82 Prelim Headliner
Zafar Mohsen (14-4, 1 NC) capped off the preliminaries by outhustling featherweight Samuel Bark (13-3) to pick up the nod on all three scorecards (29-28, 29-28, 30-27); Kamil Oniszczuk (12-5) earned his BJJ brown belt by putting Marek Bartl (16-15) to sleep with an arm-triangle choke in Round 2 at the 4:32 mark; Tomas Ciganik (7-3) wrapped up a rear-naked choke on fellow 155er Maurice Adorf (6-4) to hand the striker his first submission defeat at 4:11 of the opening frame; Lightweight Altin Zenuni (3-0) battered Murat Tuysuz (5-1) with his fists to force referee Gerd Richter to step in at 2:44 of the second stanza; Patrik Sebek (3-0) outgrappled a bloodied Emir-Can Al (2-3) en route to a unanimous verdict (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at welterweight; kicking off the prelims in a 173-pound catchweight match, Arian Sadikovic (2-0) whittled down Jixie Molapo (1-2) and put him away with a barrage of punches at 0:38 of the second round.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
