Will Fleury is heading into enemy territory once more, and this time he’s bringing two belts and a chip on his shoulder to Berlin.
OKTAGON MMA is ready to land within the German capital for the primary time with OKTAGON 90 at Uber Enviornment on Saturday, June 20, a milestone present for the Czech‑Slovak promotion that has grown into one in all Europe’s main MMA manufacturers. The cardboard is anticipated to be one of the stacked line‑ups the organisation has dropped at Germany, and it will likely be headlined by double champion Will Fleury defending his heavyweight title towards native contender Kasim Aras.
Will Fleury defends heavyweight title towards Kasim Aras at OKTAGON 90 in Berlin
Fleury, who additionally holds the sunshine heavyweight strap, comes into Berlin off the type of win that adjustments a profession in a single day. In December he flattened former UFC heavyweight Martin Buday in below two minutes to retain his belt, a primary‑spherical knockout that had Irish retailers and European MMA media pushing him as one in all OKTAGON’s standout champions.
Off the again of that efficiency he acquired provides from promotions world wide, however selected to re‑signal with OKTAGON on a brand new six‑struggle deal, committing his prime to the organisation and speaking publicly about wanting to construct a protracted‑time period legacy fairly than chase a one‑off payday. Berlin is step one on that new contract, and it comes on enemy soil towards a person who has been calling his title.
Aras arrives as one of many few heavyweights who overtly campaigned for a shot at Fleury. The German is a former LFL champion and Bellator veteran, with a report listed at 11‑5, and constructed his OKTAGON résumé rapidly with a press release debut in Hamburg at OKTAGON 73, the place he stopped Adam Pałasz on a primary card that helped his profile bounce with the German viewers.
He adopted that up with a win over Simon Biyong at OKTAGON 78 in Cologne, then used his mic time to name for the champion straight, a transfer that matched how OKTAGON typically rewards fighters who’re prepared to promote a struggle of their house market. For Aras, OKTAGON 90 is the most important alternative of his profession and an opportunity to change into the face of the promotion in Germany if he can unseat the visiting champion.
The promotion is backing the occasion with sturdy German illustration all through the cardboard. Rising bantamweight prospect Alina Dalaslan, an undefeated 25‑yr‑outdated from Germany with a 4‑0 skilled report and up to date knockouts over Karolina Sobek and Kamila Simkova, is slated for Berlin after a breakout win at OKTAGON 83.
Former featherweight title challenger Niko Samsonidse, who fought for the vacant belt towards Mago Machaev at OKTAGON 83, can also be focused for the present as he appears to rebuild following that first‑spherical knockout loss. As well as, matchups like Attila Korkmaz vs Dawid Śmiełowski and Niklas Stolze vs Tyrone Pfeifer are anticipated so as to add native curiosity and provides the German viewers a mixture of established names and fighters nonetheless climbing the European rankings.
For Fleury, Berlin is about strolling into another person’s yard and retaining maintain of his gold; for Aras, it’s a hometown shot at flipping the heavyweight hierarchy in a single night time. Both method, OKTAGON’s first journey to the German capital has the elements of a key second within the promotion’s push to make Berlin an everyday cease on its European schedule.
