OKTAGON MMA is set to make a triumphant return to Munich, Germany, delivering a high-stakes, action-packed card on Halloween night. Headlining the landmark event is a high-voltage championship clash that will crown a brand-new ruler for the promotion’s talent-rich welterweight division.
When OKTAGON 96 takes over the iconic SAP Garden on Saturday, October 31, fight fans will witness a promotion making its fifth visit to the German city. The main event pits top-ranked contender Amiran “The Sniper” Gogoladze against the undefeated submission maestro Felix Klinkhammer, with the vacant welterweight championship hanging in the balance. Known for putting on explosive events, OKTAGON has built this card around proven finishers. Gogoladze and Klinkhammer alone have combined for a staggering 17 first-round stoppages, setting the stage for what promises to be an explosive night of mixed martial arts where danger lurks in every exchange and blinking could mean missing the finish.
Gogoladze and Klinkhammer Battle for Vacant Crown
The journey to the vacant crown has been paved with devastating performances, and both headliners have earned their right to stand across the cage from one another on October 31.
Amiran Gogoladze steps into the championship marquee holding an impressive 18-3 professional record alongside an unblemished promotional run under the OKTAGON banner. The Georgian contender punched his ticket to this title opportunity in emphatic fashion, securing yet another first-round stoppage against former champion Ion “Dracula” Surdu. That victory added to a terrifying statistic for the division: Gogoladze now boasts eight career finishes executed in 100 seconds or less. Armed with lightning-fast hand speed and devastating punching power, “The Sniper” represents a nightmare matchup for anyone standing in his path.
However, his striking prowess will face its ultimate test against one of Germany’s most dangerous and efficient submission artists. Felix Klinkhammer enters the championship headliner with a pristine 11-0 professional record, bringing championship pedigree having previously held the Ares FC welterweight title. Dominance has been a theme throughout Klinkhammer’s career, with nine of his victories coming by way of stoppage—every single one of them arriving in the opening round.
Having already secured two victories inside the OKTAGON cage, Klinkhammer now finds himself presented with the ultimate opportunity: challenging for a major world title in front of a passionate home-country audience. Official promotion listings have confirmed the bout as a high-stakes, five-round title headliner. With both men entirely unaccustomed to seeing the judges’ scorecards, the main event serves as a classic stylistic collision between Gogoladze’s explosive, concussive striking and Klinkhammer’s suffocating, lightning-fast submission game.
Aksu Meets Former Title Challenger Samsonidse
The championship action is brilliantly supported by a stacked undercard featuring some of the most dynamic talents in European MMA. Among them is second-ranked lightweight contender Gökhan Aksu, who is set to lock horns with former title challenger Niko Samsonidse in a matchup tailor-made for fireworks.
Aksu enters the bout having earned every single one of his 14 professional victories inside the distance. The powerful striker has carved out a fierce reputation for himself by pushing a relentless, suffocating pace from the opening bell, ensuring that his opponents are perpetually fighting for survival and rarely, if ever, seeing the final scorecards.
Standing across from him will be Samsonidse, a versatile competitor who previously challenged superstar Losene Keita for the OKTAGON featherweight championship. Since transitioning into the lightweight division, Samsonidse has showcased an adaptable skill set that promises to test Aksu in entirely new ways, setting up a fascinating tactical chess match wrapped in high-paced violence.
Paradeiser Faces Rising German Tyrone Pfeifer
The welterweight division takes center stage once again further down the card, as former OKTAGON lightweight champion Ronald Paradeiser steps up in weight to meet surging German prospect Tyrone Pfeifer.
Paradeiser is universally recognized as one of the promotion’s most battle-tested and experienced competitors. As a former Tipsport Gamechanger finalist who has previously challenged for the OKTAGON welterweight title, the Slovak veteran brings a wealth of high-level experience and 17 career finishes into enemy territory.
He will, however, have to weather a wave of serious momentum. Pfeifer has been turning heads with statement performances, most notably stopping Marek Bartl before securing a blistering 22-second technical knockout victory over former UFC veteran Niklas Stolze at OKTAGON 90. That defeat ultimately marked Stolze’s final appearance in professional competition. For Pfeifer, a victory over a stalwart of Paradeiser’s caliber would represent the absolute pinnacle of his career thus far, dramatically accelerating his ascent through the welterweight rankings.
Bartl Returns Against Brian Manning
Grudge matches and stylistic brawls are a staple of the promotion, and the middleweight pairing of Marek “The German Executioner” Bartl and Irish showman Brian Manning fits that bill perfectly.
Though Bartl has spent a significant portion of his career competing in Germany, the seasoned Czech veteran will cross over into a neighboring market to face a notoriously dangerous finisher. Manning brings an unblemished finishing rate to the cage, having secured all six of his professional victories by stoppage. His aggressive, front-foot approach guarantees an action-heavy contest against Bartl, a fighter who has historically thrived in chaotic, high-stakes environments and rarely finds himself involved in a dull affair.
Ayari Meets Former Champion Surdu
Experience and redemption collide when UFC veteran Jessin Ayari takes on former OKTAGON welterweight champion Ion Surdu.
Ayari brings a deep reservoir of high-level experience against elite global competition, relying on a calculated, tactical approach to break down his opposition. He will need every ounce of that veteran savvy against Surdu, a man whose raw power allows him to alter the course of a fight with a single strike.
Surdu famously captured the vacant welterweight championship by flooring Kaik Brito with a thunderous head kick in the opening round of their December 2024 encounter right here in Munich. Now fighting under the moniker "Dracula," Surdu is eager to rebound from his recent setback against Gogoladze and stake his claim for another run at the gold he once proudly wore.
Heavyweights Todev and Biyong Collide
In the heavyweight division, the stakes are always heavy, and the collision between top-ranked contender Lazar “The Punisher” Todev and Simon “Hemlé” Biyong is no exception.
Todev enters the cage riding a wave of confidence behind a three-fight winning streak, having secured notable victories over opponents with extensive UFC pedigree. Most recently, his statement win over Martin Buday cemented his status as a pillar at the summit of the heavyweight division.
He will welcome Biyong to the promotion, a formidable newcomer who arrives in OKTAGON having already captured championship gold across prominent circuits in Italy and Africa. This matchup provides Biyong with an immediate, sink-or-swim opportunity to gatecrash the heavyweight rankings and establish himself as a legitimate title threat.
Rounding out the preliminary action, Henrique “Mad Max” Madureira will make his fifth promotional appearance against the surging Daniel “Bad Moon” Schordje. Madureira enters the bout riding a three-fight win streak, while Schordje puts an impressive 10-1 professional record on the line.
OKTAGON 96 is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. local time, with live global streaming available via pay-per-view on OKTAGON.TV. In accordance with local regulations, attendance at OKTAGON events in Germany is strictly restricted to individuals aged 18 and older.
