Oktagon MMA kicked off its 2026 on Saturday with Oktagon 82 in Dusseldorf, Germany, as the Tipsport Gamechanger Middleweight Tournament came to a close. A name familiar to UFC fans was found in that final, as Polish middleweight vet Krzysztof Jotko faced Kerim Engizek for the big prize. In a reserve bout kicking off the night's main card, meanwhile, another veteran, David Zawada, took on Daniel Ligocki. Oktagon 82's co-main event had possible title implications for the promotion's featherweight division.
Normally for any title fight with a reigning champion coming into the event, there would be a little (c) next to the title holder's name in the results section down below. Not so with Oktagon 79 however, as despite coming into Fight Week as the Oktagon MMA welterweight champion, Ion Surdu found himself stripped of his title prior to the event.
German MMA standout and longtime veteran Daniel Weichel stepped out of retirement to headline Saturday's Oktagon 76, at home in his native Germany. Weichel, a former Bellator MMA standout, grand prix fighter, title challenger, and tournament winner, had over 50 fights in MMA to his name as a professional. On Saturday in Frankfurt, he would fight for the first time since 2023 when he took on Mali's Aboubakar Tounkara in lightweight action.