OKTAGON 42 will take place in Bratislava on Saturday 29th of April and will feature fighters from all over Europe including five Brits.
Let’s take a closer look at the British fighters who will feature under the bright lights this weekend:
James Lewis
James Lewis will look to set the tone for the evening, facing Dominic Schober in the opening bout. Lewis won his promotional debut in September last year, and looks to make it three in a row against Schober who makes his own debut this Saturday night. The OKTAGON Welterweight division is stacked, demonstrated by
If Lewis can string a few more wins together in 2023, he might earn the call up for the next Gamechanger Tournament. OKTAGON rocked the European MMA scene with this tournament, which boasts a 1 million Euro grand prize.
Callum Mullen
The undefeated prospect Callum Mullen takes on veteran Jakub Dohnal in the first of his four-fight deal with OKTAGON. The 5-0 featherweight will look to prove he belongs on the big stage after flying through the regional scene in the UK.
Liam Etebar
Another Brit. Another OKTAGON debutant. The 8-2 welterweight will be hoping for a successful debut as he takes on five fight OKTAGON veteran Václav Holota. It won’t be an easy task though. Holota is riding a three fight win streak with his sole career loss coming against the European MMA legend, Christian Jungwirth.
Like James Lewis, Etebar will be hoping an impressive performance starts to move him towards the a spot in the next welterweight tournament.
Stuart Austin
The heavyweight veteran makes his promotional debut this weekend, and brings a wealth of experience with him. The London based fighter has shared the cage with the likes of Tom Aspinall, Johnny Walker, and Bruno Cappelozza. He will lean on that experience against his younger, less experienced opponent, John Winter. Austin is also now coaching fighters as well, and attributes this to recent improvements he has made in his game.
Speaking to Combat Sport’s UK, Austin shared his aspirations of winning and defending the OKTAGON Heavyweight title multiple times before he eventually retires.
You can find the full interview with Stuart here.
Shem Rock
The NextGen MMA prospect is the only Brit featuring on the main card, which tells you exactly what the promotion thinks about his potential.
Shem Rock has one of the most unique stories in MMA. He spent years on the run from police in Asia for a crime he did not commit. His fighting success brought him back to to UK where he was eventually detained by Belfast police and taken back to Liverpool to face charges. He cleared his name, and will now look to take his fighting career to the next level against Arthur Lima. It will be no easy task however. The 10-2-1 Lima is trained by the legendary Pitbull brothers, so a win for Rock would be a huge statement of intent which would put the rest of the 155 pound division on notice.
OKTAGON released a documentary on Shem Rock’s trials and tribulations earlier this week if you would like to know more about his incredible journey.
OKTAGON MMA is one of the biggest organisations in Europe and always puts on a spectacular show. British fans should get familiar with the show as it will make its debut at the AO Arena in Manchester in November this year:
British fans will be able to catch all of the OKTAGON 42 action via DAZN or via OKTAGON TV.
Which fight are you most looking forward to at OKTAGON 42? Let us know in the comments!
