Karlos Vémola entered the cage at OKTAGON MMA 58 looking like a man possessed, and the Czech legend did not disappoint, with his legions of fans erupting in joy as he expelled the ghosts of his past and earned perhaps the most important win of his career with his second-round submission win over Attila Végh, dubbed the ‘ Rematch of the Century’.
Right from the outset, Vémola took the fight to Végh, who struggled to match his opponent’s intensity. The Slovakian was able to land a few shots of his own, but Vémola’s sheer relentlessness meant Végh, who had not fought since the pair’s last meeting over four years ago, had no room to breathe.
Vémola’s forward pressure forced Végh onto the back foot, and unlike their first meeting back at OKTAGON 15, Végh could not land the knockout blow. Instead, Vémola came away with the spoils in what looks to be his last outing as a professional fighter. If this is the case, the Czech, who retains his light heavyweight strap could not have scripted a better ending to his fighting career.
Romania’s Ion Surdu showcased his impressive stand-up game in the night’s co-main event, securing his 11th KO finish with a stunning first-round stoppage of David Kozma.
A perfectly placed strike to Kozma’s temple sent the Czech crashing to the floor; Surdu quickly followed up with a hammer fist to halt the proceedings. Surdu will now take on Georgia’s Amiran Gogoladze, who earned a split decision win over Brazil’s Leandro Silva, for the vacant welterweight strap.
‘Dracula’ strikes!
Ion Surdu knocks out Kozma in the very first round.
He moves on to fight for the vacant welterweight belt later this year #OKTAGON58
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) June 8, 2024
‘Dracula’ strikes!
Poland’s Mateusz Legierski and Spain’s Acoidan Duque are one step closer to earning a million euros after punching their tickets to the Tipsport Gamechanger semifinals.
Both men picked up unanimous decision victories over their respective opponents, with Legierski, in particular, putting on a clinical performance to overcome the towering figure of Akonne Wanliss. After a fiery opening stanza that saw both men throwing heavy shots, Legierski settled into his work, mixing up his striking and wrestling to eventually wear down Wanliss. Legierski will now meet the victor of Losene Keita vs. Predrag Bogdanovi?.
Mateusz Legierski
He defeated Akonne Wanliss by decision inside Eden Stadium at #OKTAGON58
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) June 8, 2024
is your second €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger lightweight tournament semifinalist.
Duque’s takedown defense was in full effect in his victory over Austria’s Mago Machaev. He nullified Machaev’s ground game and landed the more effective shots. The Spaniard looked sharper than he did in his previous outing and will be full of confidence as he heads into his semifinal bout with the winner of Ronald Paradeiser vs. Daniel Torres, who will face off at OKTAGON 59.
OKTAGON 58: VÉMOLA VS. VÉGH 2 Full Results
- Light Heavyweight Championship: Karlos Vemola def. Attila Vegh via RD2 Sub.
- Welterweight: Ion Surdu def David Kozma via RD1 KO
- Middleweight: Marek Mazuch def. David Zawada via RD1 KO
- Lightweight: Shem Rock def. Jaroslav Pokorny RD1 Sub.
- Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Mateusz Legierski def. Akonne Wanliss via UD
- Catchweight 195 lbs: Milos Petrasek def. Kamil Wojciechowski via UD
- Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Acoidan Duque def. Mago Machaev via UD
- Welterweight: Amiran Gogoladze def. Leandro Silva via SD
- Featherweight: Deniz Ilbay def. Denis Tripsansky via RD2 TKO
- Lightweight: Attila Korkmaz def. Makwan Amirkhani via RD3 Sub.