Probably the most attractive fight of the gala evening was the title battle in the lightweight category, where the later champion Ronald Paradeiser gave a good beating to his rival Ivan Buchinger, eleven years older, to whom he avenged his defeat in 2021. In addition to the defeat, the latter also fought with a serious mischief in his face. A torn lip, a huge laceration under the eye and other bruises. The reaction of the teammates before the fourth round was clear – the early termination of the duel precisely because of a significant amount in the face.
Even though the situation is better now and the 37-year-old Slovak is currently in the warmth of his home, he still had some tough moments in the previous hours. Doctors put 35 stitches in his face, the CT scan turned out fine. But it wasn’t the first time that the former two-time champion Buchinger endured something like this. That is also why, according to his team, the wounds will heal in the foreseeable future.
Ivan Buchinger received a charge from Ronald Paradeiser and suffered several lacerations on his face, the largest on his lipVideo: OKTAGON TV
The health condition of the popular German Niko Samsonids was also addressed, who, in the position of a big outsider in the title battle for the lightweight belt against the Belgian Losen Keita, withstood the first round extremely well. However, the beginning of the next one was fatal. A hard blow to the chin, after which the 28-year-old fighter fell to the ground, where for several long minutes afterwards the medics put him in a heap. A stretcher and a protective collar around the neck were also needed.
“He said before the fight that he had never been hit hard, but I promised him he would, and he did. Since I can hint a lot, I knew it wouldn’t wait,” says Keita, the new featherweight ruler, with joy. “I have respect for everybody, but you have to understand that this is my show.”
The result is a broken jaw and a knocked out tooth, forcing Samsonidse to be airlifted to the hospital. “Niko’s jaw is broken, but he’s conscious. Neurologically, he should be fine,” said Pavol Neruda, co-founder of the Oktagon MMA organization, at the post-match press conference.
Immediately after the victory over Vinni, Rafael Xavier jumped into the audience behind Karlos Vémola and spoke closely about the match with himVideo: OKTAGON TV
Another defeat was suffered by the Czech fighter Matěj Kuzník, who at least can enjoy a favorable state of health. Even though there was even speculation about a concussion after the duel with the Iranian Ebrahim Hosseinpour, in the end all examinations turned out well. “Only” a few stitches were needed, of course, bruises can’t be missing either.