Oktagon 62: Patrik Kincl returns, faces Kerim Engizek at Frankfurt supershow

Oktagon MMA’s number-one pound-for-pound fighter is back, and he’s all set to put his title on the line on the promotion’s biggest-ever show.

Patrik Kincl is the organisation’s reigning middleweight champion, and will look to make the fourth successful defence of his 185-pound title when he faces German knockout artist Engizek at Oktagon 62.

Kincl challenged for, and won, the middleweight title in his promotional debut back at Oktagon 31, where he outpointed Samuel Kristofic to capture the vacant title.

Since then, “The Inspector” has defended his title three times, with a first-round finish of Alex Lohore, a unanimous decision win over Karlos Vemola and a third-round submission of Piotr Wawrzyniak cementing his position as the promotion’s top middleweight, and earning him the top spot in the organisation’s pound-for-pound rankings.

His planned bout with Matej Penaz in June fell through due to injury, and now, Kincl is set to face Engizek, who has positioned himself for a shot at the gold with a 13-fight win streak that stretches back to 2015.

Even remarkable is the fact that, in that run of wins, he’s seen the scorecards just once, back in 2016. His run includes two wins under the Oktagon banner, with first-round finishes of Matias Juarez and Adam Horvath at Oktagon 46 and 49, respectively, putting him in the frame to challenge the well-rounded Kincl in Frankfurt on October 12.

The event is set to be the biggest in the promotion’s history, and is set to challenge the record books as they look to surpass the UFC’s highest-ever attendance, with 52,000 tickets already sold for Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, home of Eintracht Frankfurt. And with the stadium able to hold up to 58,000, an even bigger attendance could still be possible with more than a month to go before fight night in Germany.

Kincl vs. Engizek joins a growing lineup of fights set for October 12, with the main event set to feature two of German MMA’s most popular stars, as welterweights Christian Eckerlin and Christian Jungwirth collide in a battle between top 10 contenders at 170 pounds.

Also confirmed for the card are German stars Max Coga, Arijan Topallaj and Deniz Ilbay, while former interim light heavyweight champion and No. 1 205-pound contender Pavol Langer takes on Ireland’s Will Fleury in a huge matchup for the division.