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Akonne Wanliss vs. Sahil Siraj tops list of additions to Oktagon 56

As expected, the cancelled Tipsport Gamechanger bout has been rescheduled to Oktagon’s return to the UK in April.
Oktagon MMA

Oktagon MMA’s return to the UK in April has been bolstered by the addition of a number of matchups, with a high-profile tournament matchup chiefly among them.

England’s Akonne Wanliss was due to take on Sweden’s Sahil Siraj in the Tipsport Gamechanger lightweight tournament at Oktagon 53 in Ostrava, but after Wanliss was attacked by Siraj’s coaches after the the Oktagon Time press conference during fight week, the bout was removed from the fight card, and Siraj’s coaches were handed a permanent ban from the promotion.

It was subsequently decided that, despite his coaches’ conduct, Siraj was not to be blamed for the incident, and his participation in the tournament was confirmed by co-founders Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotny after the event.

Now, the bout has been rebooked, with Wanliss and Siraj set to face off at Oktagon 56 in Birmingham, England on April 20 for a place in the quarter-finals of the €1 million tournament.

The winner will progress to the next stage, where they will face former Oktagon lightweight champion Mateusz Legierski, who was one of the most impressive performers in Ostrava.

Also added to the fight card for Birmingham is Oktagon Challenge winner, and rising English prospect “Saint” George Staines, who will look to follow up his win over Denis Frimpong with victory over Tomas Ciganik, a 1-1 prospect out of Slovakia who previously captured the amateur 165-pound title for Irish promotion Clan Wars back in 2021.

The card will also feature former Cage Warriors middleweight champion Mick Stanton, former Bellator and PFL light heavyweight Will Fleury, who will both make their promotional debuts on the card. Liverpool’s Shem Rock will make his return to action on the card, as well as Wales’ top flyweight contender Aaron Aby, with the opponents for both men to be confirmed in due course.

Oktagon 56: Confirmed fights

  • Akonne Wanliss vs. Sahil Siraj – Tipsport Gamechanger
  • Daniel Skvor vs. Will Fleury
  • Mick Stanton vs. Kamil Wojciechowski
  • Denis Frimpong vs. Callum Mullen
  • Andrej Kalasnik vs. Liam Etebar
  • Max Handanagic vs. James Dixon
  • Megan Morris vs. Aitana Alvarez
  • George Staines vs. Tomas Ciganik
  • Shem Rock vs. TBC
  • Aaron Aby vs. TBC

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A sports editor and MMA reporter with 25 years' experience in sports media, Simon has covered mixed martial arts since 2009 for a host of national and international outlets, including UFC, BBC Sport, MMA Junkie/USA Today, BT Sport and the Daily Mirror.

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