Oktagon 56 saw European promotion Oktagon MMA bring its most talent-stacked lineup yet to the UK on a night that saw UK stars rise, and a new champion crowned at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.

In the main event, former Cage Warriors flyweight champion Sam Creasey defeated two-time challenger and former foe Aaron Aby after five competitive rounds to capture the vacant Oktagon flyweight title.

Creasey won every round on all three scorecards to capture the belt in decisive fashion, but each of the five rounds was a competive affair, with Aby and Creasey looking well matched through the first half of each round. But crucially, it was Creasey who was able to turn each round into a win for himself by upping his game just enough to take each of the five championship-duration rounds.

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It meant that Aby suffered title heartbreak once again, while Creasey captured a major title in a second European organisation, with the newly-crowned champion stating his intention to defend the belt against all comers in the months ahead.

In the co-main event, the rivalry was finally settled as Akonne Wanliss and Sahil Siraj finally faced off inside the cage. The bout was expected to give rising English star Wanliss his sternest test yet, but The Force was with “The Jedi,” as he detonated a huge left hook on the Swede to knock him out clean after just 48 seconds of their Tipsport Gamechanger opening round matchup.

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Wanliss’ victory not only puts to bed his rivalry with Siraj, whose coached attacked him after the pre-fight press conference ahead of their originally-scheduled matchup in Ostrava earlier this year, it also put him one step closer to the €300,000 Tipsport Gamechanger title. Standing in his way in the next round is a formidable test – inaugural Oktagon lightweight champion, Poland’s Mateusz Legierski.

Another man who headed into the cage eager for a decisive win was Shem Rock. The Liverpudlian has been marked out for stardom in Oktagon ever since his signing to the promotion, but his return in Birmingham was his first bout since last summer. Keen to make up for lost time, a laser-focused Rock wasted no time in turning opponent Stefano Catacoli’s nervous aggression against him as, after the Londoner initiated the clinch against the fence, Rock sent him flying to the canvas with a beautifully-executed judo throw.

With the action on the mat, Rock was in his element, and he swiftly took Catacoli’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke to force the tap after just one minute, 43 seconds of the opening round.

The main card also saw a big win for Irish light heavyweight Will Fleury, who finished top five contender Daniel Skvor in the second round on his promotional debut. After the fight, Fleury revealed he went into the bout with a badly broken hand – a legacy of a pre-fight sparring session with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Fleury, determined to compete, dropped Skvor with his broken hand, then went on to get the finish to immediately thrust himself into the championship conversation at 205 pounds.

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The night’s lone Czech win for the Czech-Slovak promotion came courtesy of Andrej Kalasnik, who completed a great week in England with a bonus-winning knockout against England’s Liam Etebar.

Kaslasnik quickly won over the local media with his sardonic wit as he showed his personality during the pre-fight press conference. Then, when fight night arrived, he delivered one of the best performances of the night as he dropped Etebar with a clean lead left hook, then finished the job with heavy ground strikes to score the fastest finish of the evening, timed at just 43 seconds.

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The main card kicked off with another victory for rising English star “Saint” George Staines, who outpointed Tomas Ciganik to take his professional tally to 2-0.

Staines, whose first pro win came over Denis Frimpong in the finale of Oktagon Challenge: England vs. Ireland, needed all three rounds to defeat a stubborn, gritty Ciganik, but did enough to earn scores of 29-26, 29-27, 29-27 and continue his unbeaten start to life in the professional ranks.

Preliminary card roundup

On the preliminary card, former Cage Warriors contender James Hendin announced his arrival on the Oktagon MMA roster with a second-round TKO of Jakub Dohnal, while fellow promotional debutant, and former Cage Warriors middleweight champion, Mick Stanton showcased his mat skills en route to a third-round TKO finish of Poland’s Kamil Wojciechowski.

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Ireland’s Denis Frimpong added another win to his MMA record with an impressive three-round shutout of Callum Mullen, and Ammari Diedrick claimed an eye-catching TKO finish of Daniel Hromek to capture his first victory under the Oktagon MMA banner.

Aside of Diedrick’s outstanding performance, the bout was also notable for what happened to referee Pavel “Pablo Picante” Tous, who dislocated his shoulder while diving between the fighters to stop the fight.

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After leaving the cage, he had to be attended to by medical staff, while his refereeing colleague Jan Vobornik stepped in to complete the formalities of raising Diedrick’s hand in victory.

I managed to check on Tous backstage later in the evening, and besides the addition of a sling to support his injured shoulder, he was in good spirits.

Also on the prelims, Bakhtyaar Oryakhail completed a remarkable story as, after stepping in on less than 24 hours’ notice for his Oktagon debut, he picked up a hard-earned third-round submission victory over fellow debutant Mbaye Gaye. And, in the opening bout of the night, another debutant, Spain’s Aitana Alvarez, claimed the sixth win of her career with a unanimous decision victory over England’s Megan Morris.

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Oktagon 56: Official results

MAIN CARD

• Sam Creasey def. Aaron Aby via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – for vacant flyweight title
• Akonne Wanliss def. Sahil Siraj via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:48– Tipsport Gamechanger bout
• Shem Rock def. Stefano Catacoli via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:47
• Will Fleury def. Daniel Skvor via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:14
• Andrej Kalasnik def. Liam Etebar via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:43
• George Staines def. Tomas Ciganik via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• James Hendin def. Jakub Dohnal via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:43
• Denis Frimpong def. Callum Mullen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Mick Stanton def. Kamil Wojciechowski via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:01
• Ammari Diedrick def. Daniel Hromek via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:56
• Bakhtyaar Oryakhail def. Mbaye Gaye via submission (triangle choke) – Roud 3, 2:04
• Aitana Alvarez def. Megan Morris via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)