One of Oktagon MMA’s biggest homegrown stars takes centre stage on Saturday night as the promotion returns to one of its established hotbeds in Frankfurt, Germany.

The city has been a hugely successful destination for the European promotion, thanks in no small part to the rise of Christian Eckerlin, a former professional footballer who has transitioned to MMA with notable success to become one of Germany’s most popular fighters.

“The King of Frankfurt” returns to action against Czech brawler Miroslav Broz on Saturday night in the main event of Oktagon 57 as the promotion returns to the Festhalle, a venue that it has packed to the rafters for events over the past couple of years.

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Eckerlin brings huge support with him to his fights, and knows that victory in front of his adoring fans this weekend could set up a mouthwatering all-German clash between Oktagon’s two biggest German stars, with a potential matchup between Eckerlin and Christian Jungwirth rumoured to be in the works for Oktagon’s huge stadium event in Frankfurt later this year.

Oktagon 61 is set to take place in the 55,000-seater Deutsche Bank Park, home to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, and host stadium at the upcoming 2024 UEFA European Championships this summer. The promotion needs a big main event that will capture the imagination of the German fight fans, and there is no better fight to make than Eckerlin vs. Jungwirth.

Jungwirth, also a former footballer, held up his side of the bargain by defeating Robert Pukac in the main event of Oktagon 55 in Stuttgart to put himself in the frame for the October 12 super show. Now the attention turns to Eckerlin, who will need to do the same against Broz.

That’ll be no easy task, however. The Czech hasn’t lost since a split-decision defeat to Jan Malach at Oktagon 20 in December 2020. Since then, he’s won seven and drawn one of his last eight bouts. Broz will look to play the role of spoiler on Saturday night but, with a capacity crowd set to roar on Eckerlin, he’ll be up against it in what should be a raucous atmosphere.

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The stakes are high in the night’s co-main event, too, as the final first-round bout in the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger lightweight tournament is finally decided. Former two-division champion, and current featherweight king, Losene Keita, takes on former Cage Warriors lightweight champion Agy Sardari in a Belgium vs. Netherlands clash for the last remaining spot in the tournament quarter-finals.

Keita is arguably the biggest talent on the entire Oktagon roster. The hard-hitting Belgian has captured titles at lightweight and featherweight in Oktagon, and already holds a victory over the reigning 155-pound champion, Ronald Paradeiser. Now “Black Panther” has his sights set on the Tipsport Gamechanger title, and the €300,000 first prize.

He’ll take on the dangerous Sardari, who arrives in Oktagon with a 17-4 record, and a reputation as one of Europe’s best, having captured the Cage Warriors 155-pound title in 2020. Now “The Wolverine” has joined the ranks of Oktagon MMA, and he plans on making a splash in the Tipsport Gamechanger with a statement-making win over one of the top names in the bracket.

Oktagon 57: Official fight card

• Christian Eckerlin vs. Miroslav Broz
• Losene Keita vs. Agy Sardari – Tipsport Gamechanger
• Pavol Langer vs. Marc Doussis
• Mate Sanikidze vs. Farbod Nezhad
• Louis Glisman vs. Lukasz Siwiec
• Matous Kohout vs. Islam Khapilaev
• Max Holzer vs. Eemil Kurhela
• Beno Adamia vs. Stipe Brcic
• Mallory Martin vs. Anita Bekus
• Endrit Brajshori vs. Tayo Odunjo
• Haifa Reso vs. Erika Tomm – Projekt Y
• Sandra Peterhoff vs. Laura Kirtzel – Projekt Y

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