Ivan Buchinger has won 46 professional fights, and 26 of those wins ended in a submission. The 40-year-old Slovak is ranked number one in the OKTAGON lightweight division and fights for the title against Mateusz Legierski on 21 November 2026.
Ivan Buchinger's record: 46-10-0 and a submission specialist
"BUKI" turned professional in 2008 and stands 175 cm tall. His record is hard to argue with: 46 wins, 10 losses, no draws and no no-contests, and he is still ranked number one at 40.
The way the wins arrive is what sets him apart. Twenty-six came by submission, 12 by KO or TKO and 7 by decision. That makes 38 finishes, a finish rate of 83%, meaning the share of his wins that came by KO, TKO or submission. Only 7 of his victories went to the judges.
The losses tell the opposite story. Seven of his 10 defeats came by KO or TKO, 3 by decision, and he has never been submitted. When Buchinger loses, he is stopped on his feet.
Ivan Buchinger's last fights: three straight wins
His current run is three wins in a row, and the last five fights read 4-1. The only loss in that stretch was a first-round TKO against Lom-Ali Eskiev in September 2024.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 2025 | Richie Smullen | Win | Submission (ninja choke) | 3 |
| 14 Jun 2025 | Vladimír Lengál | Win | Submission | 2 |
| 9 Nov 2024 | Hafeni Nafuka | Win | TKO (punches) | 2 |
| 7 Sep 2024 | Lom-Ali Eskiev | Loss | TKO (punches) | 1 |
| 20 Jul 2024 | Łukasz Rajewski | Win | Submission | 2 |
The most recent win, over Richie Smullen at Oktagon 77, was a ninja choke in the third round. Before that he submitted Vladimír Lengál at Oktagon 72, and in between the two he stopped Hafeni Nafuka with punches in a catchweight bout at Oktagon 63. Just before the Rajewski submission he also knocked out Paulo Surian with punches at a Professional Muaythai League event in May 2024, a reminder that his striking is no afterthought.
The title shot he missed in 2023
Buchinger has been here before. At Oktagon 50 in December 2023 he fought Ronald Paradeiser for the lightweight title and was stopped by punches in the third round. It is one of two TKO losses in his recent fights, and it is the context for Oktagon 98: a new shot at the belt after the one that got away.
What the fight stats say about his style
Across the 11 fights with measured stats, Buchinger has landed 37.73 significant strikes per fight. He also averages 1.27 submission attempts per fight, which fits a man with 26 submission wins. His takedown accuracy is 83.33%, though he lands only 0.45 takedowns per fight, so the takedown is a tool he picks his moments with rather than a constant plan. The submissions, 26 of them across his career, do the rest of the talking.
Buchinger vs. Legierski at Oktagon 98
The fight is booked as the main event of Oktagon 98 in Třinec, Czech Republic, for the lightweight title. Legierski comes in at 14-2-0. Buchinger last fought at Oktagon 77 in October 2025, so the 21 November main event is his first appearance since that submission of Smullen.
The matchup is a clear contrast on paper. Buchinger arrives with 46 wins and a finish rate of 83%, most of it on the ground. Legierski has 14 wins to his name against 2 losses, and the title is on the line. If Buchinger gets the fight to the floor, his history says it rarely goes the distance. If it stays standing, his seven stoppage losses are the part of the record Legierski will study.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.