Fayaz Haqparast, unbeaten at 3-0, faces Shawn Marcos da Silva on the main card of Oktagon 96 in Munich on Saturday 31 October. The Haqparast vs. Da Silva fight is a flyweight bout over three rounds, and it is a home show for the Munich fighter. Da Silva comes in at 7-2 and is ranked sixth in the OKTAGON flyweight division, but he is coming off a defeat.
What is at stake for both flyweights
Oktagon 96: Gogoladze vs. Klinkhammer is headlined by a title fight, and Haqparast vs. Da Silva is not for a belt. It still matters for the division. Da Silva is the ranked man in the match-up, number six in the OKTAGON flyweight rankings according to our database, so a win over him would be the biggest result of Haqparast's young career in the cage and would put the unbeaten German into the conversation at 125 pounds.
For Da Silva the stakes run the other way. He lost his last fight, a three-round decision to Matheus da Silva Severino at Oktagon 85 on 7 March, and a second defeat in a row against an opponent with only three fights would be a setback in the rankings. A win would put him back on track and remove the local favourite from the picture.
Oktagon lists Haqparast as a flyweight and trains out of Munich Allstars Gym. Other databases, Sherdog among them, still list the fighter as a bantamweight, which is why the weight class can look different from page to page.
Haqparast's three wins and the step up in opposition
Haqparast is 3-0 as a professional, according to Pugna MMA's database and the OKTAGON fighter page. Two of the three wins came by knockout or TKO and one went to the judges, so the finishing rate is high. Our database does not yet hold the individual bouts, so the quality of the earlier opposition cannot be judged from it. What is clear is the jump in level: Da Silva has nine professional fights and a ranking, Haqparast has three fights and none.
The fight also takes place in front of a home crowd in Munich, where Haqparast trains. A main card slot in a big arena is a new kind of occasion for a fighter with three bouts.
Da Silva after the loss to Severino
Da Silva, nicknamed Vato Loco, is 7-2. Four of his seven wins came by decision and three by knockout or TKO, with no submissions. OKTAGON describes his style as full of heavy exchanges and says he is known for brutal flying knees. He trains at Planet Eater.
His last outing was the loss to Severino at Oktagon 85, and he has not fought since, so the Munich fight ends a layoff of almost eight months. That is a long break, and ring rust is one of the questions on his side.
How the styles match up and what to watch
Both men have shown they can finish: Haqparast has two stoppages in three fights, and Da Silva has three in nine. Da Silva leans on the knees and on trading in the pocket, so the early minutes may show whether Haqparast is happy to exchange or prefers to control range and distance.
Three things to watch:
- Whether Haqparast's power carries up to a ranked opponent.
- Whether Da Silva's experience in longer fights tells if the bout goes the distance.
- How Haqparast handles the pace at flyweight, given that some databases still list the fighter at bantamweight.
Tapology's fan predictions favour Da Silva, giving him 60 percent to 40 percent for Haqparast, which makes the unbeaten local the open question of the fight. That is a fan poll, not an assessment from Oktagon.
Where to watch Oktagon 96
Oktagon 96 takes place in Munich, Germany on 31 October. Sources disagree on the start time of the card and the broadcast details can change, so check the Pugna guide to the start time, where to watch and the full card, which we keep up to date, rather than rely on a single time.
Along with the flyweight bout, the card includes Kevin Hangs vs. Burak Kizilirmak at welterweight, Henrique Madureira vs. Daniel Schordje at featherweight, Abdulmalik Aliev vs. Marat Nessar at lightweight, Endrit Brajshori vs. Christian Mach at welterweight, and Michael Deiga-Scheck vs. Lukáš Chotěnovský at featherweight.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.