Amiran Gogoladze is the new OKTAGON welterweight champion. At OKTAGON 96 in Munich on October 31, 2026, he beat Jessin Ayari by unanimous decision after five rounds to win the vacant title, with all three judges scoring the fight 49-46, according to Cageside Press.
What happened in Munich
According to OKTAGON's own event report, Gogoladze "survived hell" on his way to the belt. The promotion says he withstood a heavy shot from Ayari, turned the fight around and was crowned the new welterweight champion. The report notes one knockdown in the fight.
Ayari, a German fighter and UFC veteran, would have become the first German to hold the OKTAGON welterweight title had he won. Instead the title goes to the Georgian, who is nicknamed "The Sniper".
A late change to the main event
The title fight was originally built around Felix Klinkhammer, who was due to face Gogoladze. Klinkhammer was injured and Ayari stepped in on short notice, which changed the card's headline bout. Our database lists Klinkhammer as unbeaten at 11-0, and OKTAGON's rankings had him fifth at welterweight.
Background on the two fighters
Gogoladze came into the fight as the top-ranked OKTAGON welterweight in our data. His previous bout was a first-round knockout of Ion Surdu at OKTAGON 86 in April 2026. Across his record, our database shows eight wins by knockout or TKO, three by submission and six by decision. The win over Ayari adds another decision.
Ayari entered ranked seventh at welterweight. Before the title fight he had beaten Niklas Stolze by second-round submission at OKTAGON 73 in June 2025, and Andreas Ståhl by third-round TKO at OKTAGON 68 in March 2025. Most of his wins have come by submission, nine in total according to our database, and he also fought in the UFC, where his last bout in 2020 was a first-round TKO loss to Luigi Vendramini.
What comes next
OKTAGON has not yet announced a first defence for Gogoladze at the time of writing. With Klinkhammer sidelined by injury and Ayari beaten, the division's next contenders are unclear. Pugna MMA will update the story when the promotion names an opponent.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.