Jindřich Janečka revived after cardiac arrest at Cage Game 2
Czech fighter Jindřich Janečka, 22, went into cardiac arrest at the end of the OKTAGON Cage Game 2 main event in Brno on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and was revived in the cage by the event's medical team, according to Sherdog, iSport and Top-Fight.cz. He was conscious when he was taken to hospital, and no update on his condition there had been published at the time of writing.
What happened
Janečka was fighting Tomáš Skalický in the main event at Brno's Bobyhall, the last of six bouts on the Cage Game 2 finals card. The bout was contested under OKTAGON's stand-and-bang rules, which prohibit ground fighting, and reached its closing "Finish It" segment.
Sherdog reports that Janečka appeared hurt by a kick to the body and was later knocked out by a punch. iSport reports that he took a kick to the chest and then a right hook, and fell unconscious with four seconds left in the bout. Top-Fight.cz says he went down from the kick, got back up, and was then stopped by another hard shot.
Referee Josef Louč told iSport: "When Jindra got up after the kick to the chest, he still looked fairly okay. Then he took another blow, fell to the ground, I saw his eyes and it was clear to me that I had to call the medics immediately." Louč said he took out Janečka's mouthguard while waiting for the medical team.
Medics performed chest compressions, gave an adrenaline injection and used a portable defibrillator. According to iSport, Janečka regained consciousness after roughly five minutes. Fighters, coaches and OKTAGON staff formed a circle around the middle of the cage to block the crowd's view.
What the medics said
In a statement OKTAGON shared on X, quoted by Sherdog, chief medic Norbert Bidrman said: "One of the fighters, specifically Jindra, went into a sudden cardiac arrest. After some cardiopulmonary resuscitation, we delivered a shock. He was given oxygen and brought back to life." He added that Janečka was "fully oriented to place, time, and person" and "already fully conscious in the cage," communicating with the team before Brno's ambulance service took him to hospital.
Bidrman told iSport that no neurological deficit is expected. "Jindra is talking, he is even smiling, and he is even scolding us for what we are doing to him, saying he is completely fine," he said.
On the cause, Bidrman said it was most likely an arrhythmia triggered by the earlier blow to the chest. He also told iSport that general exhaustion could have played a role, but called both "only speculation" at this point. The cause has not been confirmed.
The debate on medical standards
After the event, referees and judges said the standards that helped save Janečka are not met at every professional MMA show, especially at smaller promotions, iSport reports. Eva Borodáčová, one of the leading MMA judges in Central Europe, said events that do not have at least three medics and an ambulance present should not be allowed by law. Bidrman called the problem significant, said some promoters want to save money, and said the incident could bring a big change for the better.
What comes next
Neither Janečka's team nor Skalický had made a public statement in the reports reviewed. Cage Game is OKTAGON's talent series, where young fighters compete for a professional contract. Top-Fight.cz reports that OKTAGON's Pavol Neruda ended the night, saying "Jindra fortunately made it," and moved the planned contract signings to the promotion's event in Třinec, OKTAGON 98: Legierski vs. Buchinger on November 21.
Before the event, OKTAGON presented Janečka as a six-time Czech national boxing champion who also won the Czech amateur MMA title in June.
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Sources
This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.