Igor Severino is still the OKTAGON bantamweight champion after stopping Max Holzer by TKO in 54 seconds at Oktagon 97 in Hannover on November 7, 2026, and the November 10 rankings keep him at No. 4 on OKTAGON's men's pound-for-pound list.
Oktagon 97 at the ZAG Arena was the promotion's third visit to Hannover. The main event was Severino's first successful title defense, because his June title fight with Zhalgas Zhumagulov at Oktagon 89 ended in a no contest after an accidental low blow. The 23-year-old Brazilian is now 11-1 with one no contest. Holzer, 24, came down from featherweight with a 12-0 record and is now 12-1.
Oktagon 97 winners and losers in the November 10 rankings
| Fighter | Division | Rank on Nov. 10 | Oktagon 97 result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Igor Severino | Bantamweight | Champion | Beat Holzer, TKO (punches), R1 0:54 |
| Max Holzer | Featherweight | #2 | Lost to Severino at bantamweight |
| Zafar Mohsen | Featherweight | #3 | Lost to Palokaj, submission, R2 3:12 |
| Gjoni Palokaj | Featherweight | #4 | Beat Mohsen, triangle choke, R2 3:12 |
| Ozan Aslaner | Lightweight | #5 | Beat Denis Frimpong, TKO (punches), R1 4:16 |
Ranks and records are from the Pugna MMA database's OKTAGON rankings dated November 10, 2026. The update does not move Palokaj above Mohsen, even though he just submitted him.
Severino defends in under a minute
Severino pressed forward from the opening bell and finished Holzer with punches at 0:54 of round one. In OKTAGON he has now beaten Jonas Mågård by decision at Oktagon 65, stopped Khurshed Kakhorov in round five at Oktagon 85 to win the vacant title, and finished Holzer.
Finding the next challenger is the open question. Mågård (20-7) is No. 1 at bantamweight, but Severino has already beaten him. Dastan Amangeldy (11-1) is No. 2, and Raul Lemberanskij (10-0) is No. 3 and the only unbeaten fighter in the top ten. As of November 10, no next opponent has been announced. Holzer stays No. 2 at featherweight, his usual division.
Featherweight: Palokaj makes his case
Palokaj, No. 4 at featherweight, submitted No. 3 Mohsen with a triangle choke at 3:12 of round two. He is now 14-4. The title is vacant in the rankings: Mochamed Machaev (18-2, 1 NC) missed weight before he knocked out Palokaj in round one at Oktagon 91 in July and was stripped, and he is listed at No. 1.
Middleweight: Detzel stays unbeaten
Justin Detzel beat Kacper Frątczak by unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27, and is 4-0 in the Pugna database. He is not ranked yet. Krzysztof Jotko (30-6, 1 NC) is the middleweight champion and Makhmud Muradov (30-8, 1 NC) the interim champion, and they meet at Oktagon 100 at the O2 Arena in Prague on December 29.
Aslaner and Bartoněk add wins
Lightweight No. 5 Aslaner stopped Denis Frimpong, ranked No. 8, by TKO at 4:16 of round one in a 159-pound catchweight bout. Petr Bartoněk submitted Daniel Makin with a rear-naked choke at 2:29 of round three in a welterweight bout on the main card.
Pound-for-pound and what's next
OKTAGON's men's pound-for-pound list has Muradov at No. 1, Jotko at No. 2, Will Fleury at No. 3 and Severino at No. 4. Muradov is also the light heavyweight champion after beating Fleury at Oktagon 92 in August. The next card is Oktagon 98 in Třinec, Czech Republic, on November 21, headlined by lightweight champion Mateusz Legierski against Ivan Buchinger.
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.