It was devastating for me, Novotný says, when he found out that Kincl would not play at the O2 Arena. Can we expect a surprise?

How did Oktagon promoter Ondřej Novotný accept the information that after the injury of Karlos Vemola, the middleweight champion Patrik Kincl will not be in the Prague O2 Arena? And will we see a replacement for the final tournament of the year?

Octagon MMA solves unpleasant worries

Just a few weeks before the last tournament of the year, the biggest domestic MMA organization Oktagon is dealing with really unpleasant worries. The main draw of the gala between Karlos Vemola and Patrik Kinclo had to be cancelled due to an injury to the former.

The organization then approached several star replacements to save the long-awaited tournament. Among the fighters approached were names such as former division title challenger Alexander Ilic, the stellar Apollo and the legendary Nate Diaz.

The latter even turned down an offer of one million euros, which is galactic by European standards. Finally, Patrik Kincl revealed his own injury, which also caused him to withdraw from the tournament, although according to his own words, he would have risked a fight with Vemola despite his incomplete health.

The information of course put the Oktagon management in an awkward situation, as the tournament lost the biggest match of the domestic scene at the moment.

After Vemola, Kincl also withdrew. How did the promoter Novotny react?

How did Oktagon promoter Ondřej Novotný react to the withdrawal of champion Patrik Kincl from the tournament? “It was a devastating blow for all of us because you lose a title fight, you lose fifty percent of the biggest draw,” Novotny described his feelings in the podcast MMA Flight Around the World.

“I think I was quiet for about 15 seconds because I wasn’t counting on it at all. I respect that Patrik took it off the table, he lost probably the biggest money of his life so far for the fight,” said the charismatic promoter, revealing that he motivated Patrik financially as well.

Will we see any news at Oktagon 38?

But the champion was adamant, so the organization stuck with a single title fight, Magard vs. Macek 2. Novotny, however, revealed a mysterious new feature that might at least freshen up the tournament.

Originally, another rematch of the lightweight title fight between Losene Keita and Ronny Paradeiser could have saved the tournament, but the Belgian champion brushed the offer off the table. “So what we’re dealing with now are fights that wouldn’t have happened otherwise, a classic undercard or a fight between two people we generally enjoy,” Novotny revealed.

“Or something surprising,” he added with a smile. So will we get any special surprises? The organization will reportedly announce the news soon, we will keep you all posted.

Source: MMA Around the World, Octagon MMA