Comment: Oktagon has a huge potential in England, there is no question of a flop. Newcastle enjoyed their show

A misstep? Bad job? Oktagon MMA expansion into the UK has seen it’s second gala held in Newcastle. That it’s been a success can’t be said yet. But no one said it would be easy. The results so far have been limp, but it’s certainly not a flop.

The Oktagon is trying to conquer the land of football

England is the land of football. Among the cities that are literally the epitome of their football clubs is the north-eastern city of Newcastle. The Magpies fans are among the most passionate in England, at times it seems that this is the last Premier League club where there is at least some atmosphere at every game.

And it’s no wonder. You realise where you are as soon as you arrive. This is where the film Goal was shot, the Mexican Wave if you like. Bars and businesses in general often have Newcastle United emblems, colours or references in their windows. Here and there you’ll spot a club flag, sometimes banners in support of the players, or teddies wrapped with the club’s scarf to the fence.

So when the Oktagon announced that they would be showing up in this iconic city, it was important that the Magpies players had the night off. It was originally meant to be. This could have boosted attendance at the Czechoslovakian organisation’s second gala in England, only it didn’t.

Failure? So far, yes. A flop, no

The Manchester tournament didn’t go too well through attendances, and Newcastle didn’t fare any better either due to United playing a cup game on Fulham’s turf. Still, there are many positives to take from both tournaments.

The arenas were not sold out, but there was a great atmosphere. Manchester, even from the comfort of home, did not sound quiet. I can judge Newcastle live and it has to be said that what would a sold-out O2 Arena or Ostravar Arena give for a similar roar. The support of Jan Broad or David Kozma in their home city is not very glorious compared to a sold out arena in England.

The Oktagon boasts one thing. It may not have sold out the arena in Manchester, but it was one of the biggest attendances in England outside of the UFC. Newcastle has never had more people come to see MMA. And it was only the second tournament in this country.

Even though Newcastle United was playing a match, there was no shortage of people in Magpies jerseys in the stands. The atmosphere among the fighters backstage was excellent. British journalists praised the level and quality of the tournament, not forgetting how the fans were living the fights of their favourite fighters.

There was certainly no boredom. OKTAGON 52 offered an excellent spectacle, good fights, only the bigger attendance as the icing on the cake was missing. But there was no need to give up. And that Clash of the Stars was more popular in the Czech Republic that night? Oktagon doesn’t have to worry about that.

Oktagon has a lot of potential in England

If the biggest Czechoslovak MMA organization is patient, it can help itself tremendously by expanding to the Islands. It may be financially challenging for a while, it may have to listen to the jeers and criticism from the Czechoslovak territory, but in the end it could be a jackpot.

Big market, many talented fighters who live for the sport… After all, even Jan Široký or Roman Paulus praised Newcastle, as well as the whole of England and its fighters. Fighters for a change praise Oktagon, they know what kind of organization it is, they know the quality and what this Czechoslovak brand has already done. They are grateful to be able to fight in the organisation.

Ondřej Novotný also reminded an important thing. It is worthwhile to perceive how the gyms look like in each country when promoting the organisation. Even the famous gyms in England do not look as good as the ones in our country. The fighters there don’t have such a background. If it improves, it will be excellent. MMA has been going on in England for a long time, but is it the ideal conditions for it? No.

The Oktagon wants to help change that too. Still, they have to build an entire scene from scratch. Competition from the UFC, and soon the PFL, is not scarce. Besides, boxing is still more popular in England than MMA, indeed English boxing also offers far more interesting and big names within the sport than English MMA.

The time of Oktagon in England is yet to come

Sure, it’s not paying off for Oktagon yet, but it may not last long and the investment will pay off many times over. In England, however, the promotion is not going to plan for now. You don’t come across too many banners or advertisements as you walk through the city, there is room for improvement in that regard.

There is still a new market to learn from. For now, there are no big homegrown stars available in England, such as Christian Eckerlin, who is a huge star, was able to be used in the expansion to Germany. So for now, the Oktagon has to build its British stars from scratch itself, how much more successful can it be then.

Source: Ruik, Oktagon MMA