The unexpected star of Oktagon’s expansion to Germany? Dalisda was overshadowed by the stars, now she’s going for a title and a big championship that could change German MMA

After almost a year, the Oktagon returns to where it all began. Frankfurt was the first stronghold the Czechoslovak organization attempted to conquer in its expansion into the German market. It’s come a long way since then, but there’s one breakthrough waiting to happen. No one from Germany has yet won the title. Will the unexpected heroine Katharina Dalisda change that?

Expansion into Germany? A success that’s missing something

It was June 4, 2022. The Oktagon had for the first time gone beyond the borders of Czechoslovakia and a new era had begun at the Festhalle in Frankfurt. The big question was how it would fare. MMA in Germany was a big taboo, had minimal media coverage, even the UFC didn’t enjoy any success here.

Ondrej Novotny and Pavel Neruda had a huge challenge ahead of them. However, they both like challenges and so they went for it. The German Oktagon Challenge was a solid success, managing to negotiate a partnership with the German publication Bild.

Besides that, the organization signed some interesting German prospects, as well as big stars or German legends. Among the biggest ones were Martin Zawada and Stephan Pütz.

Pütz even fought for the title with Viktor Peseta, only to lose due to the fight being stopped by the doctor. He didn’t get a rematch, and he didn’t get another title fight. Now we haven’t seen him in the cage for a long time, it’s a question of what form he will return in.

Pütz also had interesting marketing potential thanks to his nickname, which he more or less shares with Karlos Vemola. There was a lot of talk about their fight against each other. But whether it will ever happen, that’s the question.

Anyway, Oktagon started to expand in Germany to new places, gaining new fans. His expansion can’t be seen as a failure. On the contrary. It’s breaking records, it’s thriving. But it’s still missing something. What? Ideally, a German to come in and take the title and cause a boom.

Christian Jungwirth has been putting on some attractive fights, but he’s got no chance in the big competition. Zawada is out of the question. Hatef Moeil may be coming soon. Niko Samsonidze looks promising, but it will be a while before he gets a chance. There are more talents or prospects, but they have a long way to go.

Tigress Katharina Dalisda could be the big boom

Now another tournament in Germany is upon us. On September 16, Oktagon returns to Frankfurt, the place where it all began. The last time the organization was here was in October 2022. The fighters will be facing a completely sold out Festhalle, which has a lot to look forward to.

Interesting fights, big European names, but what’s the main thing? Another chance for Germany to get its first title shot in the Oktagon. In the shadow of bigger stars and more recognised legends, Katharina Dalisda may surprisingly go for it.

The German Tigress will take on Jacinta Austin, with three tough fights under her belt. She’s beaten two UFC veterans, and she’s provided Slovakian beauty and stand-up star Monica Chochlik with a bullying performance that the Slovakian will probably not soon forget.

At 32, Dalisda is in her prime. This could be the biggest achievement of her career, made all the more valuable by the fact that she could be the first German to hold the Oktagon title, which is of course something that will never be taken away from her.

A lot of people may put down her potential success, as well as the eventual championship. After all, there isn’t that much competition in women’s MMA. But Dalisda earned her success, she deserved it. She didn’t get easy opponents. Jacinta’s no easy pickings either, so it’s no place to get ahead of ourselves.

Dalisda will have the eyes of all German fans. She will be under a lot of pressure. Can she handle it? We’ll find out soon enough. There’s a lot to look forward to.

If Tigress wins the title, it could be absolutely sensational news for the Oktagon, which could wake up even those German media who ignore MMA from their slumber. It would be, in short, a major milestone that could really escalate the popularity of the organization in Germany.

Furthermore, Dalisda has a lot of support from all the big German stars, which makes the attention she receives all the more crucial. Just because of the success of the Oktagon, she can’t be wished a victory. However, as already mentioned, she won’t have it easy.

Source: Oktagon MMA