Oktagon 83 heavyweight Lazar Todev has had something of a roller coaster ride over the past year and a half or so.
In December of 2024, Todev was supposed to face Oktagon MMA heavyweight champion Hatef Moeil at Oktagon 64. However, during a pre-fight press conference, an altercation erupted, and Moeil actually threw his belt at the challenger, though it instead hit and cut Oktagon co-founder Pavol Neruda.
Promotion officials deemed that Moeil was to blame for the fracas, and issued a heavy fine against the champ. In turn, he pulled out of the bout— on the day of the fight.
“It was not that nice, definitely, but this is a part of the game. Sometimes, somebody can cancel from the fight because of injury or something different,” Todev (12-7) told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “I accepted, and a couple of months later, we [made] the fight against Will Fleury. This one was also a good option. Heavy opponent, but a good option.”
The Fleury fight came after Moeil parted ways with Oktagon, and either vacated or was stripped of his heavyweight title, depending on which side of the split you view things from. Todev wound up losing a decision against Fleury, now a two-division champ in Okgaton who recently defeated former UFC star Martin Buday.
“This was what I expected, that Will Fleury was gonna win this fight with a KO,” Todev said in regards to Fleury’s recent win. The goal now, for Todev, is quite obviously to work his way back to Fleury and the heavyweight title. He got off to a good start in his last fight, defeating UFC vet Luis Henrique Barbosa.
Now Josh Parisian, who fought twice on the Contender Series and appeared on The Ultimate Fighter before his own stint in the UFC, is up next.
“This match-up, it’s perfect for me, because look, my goal is to fight against the best fighters, and to be one day the best fighter,” stated Todev. “That’s why Josh Parisian is a great fight. It’s great to fight against someone who’s a good fighter.”
Parisian’s name value is an added perk. “Maybe this can be helpful, yeah. Maybe this can be very helpful, because he’s a big name, and to win against him, it has to be something.”
“Two wins against fighters, ex-fighters from UFC, it’s something big for me. I like this,” Todev added.
That said, the path back to Fleury and heavyweight gold could be a long one. It seems he’s set for a rematch with Daniel Skvor, after the pair had an in-cage face off last month. The Irish star has also suggested he could drop to middleweight and make a stab at a third belt.
“We will see, because the situation now with Will, he’s a superstar. He’s a champion now in two divisions,” Todev noted when asked about a possible rematch. “It’s heavy to plan something with him. That’s why, if I can become now the title [challenger], of course I’m going to be the guy, I’m going to be ready. But if not, I’m gonna watch for the next fight. Doesn’t matter who’s going to come.”
And if Oktagon wanted to float an interim heavyweight title while Fleury pursues fights in other divisions? “That’s an interesting question,” admitted Todev. “Maybe we can make it, maybe we can organize that. The question is, who is the guy who deserves to fight for an interim title?”
Watch our full interview with Oktagon 83’s Lazar Todev above. The event takes place in Stuttgart, Germany this Saturday, January 31, 2026.
