Oktagon 90’s Kasim Aras fights double-champ Will Fleury in the card’s main event in Berlin, Germany this Saturday, but it’s neither the title, nor the career of opponent Fleury that interests him.
While any number of MMA fighters would be thrilled to topple a double champ and claim gold, Aras is in it just for the love of fighting, and to compete against the best. In that sense, perhaps, Fleury’s recent career fits the bill, but it’s not the focus for the Turkish-German fighter.
“I don’t care about careers of other people. I just care about my career. For me, my aim is to fight against the best in the world. Even the title, this title doesn’t interest me,” Aras (11-5) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “I just want to be there, fight, and show how good I am. That’s the most important thing in life.”
Aras made the comparison to boxing legend Mike Tyson, who he feels the younger generation has begun to forget.
“One day— when you’re champion, you’re champion, everything’s good. But life is more than to get the belt. One day, nobody will care if I was Oktagon champion or not,” suggested Aras. “People like Mike Tyson were world champion, they hold belts, and now this new generation, you ask 16-year old guys ‘you know Mike Tyson?’ — they don’t know him.”
So in the present, winning belts is all fine and dandy, but to Aras, it’s not a reason to fight. Nor should you be overly focused on the title, he believes.
“This is now, for this time it’s nice, everything is good. But I fight because I love fighting. If I go and I fight, I go for [the] win, this is the first important thing. A lot of people, they just look for the title. Yes, it’s good, but you need to win your match first. This is the more important [thing]. Be focused on your match.”
As far as his match-up with Fleury is concerned, meanwhile, Kasim Aras has a very simple prediction. “TKO.”
Watch our full interview with Oktagon 90 headliner Kasim Aras above. The event takes place at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany this Saturday, June 20, 2026.
