Both Igor Severino and Zhalgas Zhumagulov had seen their UFC runs go awry, albeit under very different circumstances. For Severino, biting an opponent during a fight had led to him being dropped by the company unceremoniously. No surprise, given the seriousness of the foul, but Severino leaned into the incident, adopting the nickname “The Hannibal” and wearing a Hannibal Lecter-style face mask ahead of fights.

Zhalgas Zhumagulov had no such controversy in the UFC. Rather, he just couldn’t catch a break. Too many questionable decisions were scored against him, eventually spelling the end of his time with the company.

Both would go on to sign with Oktagon, and both would win titles: Severino at bantamweight, Zhumagulov at flyweight. At Oktagon 89, Zhalgas Zhumagulov moved up, looking to become the company’s next double champ. Severino, meanwhile, was looking to take a bite out of another big-name opponent. Pun fully intended.

Former ranked UFC heavyweight Martin Buday was also on the card, against Oktagon mainstay Lazar Todev.

Where to Watch Oktagon 89

Oktagon 89 takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at the Tipos Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia. The full card streams live via Oktagon.tv staring at 11:30AM ET, 8:30AM PT. Full results can be found below.

Oktagon 89: Severino vs. Zhumagulov Results

Main Card

Igor Severino (c) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov ends in a No Contest (low blow), Round 2, 2:26 – for the Oktagon MMA bantamweight championship
Jack Grant def. Ronald Paradeiser by submission (Scottish twister), Round 1, 1:44
Lazar Todev def. Martin Buday by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Robert Pukač def. Brian Manning by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Veronika Smolková def. Lisa Kyriacou by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 3:04
Marek Bartl def. Jozef Wittner by TKO (knee/punches), Round 2, 3:46

Preliminary Card

Radovan Úškrt def. Ondřej Raška by KO, Round 1, 1:49
Rastislav Zvara def. Michal Novotný by TKO, Round 1, 2:15
Adam Pałasz def. Patrick Vespaziani by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:37
Karol Ryšavý vs. Daniel Schordje ends in a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Ayton De Paepe def. Marco Novák by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Dastan Amangeldy def. Moktar Benkaci by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Oktagon 89: Severino vs. Zhumagulov Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

As announced by Oktagon MMA on Sunday, Zhumagulov (19-9) will move up to bantamweight to face Igor Severino (10-1) at Oktagon 89 on June 6, 2026, with Severino’s bantamweight championship on the line.

It’s an impressive turn from Zhumagulov, who has won five fights since exiting the UFC on a four fight skid that included three consecutive split decision losses to names like Joshua Van and Charles “Inner G” Johnson.

The former FNG flyweight champ, hailing from Kazakhstan, defended his Oktagon title against UFC vet David Dvorak in his last outing.

He gets another UFC alum in Severino, who defeated Khurshed Kakhorov last month to claim Oktagon’s previously vacant bantamweight title. Severino was previously best known for a biting incident in the UFC which saw him lose to Andre Lima by DQ. The Brazilian has leaned into the controversy, which saw him cut by the organization, and now bills himself as “The Hannibal.”

The Contender Series winner is 2-0 in Oktagon MMA to date.

Oktagon 89 takes place at the Tipos Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia on June 6, 2026 and also features a heavyweight showdown between former title challengers Martin Buday and Lazar Todev.

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In a massive main event, former ranked UFC heavyweight Martin Buday, who parted ways with the company off a win streak, faces double-champ Will Fleury for the promotion’s heavyweight crown. Fleury, a former Bellator MMA and PFL fighter, had won all four of his Oktagon assignments to date, capturing gold in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.

Buday was making his debut in the bout, after winning his final three UFC fighters, including a victory over former champ Andrei Arlovski.

In the co-main event, champ Zhalgas Zhumagulov, another former UFC star, put his flyweight title on the line against challenger David Dvořák, who had gone 3-3 under the UFC banner and had won his last two bouts, including his Oktagon debut.

Where to Watch Oktagon 81

Sunday, December 28, 2025 sees Oktagon 81 take place at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The card streams live on Oktagon.tv, with free prelims available below. It all gets underway at 11:30AM ET, 8:30AM PT. Full results can be found below.

Oktagon 81: Fleury vs. Buday Results

Main Card

Will Fleury (c) def. Martin Buday by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:40 — for the Oktagon MMA heavyweight championship
Zhalgas Zhumagulov (c) def. David Dvořák by TKO, Round 3, 5:00 — for the Oktagon MMA flyweight championship
Patrik Kincl def. Robert Pukač by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Daniel Škvor def. Patrick Vespaziani by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 3:16
Ondřej Raška def. Pavel Tóth by TKO, Round 1, 1:19 — Oktagon Celebrity Series

Preliminary Card

Mateusz Strzelczyk def. Miloš Petrášek by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 1:51
Jonas Mågård def. Elvis Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-26)
Veronika Smolková def. Marta Sós by TKO, Round 1, 2:29
Hugo Vach def. Vojtěch Khol by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Alex Hutyra def. Viktor Kováč by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:52
Ivan Klevets def. Bartłomiej Skowyra by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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Friday’s official weigh-in had been a disaster, with two big fights both seeing a fighter miss weight. While Robert Pukač coming in heavy did little to impact the main event, outside of costing him some money, Beno Adamia vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov was another story. The reigning Oktagon MMA flyweight champion, Adamia hit the scales heavy, and was stripped of his title as a result. No longer reigning, in other words, and only Zhumagulov, whose UFC run was all but cursed, will be eligible to win the title.

Where to Watch Oktagon MMA 73

Saturday, June 28, 2025 sees Oktagon 73 take place at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany. The full card streams live on Oktagon.tv; full results can be found below.

Oktagon 73: Eckerlin vs. Pukac Results

Main Card

Welterweight: Robert Pukač def. Christian Eckerlin by TKO, Round 3, 1:05
Heavyweight:  Kasim Aras def. Adam Pałasz by TKO, Round 1, 1:42
Welterweight: Kaik Brito def. Joilton Lutterbach by KO, Round 1, 1:43
Welterweight: Jessin Ayari def. Niklas Stolze by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:25
Bantamweight: Jonas Mågård def. Farbod Iran Nezhad by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: Wahed Nezhand def. Faridun Shokhnazarov by submission (kimura), Round 2, 3:42

Preliminary Card

Flyweight: Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Beno Adamia by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – for the Oktagon MMA flyweight championship. Adamia missed weight and was stripped of the title, only Zhumagulov eligible to win the belt
Catchweight (181lbs): Marek Bartl def. Daniel Makin by submission (kimura), Round 2, 4:18
Catchweight (150lbs): Richie Smullen def. Vojto Barborík by TKO, Round 2, 3:59
Lightweight: Tomáš Cigánik def. Ahmad Halimson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lightweight: Altin Zenuni def. Tibor Balázs by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:01

The post Oktagon 73 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The flyweight pair met on the preliminary card of UFC Jacksonville on Saturday, with Van skipping out on a Contender Series opportunity to step straight into the UFC itself.

Zhumagulov was pressing right away letting his hands go early in the fight, and throwing a lot of kicks. Van wasn’t throwing as much but his jab was super clean. Zhumagulov just wasn’t giving him a break constantly staying busy with his output. Halfway into the round Zhumagulov went for a takedown but Van denied it. Zhumagulov continued to move around and lot and throwing strikes keeping Van guessing. Zhumagulov did get two quick takedowns but Van quickly bounced back up showing solid defense. The round ended with nothing significant landed from either fighter.

To start round two Van was being a little more aggressive. He landed a few heavy outside leg kicks. He continued with the jab and his right cross was landing more and more. He was getting the best of Zhumagulov on the feet. Van landed a head kick that hurt Zhumagulov and Van went off on a flurry of punches up high and down low. Zhumagulov took a lot of damage but survived the onslaught. Zhumagulov was aggressive in the final minute getting some respect back.

Going into the final round both athletes needed a strong five minutes. Zhumagulov was being the more active fighter but swinging wild. Van continued the jab and was picking his shots better. Both guys  were having some success in the pocket but Van was slipping and returning with his punches much better. The round ended with Van landing a few hooks that had Zhumagulov reacting every time.

On the scorecards, two judges sided with Van — marking the third straight split decision loss for Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and fourth straight loss overall.

Joshua Van has arrived to the UFC! 🙌#UFCJacksonville | Prelims LIVE on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/vbgQLZkAGW

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023

Official Result: Josh Van def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Jacksonville: Newcomer Josh Van Arrives, Takes Split Decision Against Zhalgas Zhumagulov appeared first on Cageside Press.

Josh “The Fearless” Van
Standing at five-foot-five
Fighting at 125 lbs (flyweight)
21-years-old
Fighting out of Myanmar/Texas
Training out of 4 oz. Fight Club
A pro record of 7-1
5 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

How will Van fare in the UFC:

It’s nice to see Josh Van in the UFC. He comes to the promotion after winning the vacant Fury FC title last December. He was set to fight on the Contender Series this season but a short notice spot needed filling up and in comes Van.

Van’s only loss comes to an underrated prospect in Devon Jackson. His breakout performance came to Paris Moran who was a win or two away from a UFC call-up. He’s a winner of his last five and has yet to go the distance in his pro career.

Van has one glaring hole and that’s his takedown defense. He’s been taken down nearly in all of his fights. That being said everybody is going to be taken down eventually so it’s how you can get back to your feet. Van has only been controlled by one guy and that was Jackson. Jackson is an excellent wrestler and Van still put up a solid effort. Van does well off his back always working never staying complacent. Takedown defense is definitely a big problem to have at a high level, but 21 is still very young so I’m sure he’ll sharpen it up after a while.

Even though Van is mainly a striker he has a creative submission game as well. Last time we saw Van he finished with a standing rear-naked choke after a sneaky good transition onto the back. Van also has a submission win from a slick calf slicer that was perfectly executed. He definitely knows what he’s doing Jiu-Jitsu wise.

Van is constantly pressing on the feet looking for striking lanes to exploit. He would benefit throwing more straight punches but does good enough with setups and fast release. He’s at his best when he’s getting up from being taken down and then letting it go. Van throws a sneaky head kick that he sets up well with his punches and feints. He has the power and speed to score the finish at anytime. I call him an opportunist because he knows when to attack. He doesn’t throw anything with wasted motion. The only thing that needs to improve  striking-wise is he isn’t the cleanest striker. He needs to use the jab more and straight punches to get on the inside.

How Van and Zhumagulov match up:

The post Welcome to UFC: Josh Van appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Thursday, it appeared Zhumagulov had had yet another fight fall through, with opponent Felipe Bunes dropping out of UFC Vegas 75 the day before weigh-ins. That’s the third straight opponent flyweight Zhumagulov — who has also had a string of close decisions go against him — has seen withdraw.

The Kazakh fighter announced the news himself on social media, proving that despite the string of bad luck, his sense of humor remains intact.

This haircut is 2-0 in ufc even without appearing in the octagon. Another opponent doesn’t want to take his chance and pulled out 🤦🏻‍♂️ 😡 pic.twitter.com/kwvoFIsx2i

— Zhalgas Zhumagulov (@ZhakoZhumagulov) June 15, 2023

However, per a report by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff, Zhumagulov will now fight Joshua Van at UFC Jacksonville next week. Van confirmed the booking on his Instagram Story on Thursday.

Van had been expected to appear on this year’s run of Dana White’s Contender Series, booked opposite Kevin Borjas in August. Going straight to the big show, however, feels like a much better option.

Zhumagulov has lost three straight fights, and at one point had announced his retirement. After reconsidering, he’s been trying to get back in the cage ever since. The last two of those losses came via split decision, and easily could have gone the other way.

UFC Jacksonville takes place June 24, 2023 with Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria headlining. The card airs on broadcast network ABC, and currently breaks down as follows:

• Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
• Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber
• Punahele Soriano vs. Sedriques Dumas
• David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos
• Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva
• Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe
• Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
• Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman
• Mateusz Rębecki vs. Loik Radzhabov
• Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson
• Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins
• Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
• Trevor Peek vs. Jose Mariscal
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van

The post UFC: Zhalgas Zhumagulov Loses Another Opponent, Now Fights DWCS Hopeful Next Week appeared first on Cageside Press.

Although flyweight Zhalgas Zhumagulov hit the scales and successfully made weight for his fight with Rafael Estevam, that fight has been scratched. Estevam never made it to the scale, and just past 9:30AM ET, promotion officials announced that the fight was off.

The cancellation came about “due to weight management issues” on the part Estevam.

Just yesterday, a bantamweight match-up between Daniel Santos and Johnny Munoz Jr. was lost due to an injury suffered by Santos. It’s been a rough 24 hours overall for the Newark, NJ-based UFC 288, as Joseph Holmes, a.k.a. “Ugly Man Joe,” announced just prior to Friday’s weigh-ins that he was heavy. Holmes hit the scale 3lbs over the middleweight limit, though his fight with Claudio Ribeiro will move forward. Holmes will forfeit 20% of his purse however.

Zhumagulov, meanwhile, just can’t catch a break. The Kazakh fighter briefly retired after a number of contentious decisions that didn’t go his way, but opted to return against Estevam, looking to snap a three-fight skid.

The undefeated Rafael Estevam was set to make his promotional debut in the fight. He won his way into the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, improving his record to 11-0 in the process.

UFC 288, headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champ Aljamain Sterling and the returning Henry Cejudo, now moves forward with the following bouts:

• Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo — for the UFC bantamweight championship
• Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
• Jéssica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
• Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes
• Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
• Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
• Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
• Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
• Braxton Smith vs. Parker Porter
• Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro

The post UFC 288 Loses Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov After One Fighter Had Already Made Weight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Zhumagulov (14-8) fought to a split decision with former LFA champ Charles Johnson at UFC Vegas 65 over the weekend, with two judges scoring the fight in favor of the American.

That result did not sit well with many watching at home. Especially since the former Fight Nights Global flyweight champion had seen four of his five UFC losses go the distance, with a couple ending in controversial fashion.

A short time after this most recent setback, the Kazakh fighter announced his retirement on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClKYJmbJmLs

“Everyone saw the fight, what can I say?,” Zhumagulov stated (translation via Sherdog.com). “There is nothing to say — this was my last fight. Thanks to everyone who cheered for me. I don’t want to fight anymore. For some time I fight – the judges do not give me back. You plow, plow, do all the reasons – and just like that. Now, I’m not saying this out of emotion – as it is. Thank you to everyone who was rooting for me.”

Zhumagulov’s fight with Jeff Molina back in June, his most recent prior to the Johnson match-up, also ended in a split decision. Fights against Raulian Paiva and Amir Albazi also went the distance, but the fighter nicknamed “Zhako” could not catch a break with the judges even once.

His only win under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner was a submission of Jerome Rivera at UFC 264. However prior to his time with the UFC, Zhumagulov had put together a solid 13-3 record, with victories over current UFC athletes Tyson Nam and Tagir Ulanbekov, plus former UFC flyweight standout Ali Bagautinov.

If it is to be his final fight, Zhumagulov finishes his UFC stint with a 1-5 record, while sitting at 14-8 overall.

The post UFC Vegas 65 Fighter Announces Retirement After Yet Another Controversial Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

As the new headliner, Nzechukwu scored a knockout victory over Cutelaba in the second round. Today we will be looking at what is next for the men and women who fell short at UFC Vegas 65.

Ion Cutelaba

Cutelaba is now 1-5-1 in the last two years and is it desperate need of a win in his next fight. His flashy fighting style should buy him an extra some extra leeway with the company meaning he should get another shot to turn things around. In his next fight, he should be looking to fight someone who is willing to stand and brawl with him.

Alonzo Menifield is on a two-fight win streak knocking out Askar Mozharov and Misha Cirkunov is his last two fights. Ten of his 13 wins are by knockout and he is 6-3 in the UFC. Menifield is rising in the light heavyweight division and would make for a great matchup for someone looking to keep their job like Cutelaba.

Cutelaba’s next fight: Alonzo Menifield 

Chase Sherman

Chase Sherman lost a decision to Waldo Cortes-Acosta this past weekend. Sherman was recently re-signed to the UFC in April for a short notice fight against Alexander Romanov. Prior to that fight he went 1-3 in the UFC and was released from the company. His last contract was for four fights so we should assume that his current contract is probably also for four fights meaning he has one more fight remaining. Since his return he is 1-2 only beating Jared Vanderaa by knockout in July.

Austen Lane won a UFC contract on the Contender Series back in September with a TKO win over Richard Jacobi. Lane is 8-2 since losing to Greg Hardy in his first appearance on DWCS in 2018. 11 of his 12 wins are by knockout and all three of his losses are by knockout. This is a guy that lives or dies by the sword. That is what makes him perfect for Sherman’s next fight. Sherman has a boxing background and does his best work when he can sit in the pocket and strike with his opponent.

Sherman’s next fight: Austen Lane 

Andre Fialho

Andre Fialho was knocked out by Muslim Salikhov at UFC Vegas 65, well technically. Frankly, Fialho would just not go down, and the ref waved it off on the feet. The fight was back and forth and Fialho landed some good shots but untimely got taken down a few times and was having trouble dealing with the kicks of Salikhov. This loss puts him on a two fight losing streak and makes him 2-3 in the UFC. He is 16-6-1 as a professional with 17 of his fights ending by KO. Making him an exciting fighter that will always be around to beef up some Vegas cards in the future.

Tim Means is also coming off back-to-back losses against Kevin Holland and Max Griffin.  Means is tough as nails and is always down to stand and bang. He has 19 wins by knockout but has only been knocked out in two of his 14 losses. Fighting Tim Means would be great for Fialho’s popularity and would give him a chance to get a win over a UFC vet.

Fialho’s next fight: Tim Means 

Danny Roberts

Danny Roberts can be considered the first step up for Jack Della Maddalena, and he passed that test with flying colors. Roberts is a 13-fight UFC veteran, with a 7-6 record who has lost back-to-back fights for the second time in his career.

All is not lost for Roberts, who will hopefully get a return day on an expected London card in the first quarter of next year. As for who he should face, how about another top prospect? Things didn’t go well against JDM; Roberts can try to redeem himself against Ireland’s Ian Garry.

Roberts’ next fight: Ian Garry

Zhalgas Zhumagulov

The Charles Johnson vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov fight was bumped up to the UFC Vegas 65 main card due to the loss of Lewis vs. Spivac, and Johnson came away from the bout with his first UFC win. Not everyone was on board with the scores in the split decision fight, but a win is a win — and for Zhumagulov, a loss is another heartbreaking loss.

This one led to his retirement. Zhumagulov announced the news on social media, citing several decisions not going his way as his reason for hanging up the gloves.

Zhumagulov’s next fight: none (retired)

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 65 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.