Two fighters who have proven themselves outside of the UFC will go head-to-head in June.
Since he was cut from the leading MMA promotion for biting his opponent, Igor Severino has embraced this low point in his career.
Having the mindset of wanting to turn this into a positive is one thing, but this wouldn’t have mattered if he couldn’t back it up inside the cage.
Severino’s destructive title win against Khurshed Kakhorov in March proved that he can’t be overlooked and he’s now got an even bigger assignment for his next outing.
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Igor Severino set to defend his bantamweight title against Zhalgas Zhumagulov at OKTAGON 89
On April 5, OKTAGON announced that two of their current champions will compete against each other following their impressive run of recent performances.
Igor Severino will put his bantamweight title on the line against the reigning flyweight titleholder Zhalgas Zhumagulov at the Tipos Arena in Bratislava on June 6.
Severino has only had two fights in OKTAGON, but recording wins over two of Europe’s top bantamweights has quickly elevated the Brazilian to the top.
Zhumagulov has been pushing for a UFC return since winning five consecutive fights following his exit from the leading MMA promotion in 2023.
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The 37-year-old went 1-6 inside the Octagon, though several of his losses came to top level opposition like Manel Kape.
His final fight in the UFC saw him come up short in a split decision against the promotion’s current 125-pound champion, Joshua Van.
OKTAGON 89 will also feature the return of former UFC heavyweight Martin Buday, who went 7-1 inside the Octagon before being shockingly released.