A former bantamweight champion will face off against the division’s newest star as Oktagon MMA heads back to the UK for a packed night of fights in Newcastle on January 27.
Oktagon 52 will represent European promotion Oktagon’s second visit to UK shores, as the Utilita Arena plays host to the event, and there’s already a dynamite matchup lined up.
Former Oktagon bantamweight champion Jonas Magard will take on former Cage Warriors 135-pound champion Jack Cartwright in a number-one contender matchup, with Denmark’s 15-6 Magard looking to earn a title rematch against the man who dethroned him, Brazil’s Felipe Lima.
Cartwright, meanwhile, thinks he’s the man to unseat Lima from the top of the division, and the 11-1 contender has already vowed to defeat Magard if they meet inside the Oktagon cage.
The pair faced off and engaged in a heated verbal exchange when Magard entered the cage after Cartweight’s first-round submission win over Junior Assis in Manchester at Oktagon 48. What looked set to be a run-of-the-mill faceoff between potential opponents turned into a lengthy verbal exchange as the pair traded barbs in front of the Manchester crowd.
Now the matchup has been made official, with the pair set to face off on January 27.