After winning the Oktagon welterweight title via a stunning head kick on Brazilian Kaik Brito last month in Munich, ‘Dracula’ Ion Surdu exclusively spoke with World In Sport Combat Sports Reporter Dan Kelly to share his thoughts and feelings on becoming champion and what’s next for the fan favourite.
Following up on his spectacular knockout over Czech MMA legend David Kozma at Oktagon 58 in June with another viral finish over another former champion, Ion Surdu explains that he already felt like a champion before winning the welterweight belt at Oktagon 64.
“In my head I was a champion already, I just had to go there and take my belt home. For me, it was a lucky, easy, and just another day at the office” When Dracula says a leisurely day at the office, he is right. It only took him two minutes and twenty-six seconds to dispatch Brito in what proved to be the TipSport performance of the night, where he earned himself an extra five thousand euros.
Oktagon 64: Munich. Full Fight Night Review
What’s Next For The New Champ?
When asked what’s next, the new champion said, “We will see what Oktagon prepares for me. I’m open to all offers, and I’m a man of the company, so when they pay me well, I love going into the cage and doing my job.”
Some big names in the welterweight division pique the interest of the Romanian, such as ‘King of Germany’ Christian Eckerlin and a rematch with UFC veteran Bojan Veličković. He craves to right the wrongs from 2022 when he was forced to tap in the first round via an anaconda choke at Oktagon 40.
Since we sat down to speak with Surdu on future opponents, it has been announced that he is set to move up in weight and enter the third series of the TipSport Gamechanger for 2025 in the middleweight division, where he has been drawn in the first fight, against Krzysztof Jotko of Poland who boasts a 25-6 professional record.
Oktagon 65: Three Title Fights In One Night – Full Preview
TipSport one million euro middleweight tournament line-up revealed.
The European MMA Champions League enters its third season in 2025; this time, the middleweights will take centre stage! A life-changing prize pot of €1 million will be up for grabs once again as the biggest MMA tournament on the continent returns for what promises to be another thrilling instalment.
The 16-man lineup is littered with stars as current middleweight champion Kerim Engizek, top Czech talent Matěj Peňáz, welterweight title holder Ion Surdu, and promotional newcomer Krzysztof Jotko are all set to compete.
The Tipsport Gamechanger opening round matchups will take place across three events, with eleven countries represented, and are as follows: OKTAGON 66 in Düsseldorf, Germany, on February 1 Kerim Engizek (21-4) vs. Anthony Salamone (8-2) Matěj Peňáz (9-1) vs. David Zawada (19-10) OKTAGON 67 in Třinec, Czech Republic, on February 22 Piotr Wawrzyniak (13-6) vs. Marek Mazúch (9-2) Miloš Petrášek (13-7) vs. Mick Stanton (13-8)
OKTAGON 70 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, on April 26 Vlasto Čepo (12-3) vs. Erhan Kartal (12-2) ‘Pirát’ Krištofič (17-6) vs. Wildcard (TBC) Events to be confirmed Ion Surdu (16-6) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (25-6, 1NC) Andreas Michailidis (16-8) vs. Mark Hulme (12-3)
As in previous years, reserve bouts will be booked so an athlete is ready to step up immediately if anything happens to participants in the lead-up to their bouts. Furthermore, ‘Lucky Loser’ fan voting will remain, so after each round, the public gets to vote for whoever they think deserves a second chance to jump back into the bracket later.
At the end of the opening round, the eight remaining athletes will draw numbers randomly before deciding who they want to fight in the quarter-finals later next year. “We are looking forward to the most competitive year of the European MMA Champions League so far,” said OKTAGON MMA co-founder Ondřej Novotný. “Fans can get excited about the highest number of domestic fighters in the pyramid since we began the project and the tournament will expand to more events, which I cannot wait for!”
WATCH HERE: NEW #OKTAGONMMA WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION ‘DRACULA’ ??♂️ ION SURDU ON STUNNING HEAD KICK WIN OVER BRITO
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