‘Acquire us or destroy us’… MMA promotion hints at UFC buy-out after revealing plan to sell out Bayern Munich and Real Madrid stadiums

While the UFC may be the king of the hill in North America, Mixed Martial Arts here on the European continent is often dominated by another promotion, Oktagon MMA.

The Czech Slovak organization recently hosted an event in front of 59,000 screaming fans in Frankfurt, Germany, and has now teased plans to sell out the Allianz Arena and Santiago Bernabéu – all before a big bid from the UFC comes to their table.

Photo by Maria Jimenez – Real Madrid/Real Madrid via Getty Images

Oktagon MMA unveils plan to sell out Bayern Munich and Real Madrid stadiums

Oktagon MMA was founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Pavol Neruda and Ondřej Novotný; the promotion has since enjoyed a meteoric rise in mainland Europe, culminating in that insane 59,000 seat show in October.

However, as TV rights deals and online viewership continue to rise, the two founders are planning something even bigger in the hopes of eventually being bought out by the UFC.

“We want to go to Bayern Munich's football stadium, the Allianz Arena, we promised ourselves that we would definitely do that,” Novotný said in an interview with Czech Crunch, adding: “The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid could also be filled become.”

Oktagon had hoped to add a UK stadium show to that list, but after losing around €2.5 million on its last UK venture, it's safe to say Wembley isn't in the plans: “Not Wembley, I don't like England. It's ugly there.” Harsh, but true.

While the monolithic UFC has so far failed to put on a stadium show, the Czech-Slovak duo are hoping to prove their worth with an event of more than 70,000 (both Allianz and the Bernabéu have a capacity of more than 75,000 ) could result in the Las Vegas promotion making an offer.

“They must destroy us or acquire us… Oktagon is still our baby, which we can somehow still equip for the future. But the end is inevitable.

“Honestly, it would be best to build it up nicely so that the UFC would come in and buy us. Unlike some other organizations in the UFC, they are not cocky. They are the kings of our world.”

The two founders believe a deal could be struck within the next three years, with Novotný claiming that the TV rights for Oktagon MMA could be worth one billion Czech crowns by 2028 – that's around $41 million at the current exchange rate.

“When we were at the sports business conference in Monaco last year, no one really spoke to us [but] When we got there this year, brands like ESPN or Sportradar and other global companies were interested in us… Suddenly it was meetings and dinners with their bosses. That's what you want to experience.

“We will sell a billion kroner worth of TV rights in three years – it would actually be a disappointment for me if we only sold a billion kroner in three years [as] the potential is three times greater.”

Bloody Elbow's James Sweetnam has been fortunate enough to attend several Oktagon MMA shows in the past, including some of their larger stadium events, and wanted to share his thoughts on the promotion.

“In European combat sports, no one creates an atmosphere like Oktagon MMA. With an emphasis on storytelling and production, the promotion has taken over Eastern Europe, delivering blockbuster stadium shows in the Czech Republic and Germany.

“The promoters always go above and beyond to create a spectacle that fans will never forget, with awe-inspiring light shows and half-time music performances, in pursuit of their ultimate goal: 'dream bigger'.”

If you're interested in attending an Oktagon MMA event, there are two shows left this calendar year: Oktagon 64 on December 7 in Munich and Oktagon 65 on December 29 at the O2 Arena in Prague.

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