Ivan Buchinger will return to Bratislava on October 4, 2025, to face Irish contender Richie Smullen at Tipos Enviornment. The bout headlines OKTAGON 77 in Bratislava, a card that options two €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger semifinal matchups and a lineup of regional contenders.
Ivan Buchinger vs. Richie Smullen
The 39-year-old Buchinger enters this assembly because the first-ever OKTAGON double champion. A veteran of greater than 55 skilled contests, he holds a 45-10 document with 27 submission victories and 12 knockout wins, reflecting an 86 % ending charge. Over the previous yr, Buchinger has recorded back-to-back stoppages, submitting Vladimír Lengál within the second spherical at OKTAGON 72 and incomes a TKO over Hafeni Nafuta at OKTAGON 63, each earlier than the halfway level of spherical two.
pposite him stands SBG Eire-trained Smullen, who has compiled 15 wins towards three defeats and one draw over his skilled profession. At 34, Smullen first gained discover in 2018 on The Final Fighter and went on to make six appearances for Bellator. In his OKTAGON debut at MMA 73 this summer season, he stopped Vojto Barborík by TKO in spherical two, a efficiency that he regards as a blueprint for how you can dethrone Buchinger on enemy soil.
OKTAGON 77
OKTAGON 77 may have further high-stakes drama. In Tipsport Gamechanger motion, Kerim Engizek squares off with Dominik Humburger in a single semifinal, whereas Krzysztof Jotko battles Hojat Khajevand within the different. A match reserve contest pairs “Pirát” Krištofič towards Jaime Cordero, and Vlasto Čepo meets Daniel Schwindt in a middleweight bout. Additional bouts might be added within the weeks forward.
With the storied Ondrej Nepela Winter Stadium serving because the backdrop, Buchinger and Smullen will vie to etch their names into OKTAGON historical past. A crowd that has produced among the most intense atmospheres in European MMA is predicted to rally behind the Slovak veteran, whereas Irish help will assemble behind Smullen.
