MMA promotion on track to break UFC record with stadium show featuring ex-footballer who played against World Cup stars
OKTAGON MMA are on course to break the UFC’s attendance record with the help of German football.
The promotion are braced for their biggest event yet when Christian Eckerlin faces Christian Jungwirth at Eintracht Frankfurt’s stadium.
And they are hoping to cram a stunning 60,000 into the Deutsche Bank Park on October 12 when bragging rights go on the line.
That would beat the UFC’s highest-attendance record – which was set in 2015 when 56,214 watched Holly Holm upset Ronda Rousey in Australia.
Oktagon co-founder Pavol Neruda told SunSport: “I think we will beat this number. It would be amazing.
“The arena is so huge, the atmosphere is so big, and I see this as a huge statement for the world for what we are doing.
“Now I think this will be the thing that the whole world will watch.”
Eckerlin played against the likes of Mats Hummels and Bastian Schweinsteiger at youth football level.
But after crossing over to MMA aged 21 after hanging up his boots, he has become a local fighting legend.
Eckerlin, 37, and Jungwirth, also 37, will battle it out to determine the king of German MMA in the Bundesliga stadium.
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It will be the biggest night in Oktagon’s short five-year history.
Neruda and his business partner Ondrej Novotny once rejected £2million to sell their promotion – which is now valued at £100m.
Upon reflection, Neruda said: “We are really happy with where we are.
“External money is always a question, but luckily, we are in no rush to sell Oktagon.
“If we felt that the money would boost the business and grow Oktagon, then it would make sense, but we are building the business in the way that we want.”