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European MMA promotion Oktagon has pledged to host one massive stadium show per year before staging a fight card in front of nearly 60,000 fans this weekend, pushing the boundaries of what regional companies can achieve in the sport.

Oktagon set the all-time attendance record for an MMA event outside of Japan in October 2024 when it hosted 59,148 fans at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt – a feat that surpassed the largest attendance ever recorded by the UFC.

The promotion returns to the home of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt two years on to mark its 10-year anniversary at Oktagon 94, putting on a stacked event headlined by a heated clash between hometown hero Christian Eckerlin and former champion David Kozma.

Ahead of the spectacle, the company announced its new Oktagon Infinity events, confirming these type of showpiece fight cards will become yearly. Düsseldorf’s 50,000 capacity Merkur Spiel-Arena will host the first Oktagon Infinity show in May 2027.

“The demand is growing here in Germany,” co-founder Pavel Neruda told The Independent. “That’s what we want to use.

“We have this amazing deal with RTL [major German broadcaster] which supports our efforts, and we bring them a lot of fans.

“It’s the perfect environment so people really now are on this wave of MMA, of Oktagon, and I think that this [Oktagon Infinity] is the result.

“Even announcing another stadium next year, you can clearly see that we feel that this is the right time to do such an ambitious project.”

Neruda also hinted at a future event at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, which hosted the 2025 Champions League final.

“It can happen, yes,” he added. “I mean, it’s not something what we have on our plans for next year, but it can happen, definitely.”

For now the focus is on Frankfurt and Oktagon 94, which also pits “The Neanderthal” Frederic Vosgrone – who went viral for his unrelenting fight style and likeness to Paddy Pimblett – against Czech legend Karlos Vemola, with former UFC fighter and two-weight Oktagon champion Vémola coming out of retirement at 42 to give Vosgrone the biggest test of his career so far.

British fighter Marc Diakiese, an eight-year veteran in the UFC until 2024, meanwhile makes his promotional debut in a matchup built on bad blood with 22-year-old prospect Fedor Duric, with both men trading barbs in a tense press conference on Friday after an earlier face-off altercation.

With an emphasis on making their fight cards as entertaining for the fan as possible, Oktagon will also put on a half-time show fronted by multi-diamond and platinum DJ Robin Schulz.

The sizeable stage for this musical showpiece meant Oktagon couldn’t break the attendance record they set in 2024, but Neruda says he was happy to sacrifice a bit of history for the sake of the spectacle.

“To cross the record by a few hundred [people] would not be that big a deal,” he said.

“But to bring Robin Schulz on the huge stage and make a great show for fans is more important for us, and I think this is an even better message to the world. I’m 100 percent sure that this is the better option for everyone.”

The latest episode of WWE SmackDown was a mixed bag. CM Punk, Gunther, and Finn Balor had a great main-event triple threat match. The rest of the bouts, however, weren’t nearly as good.

Trick Williams beat Baron Corbin again. The only benefit is that the feud is hopefully finally over. Nikki Bella got in WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green’s face about a title shot.

The former Divas Champion played a role in Green’s match later in the night. Damian Priest attacked R-Truth at the Performance Center earlier this week.

Randy Orton demanded Michael Cole interview him after he did the same for Cody Rhodes last week. Some storylines moved along while others did not. WWE made the next four mistakes on SmackDown from Indianapolis.

#4. No mention of the WWE Tag Team Championships

WWE is in another cycle of ignoring its tag team champions. Bron Breakker and Austin Theory were in Money in the Bank qualifiers instead of defending the World Tag Team Titles.

Part of the problem is that Triple H has done next to nothing to build the tag divisions on both RAW and SmackDown. The MFTs fought Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki last week in a non-title match.

This week’s SmackDown didn’t address last week’s showdown. There weren’t pre-taped promos or a backstage segment. Money in the Bank is obviously more important, but WWE could give a few minutes to one of the brand’s champions.

#3. Paige gets pinned again

Paige’s return to WWE at WrestleMania 42 was an exciting moment. She won the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Brie Bella but has done nothing but lose since dropping those titles.

The Anti-Diva has fallen in her last five matches and has been pinned in her last four contests. Nikki Bella cheated in a one-on-one showdown by pulling the tights during the pin attempt.

Nikki then tripped her rival on SmackDown, leading to Jacy Jayne getting the pin. This booking is usually reserved for someone at the bottom of the roster. That isn’t Paige.

#2. The Lone Wolf has dull teeth

Baron Corbin came back to WWE earlier this summer. He immediately targeted United States Champion Trick Williams. Corbin eventually defeated Trick for the title at SummerSlam. He beat him in another messy rematch.

Trick “earned” another shot because his rapper friend lasted for five minutes in a match with Corbin at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Corbin lost twice that night. He lost to Williams yet again, only this time inside of a steel cage on SmackDown.

The match quality has been mediocre and marred with interference. The money may be good, but Corbin doesn’t seem like a threat to anyone. He lost to a non-competitor in one contest. Corbin looks like a wolf without teeth after losing again.

#1. Did CM Punk really need to qualify?

Finn Balor, CM Punk, and Gunther battled for a spot in next month’s Money in the Bank match. The Best in the World has already held both the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles this year.

He’s also been part of the ongoing chaos around the Undisputed Championship. Since he’s held both major titles this year, Balor or Gunther should have earned the spot in Money in the Bank.

Punk beat The Prince twice this year already, but Balor hasn’t had a fair one-on-one title shot since moving to SmackDown. Gunther had plenty of title opportunities this year but would have been a key part of the ladder match.

Most fans would root against him winning the briefcase. Instead of allowing a different veteran to qualify for Money in the Bank, Triple H handed another big spot to a guy who’s had plenty of them this year. Gunther also loses more steam after another big loss. He’ll probably blame Danhausen.