The biggest star of German MMA will return to one of the most iconic European arenas of this sport.
German fan favorite Christian Eckerlin (18-8, 1 NC) was officially announced as the first fighter scheduled to compete at the event Octagon 94which will take place Saturday, September 26, 2026On Deutsche Bank Parkhome stadium Eintracht Frankfurt.
The long-awaited event is expected to be the biggest MMA gala in Europe this year, as OCTAGON MMA continues the 10th anniversary celebration with another historic showcase of the stadium.
The “King of Germany” returns
Eckerlin earned his nickname “King of Germany” after headlining the promotion’s first stadium event in the country, defeating another German fighter Christian Jungwirth in front of a huge crowd in October 2024. Now, with the support of his hometown fans in Frankfurt, Eckerlin hopes to deliver another unforgettable performance.
Eckerlin, a former professional football player who switched to mixed martial arts, has become one of the most recognizable figures in European MMA. His aggressive fighting style and deep connections with the fans in Frankfurt made him one of the biggest attractions at OCTAGON.
Eckerlin’s comeback season
The German star endured a hard 2025 campaign, suffering defeats Robert Pukach and veteran Ivica Trušček. However, Eckerlin bounced back in impressive fashion earlier this year when he lost Matous Kohout in Hamburg, proving that he is still among the top promotions.
Eckerlin believes that once you adjust your training plan and renew your focus, a fresh version of yourself will be ready to take center stage.
“Version 2.0 of Eckerlin has arrived and he is ready to show how dominant he can be.”
Stadium spectacle
Octagon 94 promises to be more than just a fight card. The event is expected to feature many of the biggest names in European MMA, competing on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
In addition to high-level competition in the cage, fans attending the event will be able to experience a fun-filled entertainment spectacle, including a halftime performance by a famed musical artist and other special surprises planned throughout the evening.
The facility itself holds a special place in the history of MMA. While Octagon 62 in 2024, a world record number 59,148 fans packed Deutsche Bank Park, setting an attendance record for an MMA event.
With tickets already selling out quickly – despite only one competitor currently announced – the promotion is on track to deliver another historic evening in Frankfurt.
Luke
Rockhold and Joe Pyfer are
set to collide on the mat.
Real American Freestyle recently announced that former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder
Rockhold will meet current UFC 185-pounder Pyfer in a catchweight
wrestling match at RAF 13 on Sept. 19 at Watsco Center in
Miami.
Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold meets middleweight contender
Joe Pyfer in a catchweight wrestling match Sept. 19 in Miami
While neither fighter is primarily known for wrestling, both bring
considerable grappling and combat sports experience into the
matchup.
Pyfer, 29, has since established himself as one of the UFC’s most
promising middleweight contenders. A
Dana White's Contender Series signee, Pyfer has won four
straight fights and owns a 7-1 record since joining the UFC in
2022. Most recently, he finished former UFC champ Israel
Adesanya earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Rockhold is looking to register his first victory under
the RAF banner. The 41-year-old made his promotional debut in
January, losing to Colby
Covington. He has remained active across several combat sports
since leaving the UFC in 2022, competing in bare-knuckle boxing,
karate, jiu jitsu and boxing.
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke
Rockhold takes on MMA standout Joe Pyfer SEP
19 in Miami at #RAF13
Tickets in bio. Watch on @foxnation
pic.twitter.com/VCtb2tH32z
— Real American Freestyle (@RAFWrestlingUSA)
August 9, 2026
The unbeaten
Professional Fighters League star revealed that she broke both
hands during her recent unanimous decision victory over Denise
Kielholtz at
PFL New York. While she's likely set for another stint on the
sidelines, the Manchester native has revealed her interest in
competing in boxing.
Ditcheva, who improved to 16-0 with the win, said she first noticed
the damage early in the second round but kept the injury to herself throughout the remainder
of the fight. She opened up about her latest hand injury in a
recently released YouTube video.
“Breaking news, I am injured again,†Ditcheva said. “I broke my
hands in the fight. I could feel it from the moment I started the
second round. I didn't tell my corner. I didn't tell anybody. I
didn't show it this time and I didn't tell anybody until I got out
of the cage.â€
Ditcheva is now wearing splints while she waits to learn whether
surgery will be necessary. The latest injury also stems from a
previous issue with her hands.
The 27-year-old previously broke both hands and elected to have
surgery on only one of them. She explained that doctors had warned
her the untreated fracture could break again if she continued
fighting without surgery. Ditcheva clarified that she did not
suffer two entirely new fractures, explaining that one of her
previous breaks held up while another finger was damaged during the
fight.
The injury comes after Ditcheva returned from a year-long absence
to defeat former kickboxing champion Kielholtz by unanimous
decision. Although she couldn’t find the stoppage, Ditcheva
controlled the contest and reaffirmed her status as one of the
faces of the PFL.
Despite the setback, Ditcheva remains interested in expanding her
combat sports endeavors. She has expressed interest in boxing for
Most Valuable Promotions, which recently merged with the PFL.
In an X clip posted by MVP, Ditcheva said that she's
“interested.â€
Sibley Scoles catches up with PFL MMA’s
Flyweight World Champion Dakota
Ditcheva at MVPW05.
———#MVPW05
| LIVE NOW | ESPN 🇺🇸 | Sky Sports 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/qcN6hyWku8
— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions)
August 9, 2026
Reinier
de Ridder has changed camps ahead of his permanent move up to
light heavyweight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The Dutchman is scheduled to take on Roman
Dolidze at 205 pounds next, on Aug. 22 at Golden 1 Center in
Sacramento, California. He recently revealed that he has parted
ways with
Kill Cliff FC and joined another Florida gym,
American Top Team, ahead of his UFC light heavyweight
debut.
Reinier de Ridder explains why he left Kill Cliff FC for
American Top Team
The former One
Championship two-division titleholder explains that while he
really enjoyed the atmosphere at Kill Cliff FC, the level of
training has allegedly not been up to mark in the last couple of
months. One of de Ridder's favorite coaches, Aung La N
Sang, recently opened his own gym, which limited his time at
Kill Cliff FC.
He also claims that head coach Henri Hooft has not been around much
over the last couple of months due to personal reasons and that
many top fighters allegedly left Kill Cliff FC as the level of
training declined.
“I did switch up my camp,†de Ridder told Full Mount MMA. “So, I've
been at ATT this camp, which is a big change. I've been able to
work with a lot of high-level guys, which is cool – coaches and
training partners… Some stuff was just not good at Kill Cliff the
last six months. Henri had some personal stuff. He had been out of
the gym for a couple of months. And Aung La, my guy I like to work
with a lot, he opened his own gym. So, he hadn't been at Kill Cliff
much. And a lot of big guys left because just the content of the
classes was not that good. So, it was time to make a change,
unfortunately. Cause I really liked them, really liked the
atmosphere, liked everything there.â€
After getting off to a sensational start in the UFC, going 4-0 with
wins over Bo Nickal and
Robert
Whittaker, de Ridder (21-4) suffered consecutive losses to
Brendan
Allen and Caio
Borralho, prompting the move up to light heavyweight. He's
looking to return to winning ways at
UFC Sacramento.
🚨🤔 Reinier De Ridder says he no longer
trains at KillCliff and moved to rival gym ATT:
“Some stuff just was not good at Killcliff in the last 6 months.
Henry and some personal stuff. He’d been out of the gym for pretty
long time.”