Will Fleury Eyes Double-Champ Status Ahead of Oktagon MMA 68

🤯 BUSINESS JUST PICKED UP 🤯

Lazar Todev 🇧🇬 and Will Fleury 🇮🇪 get their hands on each other tomorrow night at OKTAGON 68.

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Who will leave Stuttgart as the baddest man in OKTAGON MMA?

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After stints in Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League, it took Will Fleury only three fights to cement himself as a force in Oktagon MMA.

Since wrestling the light heavyweight title from Karlos Vemola last December, the new champ has set his eyes on another prize. On Saturday, he’ll look to add the heavyweight strap around his waist when he challenges No. 1-ranked challenger Lazar Todev for the vacant belt at Oktagon 68 at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Hall in Stuttgart, Germany.

Fleury (14-3, 1 NC) will ride a seven-fight win streak into Saturday’s main event. A year ago, he was looking for a home promotion after a stint with PFL; now, he’s headlining a significant card with the chance to become a two-division champion.

“I feel very lucky that I signed with Oktagon at the right time,” Fleury told Sherdog. “They’re providing huge opportunities here. I fought in front of 60,000 people in October, then I fought for the title in a packed stadium in Prague in December, and now I’m getting a chance to fight for a second belt. It’s pretty incredible in that sense.

Fleury has been a promising fighter since he turned pro in 2016. The Tipperary, Ireland, native trains out of SBG Ireland and hasn’t lost a fight in nearly five years. Despite Fleury’s success, the 35-year-old’s career was in limbo. He was suspended for nine months due to multiple failed drug tests.

While Fleury’s arrival to Oktagon has been triumphant, it hasn’t been the warmest. In all three of his fights, Fleury has embraced the role of the villain. He never planned on being a crowd enemy, but he’s growing fond of the heel role.

“In Central Europe, it’s very different; the crowd’s always going to support the hometown guy, so you come in as the heel, and I’ve embraced that role,” Fleury said. “If this is how I have to make a career and be that guy, then that’s cool. I walked out in Prague and as soon as my music started I heard boos non-stop. I loved it because they get to watch me smash their boy.”

Smashing Todev will be Fleury’s most arduous task since signing with Oktagon. The No. 1 heavyweight challenger has been eagerly waiting for another shot at the title since falling short in 2023. After back-to-back stoppages in 2024, “The Punisher” could be the most dangerous fighter that Fleury has faced.

“He’s a very underrated fighter,” Fleury said. “He’s 11-6 overall, but 9-1 in his last 10 fights, so those first few losses were early in his career when he needed some experience. I respect him and think he’s a dangerous fighter and the toughest guy I could’ve fought in Oktagon, but I still have the skillset to break guys down like that, and I’ll do it pretty stylishly.”