Igor Severino makes the first defense of his OKTAGON bantamweight title against unbeaten Max Holzer on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the ZAG Arena in Hannover, Germany. Seven bouts are confirmed for the card so far.
Date, venue and start times
OKTAGON 97 takes place at the ZAG Arena in Hannover, Germany, on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The promotion runs the card straight through, with no official split between preliminary and main card bouts.
| Part of the card | U.S. Eastern | U.S. Central | U.S. Mountain | U.S. Pacific | United Kingdom | Central Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First bout of the card | 12:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Title fight (Severino vs. Holzer), estimate | around 4:57 p.m. | around 3:57 p.m. | around 2:57 p.m. | around 1:57 p.m. | around 9:57 p.m. | around 10:57 p.m. |
The title fight estimate is based on the average pace of previous OKTAGON cards and can shift depending on how the earlier bouts play out.
How to Watch
OKTAGON 97 streams live worldwide on pay-per-view through OKTAGON.TV, the promotion’s official platform, including in the United States. No broadcast television deal has been announced for the U.S., the UK or Central Europe.
Main card
Igor Severino (10-1, 1 no contest) puts his bantamweight title (135 lbs / 61.2 kg) on the line against Max Holzer, unbeaten in 12 professional fights and moving down a weight class for the occasion. Severino won the vacant belt in March 2026 at OKTAGON 85, stopping Khurshed Kakhorov by technical knockout.
Severino, born in Juruti, in Brazil’s Pará state, fights under the nickname Cogumelo. After starting out in Brazil, he built the rest of his career in Europe, where OKTAGON developed him into a champion. Holzer, for his part, is German and fights this card on home soil in Hannover.
At featherweight (145 lbs / 65.8 kg), fourth-ranked Gjoni Palokaj meets third-ranked Zafar Mohsen in a bout with direct stakes for the division’s hierarchy behind the champion and his challenger. Daniel Makin faces Petr Bartoněk at welterweight (170 lbs / 77.1 kg). Haci Akseker meets Jonatan Kujawa at featherweight. Justin Detzel takes on Kacper Frątczak at middleweight (185 lbs / 83.9 kg). Karol Ryšavý meets Samuel Bark at featherweight. Ozan Aslaner faces Denis Frimpong at a 159-pound (72.1 kg) catchweight.
Prelims
OKTAGON does not split this card into preliminary and main card segments. The seven announced bouts run back to back, from the opening fight through the title bout. More bouts could still be added before November 7.
What is at stake
For Severino, OKTAGON 97 is the first defense of a title won the hard way. An earlier shot at the then-vacant belt, planned for October 2025, fell apart when his opponent missed weight and then withdrew for health reasons. His most recent outing, in June 2026, ended in a no contest after an accidental groin strike.
Holzer has never lost as a professional. He faces a double challenge: stepping straight in with the champion, and doing it a weight class lighter than usual. A win would immediately reshape the division’s hierarchy. No French, Belgian or Swiss fighter appears on this card.
The weight class change adds another variable to this title fight: managing an unfamiliar cut while facing a champion known for heavy hands and big-fight experience. OKTAGON has not released further details on either camp’s preparation ahead of weigh-ins.
OKTAGON runs cards in Germany on a regular basis, and the ZAG Arena in Hannover hosts this latest title fight. A successful defense for Severino would reinforce his standing as champion heading into a 2027 schedule the promotion has already billed as a busy one.
Severino’s title run has been built on heavy hands. Our ranking of 4oz MMA fight gloves by brand covers the models used at this level of competition.
