Will Fleury puts double crown on the line against UFC heavyweight Martin Buday in Oktagon 81’s heavyweight showdown

The year ends with a bang in Prague. On December 28, Will Fleury will step into the O2 Arena to defend his heavyweight championship against Martin Buday, and it will be the biggest statement either fighter has ever made in European MMA. Octagon 81.

Fleury arrives as the organization’s dual champion, holding both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles, after one of the most dominant debuts any fighter has ever made in Oktagon. Buday arrives with a sledgehammer of a resume, a 7-1 record in the UFC and the kind of size that would stop an entire division in its tracks.

Will Fleury on Oktagon 81

Fleury didn’t tiptoe into Oktagon. Since joining the promotion, he has methodically dismantled everyone they put in front of him. His ascent through the divisions took less than a year. He earned the light heavyweight title, immediately moving up and winning the heavyweight crown. He is now ranked as the number one fighter in all divisions within Oktagon and is ranked number 47 in the world. At the age of 36, the Irish fighter from SBG Ireland has finally found the podium he has been searching for for years.

In one interview with Kian Laing before his championship defense, Fleury was candid about the frustration that preceded the opportunity. “The last time we spoke was just a few hours before the fight was confirmed,” he said. “And I was so frustrated, you know? I was so frustrated because I didn’t have a goal, a target, a way to prove what I am.” For years he was winning at Bellator and PFL, but something was missing. It’s the difference between being a good fighter and being a fighter with a platform.

Martin Buday leaves the UFC differently than he had hoped. Despite posting a 7-1 record in the organization, a record that would make most heavyweights competitive, the promotion declined to re-sign him. That is painful for a fighter of his descent. At 33 and 266 pounds Slovakian heavyweight, Buday is a man with credentials. He defeated Andrei Arlovski last year, finished Josh Parisian with a kimura in the first round and scored back-to-back wins over Uran Satybaldiev and Marcus Almeida. That’s three consecutive wins over names that carry weight.

Buday does not return to the promotion as an unknown. He’s a former Oktagon heavyweight champion himself, which means the Czech and Slovak audiences will have roots to pull from, something that works both ways. Fleury immediately recognized this dynamic. “They hope Martin will win this fight,” he said. “They want a Slovakian champion. They want a man who is part of the local audience. That’s fair enough. I completely understand that. I personally don’t think so, but then you have the wrong man.”

Octagon 81 is being marketed as the card of the year, with two title fights at the O2 Arena on the last day of December. It’s the kind of event that demands attention, not because of celebrities or noise, but because of the caliber of fighters willing to be a part of it.

For Fleury, a win consolidates a legacy. He has already proven that he can beat Oktagon’s best. What he hasn’t proven is that he can consistently increase in quality. Buday, despite being slightly bigger and having faced tougher UFC competition, comes in as a benchmark.

Fleury put it plainly when asked about the finish: “I don’t think it goes beyond three laps.” He acknowledged that Buday takes different approaches, but remained confident. “That man has two arms and two legs and I’m a much better martial artist than him.”