Oktagon MMA double-champ runs through top heavyweight that left UFC on win streak

"Badys" went 7-1 in the UFC before an unexpected exit from the promotion earlier this year.

(Oktagon MMA)

Will Fleury gave UFC veteran Martin Buday a rude welcome to Oktagon MMA when the pair met in a heavyweight title bout at Oktagon 81.

With 2026 just around the corner and the UFC on an extended hiatus in between UFC Vegas 112 and UFC 324, Czech promotion Oktagon MMA closed out its 2025 schedule this weekend with a stacked card that included two title fights at the top of the bill.

The night’s headlining bout saw Fleury step into the cage to defend his heavyweight belt against Buday, who went 7-1 in the UFC but surprisingly wasn’t re-signed by the promotion following his unanimous decision victory over Marcus Buchecha in July.

Will Fleury Stuns Martin Buday In Oktagon Title Fight

It didn’t take long after Buday’s unexpected release from the UFC for him to sign with Oktagon, and the Slovakian entered his promotional debut as a slight favorite to dethrone Fleury and secure his fourth win in a row.

READ MORE: Islam Makhachev reveals timetable for first UFC welterweight title defense in 2026

A veteran of Bellator MMA and the PFL, Fleury joined Oktagon last year and won two fights via finish before he took a unanimous decision over Karlos Vemola to win the promotion’s light heavyweight strap.

The Irishman achieved double-champ status at Oktagon 68 when he also defeated Lazar Todev to win the vacant heavyweight belt, and the 36-year-old didn’t need long to send Buday to the canvas with a counter left hand in his first title defense.

He said it. And he did it. AGAIN!

Will Fleury 🇮🇪 KNOCKED OUT Martin Buday in the first round #OKTAGON81

📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ | RTL+ | TVP Sport pic.twitter.com/U7JjvUNXir

— OKTAGON (@OktagonOfficial) December 28, 2025

Buday did well to cover up and make his way to the fence after being dropped, but the UFC veteran was given absolutely no room to recover after returning to his feet. Fleury swarmed the Slovakian with a barrage of strikes, and eventually the referee was forced to jump in and end things just as Buday fell to the mat for the second time.

READ MORE: MMA veteran that was never knocked out in the UFC suffers brutal KO loss

Fleury is now on an impressive unbeaten run that began with a unanimous decision over Hojat Khajevand in his final Bellator appearance in 2020. Many MMA fans openly questioned the UFC’s decision to let Buday go after he went 7-1 in the promotion, and perhaps Fleury’s impressive win over “Badys” will encourage the UFC to try and add the two-division Oktagon titleholder to its roster.

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