Martin Buday has wasted no time getting his fighting career back on track following his rather surprising release by the UFC, and is now booked into a title fight with Will Fleury at Oktagon 81 this December.
Promotion officials announced the heavyweight title fight via press release on Thursday. Oktagon 81 will take place at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic on December 28, 2025.
Ireland’s Fleury (15-3, 1NC) is a former Bellator MMA and PFL fighter who holds both the Oktagon MMA light heavyweight and heavyweight championship at the moment. He’s undefeated under the Oktagon banner, having won four fights since arriving in the promotion last year.
Buday (16-2), meanwhile, saw his UFC tenure come to an end earlier this year despite being on a three-fight win streak. A 2021 Contender Series winner, he went 7-1 inside the octagon, the sort of record that normally keeps a fighter employed. With just one finish in that stretch and the UFC seemingly clearing out mid-card talent on a regular basis these days (to make way for cheaper DWCS graduates), the company opted to show Buday the door after he fought out his contract.
The Slovakian heavyweight holds wins over former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski and BJJ star Marcus Buchecha, among others.
