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 steps into the O2 Arena to defend his heavyweight championship against Martin Buday, and this is the biggest statement either fighter has made in European MMA going down at Oktagon 81.

Fleury arrives as the organization’s double champion, holding both light heavyweight and heavyweight belts after one of the most dominant debuts any fighter has ever put together in Oktagon. Buday arrives with a sledgehammer of a resume, a 7-1 record in the UFC and the kind of size that makes an entire division pause.​

Will Fleury at Oktagon 81

Fleury didn’t tiptoe into Oktagon. Since joining the promotion, he’s methodically dismantled everyone they’ve put in front of him. His ascent through the divisions took less than a year to complete, he earned the light heavyweight title, then immediately moved up and won the heavyweight crown. He’s now ranked as the number one fighter across all divisions within Oktagon and sits at world number 47. At 36 years old, the Irish fighter from SBG Ireland has finally found the stage he spent years searching for.

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

Martin Buday exits the UFC differently than he might have 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. For a fighter of his pedigree, it stings. At 33 and 266 pounds of Slovakian heavyweight, Buday is a man with credentials. He beat Andrei Arlovski last year, finished Josh Parisian with a first-round kimura, and picked up consecutive wins over Uran Satybaldiev and Marcus Almeida. That’s three consecutive wins over names that carry weight.

Buday isn’t returning to the promotion as an unknown. He’s a former Oktagon heavyweight champion himself, which means the Czech and Slovak crowds will have roots to pull for, something that works both ways. Fleury acknowledged this dynamic directly. “They’re hoping Martin’s going to win this fight,” he said. “They want a Slovak champ. They want a guy who’s part of the local audience. That’s fair enough. I totally understand that. I don’t think it personally, but that’s you got the wrong guy.”

Oktagon 81 is marketed as the card of the year, featuring two title fights at the O2 Arena on the final day of December. It’s the kind of event that demands attention, not because of celebrity or noise, but because of the caliber of fighters willing to be part of it.

For Fleury, a win consolidates a legacy. He’s already proven he can beat Oktagon’s best. What he hasn’t proven is that he can move up in quality consistently. Buday, despite being slightly larger and having faced stiffer UFC competition, arrives as the measuring stick.

Fleury put it plainly when asked about the finish: “I don’t think it goes past three rounds.” He acknowledged that Buday presents different approaches but remained confident. “That guy got two arms, two legs and I’m a lot better martial artist than him.”