Reza Madadi and Milad Zxkavakto have both received lifetime bans from future Oktagon MMA events after a backstage brawl broke out ahead of the event on Saturday.
Oktagon MMA officials confirmed the identities of the individuals involved to MMA Fighting. An initial announcement stated that two coaches had been banned after they “assaulted” a fighter following a pre-fight press conference.
“After yesterday’s press conference, an incident occurred between Sahil Siraj’s team and Akonne Wanliss,” Oktagon MMA officials wrote on Twitter. “The latter was assaulted by two coaches while leaving the hall from which they were both banned earlier. Both coaches have been banned from OKTAGON MMA tournaments for life.
“Akonne Wanliss is not feeling 100 percent and the incident could affect his performance, although all examinations show that there were no injuries. Sahil Siraj was not involved in the incident and had no ability to prevent it. Both fighters remain in the Tipsport Gamechanger and their bout will now take place at OKTAGON 56 in Birmingham. We are sorry for this incident and apologize to all our fans who were present or will now not see the match in Ostrava because of it.”
After yesterday’s press conference, an incident occurred between Sahil Siraj’s team and Akonne Wanliss. The latter was assaulted by two coaches while leaving the hall from which they were both banned earlier.
Both coaches have been banned from OKTAGON MMA tournaments for life.… pic.twitter.com/PQAKhIAc5P
— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) March 2, 2024
Madadi, who competed in the UFC for seven fights across five years, last competed in 2017 when he fell to Joaquim Silva by split decision. During his UFC tenure, Madadi was also sentenced to 18 months in jail for a conviction on aggravated burglary charges.
As a result of his involvement in the backstage brawl, Madadi has been banned from all future Oktagon MMA events.
Oktagon 54 kicked off the €1 million lightweight tournament, where Makwan Amirkhani also competes for the first time since exiting the UFC following the end of his recent contract.
