Two crazy Czechs go all in

Two Czechs want to revolutionize mixed martial arts with a reality TV show and clever storytelling. The plan is risky; the two go into debt in order to be able to start their organization. Thanks to Germany, everything could result in an epic record.

Quitting your job to pursue your dreams is always a drastic decision in life. However, if the dream also takes place in a niche, the risk is practically incalculable.

That didn’t stop the two Czechs Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotny from giving up everything, getting into debt and setting up their own MMA organization. Neruda describes the work in what is now the largest MMA league, which wants to make history again in Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park on October 12th, as crazy and passionate.

The historic event with around 60,000 spectators in the Frankfurt stadium will be exclusively on RTL+* can be seen (in the premium monthly subscription from 8.99 euros*). Christian Eckerlin and Christian Jungwirth will contest the main fight. There are also eleven more fights, an opening ceremony and a halftime show.

The path there and, above all, the success in Germany was not initially planned – but it was dreamed of. The O2 Arena in Prague was one of the big goals when it was founded in 2016, explains Neruda in an interview ntv/RTL and sport.de.

Then we started a little smaller. But the duo needed money and time to kickstart. Each of the two took out a loan of 25,000 euros and quit their job. “We were so determined to achieve our goal that we didn’t really think about the consequences,” says Neruda, who was previously working in PR. Novotny was a long-time commentator at Eurosport, initially for tennis, since 1999, but also for K-1 and kickboxing. There was no kind of parachute. “We put everything on one card!” Neruda looks back.

The first project was a mix of MMA and reality TV. In Project X, Czech and Slovak fighters face each other. The two teams live and train together. In several preliminary rounds, the winners qualified for the organization’s first live event. In the countries of the former Czechoslovakia, the show and the first live event was an enormous success.

The right driving forces

“After the first four events we saw that we were growing quite quickly. It was already clear that we had to go beyond the borders of the former Czechoslovakia.” The step to Germany in 2021 was crucial. “Since then, our reputation in Europe has grown enormously. And personally I feel much closer to the Germans than I thought we would be. The mood and the way we think in the Czech Republic, what we like – we are very close to each other.

In Germany, Christian Eckerlin and Stephan Pütz from MMA Spirit in Frankfurt were the right drivers for the German market. “At the time, MMA wasn’t even allowed in the festival hall. Just a few months later, the city gave us the okay and an appointment. June 4, 2021 – I will never forget the date,” said Neruda. The organization only had a few months left to build a team for Germany, complete the German implementation of Project X and prepare for the first event. “And it was a success, we sold all but a few tickets.”

Octagon was then followed by renowned fighters such as David Zawada and Alexander Poppeck. The concept of using local heroes and clever storytelling to get fans excited about the sport worked. Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich – in the following two years, Oktagon sold out the largest German halls, and now the venture is culminating in the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. There was a kind of test run in the summer when Oktagon held an event in front of 30,000 people at the Eden Stadium in Prague.

All for the record?!

Novotny and Neruda were able to take important things from this. “At Eden Park we saw that 60 dancers were simply lost in an audience of 30,000 at the opening ceremony. Everything has to be a little bigger this time.” Despite the stadium experience, Frankfurt is a challenge for the Czechs. “We couldn’t imagine many things on this scale. When it comes to security alone, Frankfurt is very expensive. Or the catering, crazy numbers too, plus the seating. And you want to bring it together so that we set an attendance record.”

55,000 tickets have already been sold. With Eckerlin and Christian Jungwirth, the most popular MMA athletes meet. Paired with further title fights from representatives from Germany such as Katharina Dalisda or Kerim Engizek and combined with a halftime show like in the NFL, a record is to be broken: the largest MMA event in Europe. The Polish organization KSW still holds the record with 57,776 spectators. They would also surpass the UFC, which sold out Marvel Stadium in Australia in 2019 with 57,127 spectators. Only four events in Japan would be larger than Octagon 62. They were over 20 years ago and had both K-1 fights and a different set of rules. For example, the lap length in the Far East varies from the usual three times five minutes.

“Bigger than ever” is the motto of the mammoth project. Financially, this should give the organization even more of a boost. Sales amounted to ten million euros in 2022 and exceeded 17 million in 2023. The Frankfurt event alone will probably exceed these spheres for 2024. Ultimately, Oktagon 62 is not a “jackpot” for the organization, explains Neruda. “Financially, the Frankfurt event is of course a big deal, but also because the costs are so high. What sticks around isn’t like a jackpot for us.”

In addition to the thousands and perhaps even millions of viewers, the Czechs are hoping for a worldwide PR wave that will, above all, consolidate their position in Europe. “But we also want to create events in the future that take our brand to a new level. Stadium shows are part of it, but they should always remain something special.”

Germany will continue to play an important role in the Octagon plans in the future. Not least because the deal with RTL could be expanded with a successful event in Frankfurt. “We have already been to Germany six times in 2024, and there will be more events next year. We will hold a press conference in front of Oktagon 62 called ‘Oktagon Time’ and announce all the cities.” Neruda estimated the value of his organization at around 100 million euros, “if you were to go public with it now.” Such a step is but still a thing of the future. “First of all, we want to make history with Oktagon 62!”

Michael Bauer, ntv

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