Were the fans so fascinated?

Christian Eckerlin thront oben auf dem Käfigrand in der Mitte des Frankfurter Waldstadions. Er streckt die Zunge heraus, ballt die Faust in Richtung der jubelnden Fans und wirft ihnen Küsse zu. Es ist kurz nach Mitternacht am Samstag als der Siebenunddreißigjährige nach fünf Runden gegen den Gleichaltrigen Christian Jungwirth mit einem einstimmen Punktsieg zum „König von Deutschland“ gekürt wird. „Das ist der schönste Tag meines Lebens nach der Geburt meiner Kinder und der Hochzeit mit meiner Frau“, sagt Eckerlin anschließend.

Es gibt zwar nicht den spektakulären Knockout, auf den die Zuschauer gehofft haben, trotzdem wabert durch das Rund der Arena das Gefühl, Teil von etwas ganz Großem gewesen zu sein und den Kampfsport Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), der sich in Deutschland bisher fast nur über Social Media verbreitet hat, auf den Weg in den Mainstream gebracht zu haben.

59.000 Zuschauer bei einem MMA-Event – das sei Weltrekord, jubeln die Promoter von Oktagon. Zwischen 29 Euro und mehreren tausend Euro für Plätze ganz nahe am Käfig haben die Besucher gezahlt, um im Hauptkampf ein Mitglied der Hells Angels und der Eintracht-Hooligans „Brigade Nassau“ (Eckerlin) und einen ehemaligen Hooligan des VfB Stuttgart (Jungwirth) kämpfen zu sehen. Der Polizei zufolge blieb rund um das Kampfgeschehen alles friedlich.

Were the fans fascinated by this sport? “People who voluntarily put themselves out there,” says Bianca. “It takes courage.” The forty-year-old arrived from Hamburg with her partner Fabian. You train boxing yourself – without sparring. To watch, she says, “MMA is hotter.” Bianca is fascinated by Jungwirth’s way out of the hooligan scene, where he used to fight without rhyme or reason. “There’s not much different here – except that he makes money from it.” As a woman, Bianca is in the absolute minority.

The audience consists mainly of young men. The fan zone, which opens at 2 p.m., is designed accordingly on the artificial turf pitch in front of the stadium: the Bundeswehr is there with attack helicopters, armored off-road vehicles and the Special Forces Command (KSK). A few meters away, a long queue has formed in front of the tent of two tattoo artists who will tattoo the Oktagon logo on the skin of anyone who wants it, free of charge.

The fighting event opens at 5 p.m. with the German national anthem, sung by a young woman. The stadium roof is closed and four additional screens are set up under the large video cube. Then the first fight begins, while the stadium is at most half full at this point. The atmosphere in almost all fights is surprisingly calm. When the fighters land a hit every now and then, a murmur goes through the circle.

There are even boos during the fights, which mainly take place on the floor. The fans came for the adrenaline rush – and therefore clearly have no desire for the quick twenty-minute halftime show by John Newman (“Love me again”), who blasts loud electronic music over the loudspeaker. They would have preferred to see the rapper arrest warrant or the Böhse Onkelz.

Their fans later get their money’s worth when Jungwirth enters the stadium to the song “On Good Friends”. In any case, it is the so-called walkouts of the protagonists that provide the most entertainment. When Katharina Dalisda enters the arena for the only women’s fight, it gets really loud for the first time. The Frankfurt native still loses her fight and flyweight title.

22-year-old Max Holzer is celebrated, arriving with an e-scooter, Gucci cap, Gucci shoulder bag and the AI-produced song “In Love with a Talahon” and playing with the clichés that accompany MMA. Local hero Max Coga provided the most spectacular moment of the evening. The owner of the “Queen of Spades” club in the train station district sends his opponent Antun Račić to the ground with a knee strike in the second round. The two then hug. Brutal punches and mutual respect go together in MMA.

At 11:30 p.m. the time has finally come. First soccer world champion Lukas Podolski carries the winner’s belt into the ring, then Jungwirth runs in. Then the rapper Gzuz Playback performs a song. Finally, the Eintracht anthem “In the Heart of Europe” is briefly played before Eckerlin comes into the stadium circle to loud cheers to the rock song “Kickstart my Heart” by Mötley Crüe. An unspectacular fight follows, at the end of which the Frankfurter can still celebrate. “We made history.”