Europe’s leading MMA promotion, OKTAGON MMA, is hosting its first-ever UK show at Manchester’s AO Arena this winter and fight night is now just over a fortnight away.
Promising both professional fighters and celebrities who are set to get a taste of the action, the Arena is following up a huge night which saw the likes of Tommy Fury, Logan Paul, KSI and more fight this past weekend, with a landmark night for one of the fastest-growing sports associations in the continent.
A whole host of pro-MMA stars be getting in the Oktagon this November, including Bolton‘s very own Jack Cartwright — the former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion who just recently signed with the event — as well as previous IMMAF amateur champion, Shoaib Yousaf, who are both making their debuts.
But the fun doesn’t stop there; reality TV star Jake Quickenden and Scouse stand-up comedian Paul Smith will also be facing off in the special ‘Stage To The Cage’ event which is attracting lots of ticket sales. With more than 10 months of training put into this fight, you best believe they’re taking it seriously.
OKTAGON 48 is going to be an absolutely massive night.
With Yousaf eyeing up the featherweight crown and Cartwright out to prove he’s the “best bantamweight in Europe”, there plenty at stake on this fight card.
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Speaking ahead of fight night on November 4, Yousaf said: “I’ve had a few fights with some big organisations, but I think the shows that OKTAGON MMA have been doing recently just look amazing, and when my manager came with the contract it was just something I couldn’t say no to…”
“I’m from a small town not far from Manchester and I’ve got a lot of support from friends and family that have come out and supported me since I was an amateur. I haven’t had a show in the UK with my fans in Manchester for ages, so the ‘Assassin Army’ should be ready.”
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Meanwhile, Cartwright hailed “OKTAGON [as] the biggest upcoming promotion, maybe even in the world at the minute”, adding that “it’s selling out arenas and putting on really good shows and signing good fighters, and I’m really excited to get involved and fight on all these shows and fight their best guys.”
The 29-year-old insisted that given the fighting pedigree from his area, he’s always looked to entertain and will be “going for the stoppage or the knockout” as usual, even going so far as to call himself the best in his weight class anywhere in Europe. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
As for Smith and Quickenden, while both have dabbled in sports and fight training in the past, respectively, they’ve never taken on anything quite like this before.
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Dedicating the best part of a year to getting ready for this exhibition and having the whole journey documented by the event, DAZN and Channel 4 in an online YouTube series (which will be broadcasting the fight night in full), both have admitted they “would rather die than lose”.
There will also be the hotly-anticipated England vs Ireland showdown, as well as the promotion’s first-ever flyweight championship fight between Aaron Aby, one of Europe’s best flyweights, and Elias Garcia, who has never been defeated outside of the UFC. Manchester is set to see some serious talent.
With prices starting from £49 and the dearest seats going for a whopping £599 to sit right next to the Oktagon, there’s still plenty of time to have your choice of view and secure a ticket for a UK-first fight night to remember.
Featured Image — Supplied/OKTAGON MMA (via Twitter)/Shoaib Yousaf (via Instagram)
Sport
Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet named coach of the year after historic quadruple-winning season
Danny Jones
Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet has been named coach of the year by the Sports Journalists’ Association Committee (SJA) following his record-breaking season with the champions.
Peet led the Greater Manchester side to four Grand Slams in a single calendar year, a feat never seen before in the Super League era, achieving the historic feat with a Grand Final win over Hull KR at Old Trafford last month.
In recognition of his incredible 2024 campaign in charge of the Warriors, the Wigan-born local hero was awarded the SJA Committee Award, handed over to the most outstanding coach each year, on Wednesday, 20 November for the second time in his career.
The 40-year-old won the prestigious accolade during his first season with the club back in 2022 but it’s fair to say this one will feel even more special.
🏆 Congratulations to Matt Peet who has received the Sports Journalists' Association Committee Award which is given to the coach of the year.
The Warriors began the season by defeating Penrith Panthers at The Brick Community Stadium to lift a record-equalling fifth World Club Challenge before success in the Betfred Challenge Cup Final saw Wigan beat fellow North West outfit, Warrington Wolves, at Wembley Stadium in June.
Having sealed the League Leaders’ Shield following a final-round win against local rivals Salford Red Devils, the Warriors then went on to beat Hull – who were competing in their first Grand Final – to become the first team of the Super League era to lift all four trophies within the space of just 12 months.
Speaking on the award via an official club statement, Peet said: “I’m very proud and very grateful to be selected by the committee. It reflects really well on our organisation, our club, players and rugby league in general.
“We never set out with an ambition to win the quadruple, we just set out to improve and learn. It’s not an award rugby league is synonymous with, so to know our sport is getting some recognition, it makes me very proud to be at the forefront of it.”
He went on to tell Sky Sports that it was the “energy and the atmosphere” of Wigan that helped get them across the line after so many games, insisting that they “had the whole town behind [them]”.
🗣️ "Very grateful to be selected"
Head coach Matt Peet has won the SJA committee award after steering Wigan Warriors to all four trophies in 2024 🏉 pic.twitter.com/5AsDS4Cb15
It’s a truly fantastic achievement and to have the award brought home to Greater Manchester once again is wonderful news no matter who you support.
The fixtures for the 2025 Super League season are set to be released tomorrow (Thursday, 21 November), with the action getting underway in February as usual. The Summer Festival of Rugby Leaguewill also return after a year off with a blockbuster May Bank Holiday weekend in Newcastle.
Not only will it be a decade since the event was first held in the Toon but it also marks the Magic Weekend’s 18th birthday.
As for SJA coach of the year Matt Peet and the Warriors, it’s looking like a question of just how many titles can they defend next year.
Pep Guardiola agrees new contract to stay at Manchester City for at least one more year
Danny Jones
Blues will be delighted to hear that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is staying after agreeing to sign a contract extension that will keep him at the club for at least one more year.
The Catalan coach and supremely talented tactician has won all there is to win with Man City and after completing not only a record-matching treble but making history by becoming the first English team to win four Premier League titles in a row, you could argue his Etihad project is well and truly completed.
Guardiola, who joined City back in 2016, has gradually been creeping towards the end of his most recent contract, leaving those slowly searching for his replacement and the fan base wondering what the future holds for their next chapter.
But it turns out they don’t have to worry about life after Pep for a little while longer, as the 53-year-old has now extended his stay for at least another season. The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester for the best part of a decade isn’t going anywhere just yet.
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has agreed a new one-year contract extension with the option of an additional year.
The 53-year-old’s existing City deal was due to expire at the end of this season and, if the new terms are fulfilled, it would take… pic.twitter.com/S8r1gVEcPj
Breaking the news on Tuesday evening, 19 November, The Athletic‘s Sam Lee revealed that Pep Guardiola will remain head coach for another season after agreeing to a new one-year deal.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager, who is comfortably one of the most decorated and celebrated coaches in football history, was due to leave the club at the end of the current campaign.
However, although his contract would have seen him depart by June of next year, this new deal will now see him stay in post until the summer of 2026, which will talk his tenure to a full 10 years.
Although City themselves are yet to confirm the signing amid the international break, it’s only a matter of time before they deliver the news all Blues have been waiting for – news that will no doubt come as a huge relief given the immense success he has brought to East Manchester.
Despite waiting until now to seemingly decide his future, the man himself has actually been pretty clear on the matter, insisting that he “fell in love” with the club from the moment he got here and saying as far back as 2020 that “unless they [CFG] sack me, I will stay here.”
Man City fans will honour Pep with a banner which reads in Catalan, 'we want you to stay'…
"They'll have to bring me the bill. I will pay the bank. I don't want them to spend money for that reason. I feel in love since the first day I came here." 🥺
Better still, while the details of the agreement are yet to be fully detailed, the report says that his new contract also includes the option to extend for a further year beyond that, meaning we could be looking at Pep in the dugout until 2027.
Should City go on to close the gap on current league leaders Liverpool, it would mean Guardiola would have overseen five title wins with the same team in a row: a feat only matched by very few in European football, most notably Juventus and Bayern Munich, the latter having managed 13 consecutive years.
Who knows if/when Guardiola will actually leave the Etihad Stadium for a new challenge, all we know is he changed modern football forever and has given Manchester – a city already spoilt in this respect – some of the most impressive football it’s ever seen.
All we do know is that the beautiful game’s passionate, bald, tiki-taka extraordinaire known simply as Pep is staying in 0161 for the time being and there are countless fans who are absolutely buzzing about it.
Danny Jones -
20th October 2023 
