Matej Penaz Record: 9-1-0

OKTAGON knockout run

What followed was one of the more striking finishing streaks in the European scene. Penaz kept the early stoppages coming – a first-round TKO of Carlos Graca at OKTAGON 24, another first-round finish of Mateusz Strzelczyk at OKTAGON 28, and a third-round TKO of experienced veteran Cheick Kone at OKTAGON 30 to close 2021. He showed he could also win on the cards, taking a decision over the durable Gianni Melillo at OKTAGON 32 in April 2022, proving his game ran deeper than first-round violence.

Contender Series test and rebound

The lone blemish on his record came in August 2022, when Penaz took his shot at a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series and ran into unbeaten Sedriques Dumas, who caught him in a first-round guillotine choke – a result that underlined the grappling growing edges in his otherwise dominant striking game. Penaz answered emphatically back home, returning to OKTAGON to score a first-round ground-and-pound finish of Joel dos Santos at OKTAGON 38 to close out 2022. He kept the run going with a first-round stoppage of Ole Magnor at OKTAGON 50 in December 2023 and a second-round body-punch TKO of veteran Matthew Bonner at OKTAGON 52 in January 2024.

Fighting style

Penaz is one of the most fearsome strikers in European MMA, and his record makes it plain: eight of his nine wins have come by knockout or TKO, an 89% finish rate, with only a single bout reaching the judges. His elite kickboxing pedigree shows in his length, timing and the way he uses distance to set up fight-ending shots – opponents rarely make it out of the early rounds. The honest weakness is on the mat, where his only loss came by submission to an undefeated grappler, the same area he has openly described as the hardest part of his crossover from kickboxing. As his wrestling and ground defense continue to catch up to his striking, he projects as one of the region's most dangerous middleweight prospects.

Career highlights

• 89% finish rate — eight of his nine MMA wins have ended by knockout or TKO, with only one bout ever going to a decision.
• Elite kickboxing pedigree — a former Glory competitor and multiple-time WAKO medalist who carried his striking straight into the cage.
• OKTAGON cornerstone — became one of the promotion's most popular and feared middleweights, stacking first-round finishes against experienced opposition.