Fayaz Haqparast is out of OKTAGON 96 with an injury and his flyweight bout with Shawn da Silva is cancelled; Pastran replaces Surdu against Ayari on Oct. 31 in Munich.
From 7 reports by 3 outletsLatest Haqparast out injured; da Silva bout cancelled 2 updates 3 outlets
What we know
- Ion Surdu withdrew from OKTAGON 96 because of an injury that OKTAGON did not specify; no recovery timetable or new date for the original matchup has been given.
- Kevin Pastran, the FFC interim welterweight champion, replaces Surdu against Jessin Ayari and makes his OKTAGON debut on short notice.
- Fayaz Haqparast is out of OKTAGON 96 with an unspecified injury and his flyweight bout with Shawn da Silva is cancelled, OKTAGON announced on Oct. 27.
- No new date or replacement opponent has been announced for da Silva, who is ranked sixth at flyweight.
- Ayari is ranked seventh in OKTAGON's welterweight division.
- Amiran Gogoladze and Felix Klinkhammer fight for the vacant OKTAGON welterweight title on the same card.
- OKTAGON 96 takes place Oct. 31 at SAP Garden in Munich.
Jessin Ayari keeps his date in Munich, but not his opponent. With Ion Surdu out injured, OKTAGON turned to Kevin Pastran, a Venezuelan who has never fought for the promotion and will have far less preparation time than the German.
Pastran is the FFC interim welterweight champion and is listed at 15-4. MiddleEasy notes that OKTAGON's profile puts him at 32, and that this is a promotional debut for an established professional, not a first appearance in MMA. He walks straight into a ranked opponent: Ayari is seventh in OKTAGON's welterweight division.
Ayari is 34, a UFC veteran and a member of Original Fighting Nürnberg. OKTAGON's latest announcement lists him at 19-6, a record that supersedes the 18-6 on his older biography. His past opponents include Darren Till. According to MMA Fanatik, he has won both of his OKTAGON fights so far, a TKO of Christian Stahl and a rear-naked choke submission of Niklas Stolze.
The promotion has not said what the injury is, how long Surdu will be out, or whether the original matchup will be rebooked. Nothing announced makes this a title eliminator, so the winner's next step is open.
The card itself is anchored elsewhere. Amiran Gogoladze, listed as the number-one contender, meets unbeaten Felix Klinkhammer for the vacant welterweight belt. Also on the card, Brian Manning (6-1) faces Marek Barti (17-16) at middleweight, and Manning told My MMA News he expects "absolute domination" and a finish.
Watch for any update on Surdu's condition and for whether Pastran's short-notice debut upsets the plans of a fighter with ambitions in the division.
Pastran is the FFC interim welterweight champion and is listed at 15-4. MiddleEasy notes that OKTAGON's profile puts him at 32, and that this is a promotional debut for an established professional, not a first appearance in MMA. He walks straight into a ranked opponent: Ayari is seventh in OKTAGON's welterweight division.
Ayari is 34, a UFC veteran and a member of Original Fighting Nürnberg. OKTAGON's latest announcement lists him at 19-6, a record that supersedes the 18-6 on his older biography. His past opponents include Darren Till. According to MMA Fanatik, he has won both of his OKTAGON fights so far, a TKO of Christian Stahl and a rear-naked choke submission of Niklas Stolze.
The promotion has not said what the injury is, how long Surdu will be out, or whether the original matchup will be rebooked. Nothing announced makes this a title eliminator, so the winner's next step is open.
The card itself is anchored elsewhere. Amiran Gogoladze, listed as the number-one contender, meets unbeaten Felix Klinkhammer for the vacant welterweight belt. Also on the card, Brian Manning (6-1) faces Marek Barti (17-16) at middleweight, and Manning told My MMA News he expects "absolute domination" and a finish.
Watch for any update on Surdu's condition and for whether Pastran's short-notice debut upsets the plans of a fighter with ambitions in the division.
- Summary
- Fayaz Haqparast is out of OKTAGON 96 with an injury and his flyweight bout with Shawn da Silva is cancelled; Pastran replaces Surdu against Ayari on Oct. 31 in Munich.
- Key points (one per line)
- OKTAGON announced Haqparast's injury withdrawal and cancelled his flyweight bout with da Silva
No injury details, recovery timetable, new date or replacement opponent for da Silva announced
Kevin Pastran replaces injured Ion Surdu against Jessin Ayari
Gogoladze and Klinkhammer fight for the vacant welterweight title
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- MMA Fanatik Slovakia | https://sport.aktuality.sk/mma-fanatik/zmena-oktagon-96-prisiel-o-jeden-z-top-zapasov/
MMA Fanatik Slovakia | https://www.mmafanatik.eu/zmena-oktagon-98-prisiel-o-jeden-z-top-zapasov/
MMA Fanatik Slovakia | https://sport.aktuality.sk/mma-fanatik/zmena-oktagon-98-prisiel-o-jeden-z-top-zapasov/
MMA Fanatik Slovakia | https://www.mmafanatik.eu/zmena-oktagon-96-prisiel-o-jeden-z-top-zapasov/
MyMMANews | https://mymmanews.com/oktagon-96s-brian-manning-on-marek-barti-im-going-to-smoke-him/
MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/mma-news/kevin-pastran-jessin-ayari-oktagon-96-surdu-injury/
MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/mma-news/fayaz-haqparast-injury-shawn-da-silva-oktagon96-canceled/
Last edited:
Oktagon MMA
Saturday, October 31, 2026
SAP Garden, Munich, Germany
Event details from TheSportsDB
What they're saying
Fighters in this story
Kevin Pastran
Jessin Ayari
Brian ManningMore photos
Correction
: OKTAGON: Pastran replaces injured Surdu against Ayari; earlier report had the matchup wrong OKTAGON's announcement says Surdu withdrew with an unspecified injury and Pastran faces Ayari.
Source: 
MiddleEasy
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Headline
OKTAGON 96: Kevin Pastran replaces Jessin Ayari against Ion Surdu in MunichOKTAGON 96: Kevin Pastran replaces injured Ion Surdu against Jessin Ayari in Munich -
Bottom line
Kevin Pastran steps in for Jessin Ayari against Ion Surdu at OKTAGON 96 in Munich on Oct. 31; Brian Manning predicts a finish of Marek Barti on the same card.Kevin Pastran replaces injured Ion Surdu against Jessin Ayari in a welterweight bout at OKTAGON 96 in Munich on Oct. 31, OKTAGON announced. -
Fact
Kevin Pastran replaces Jessin Ayari against Ion Surdu at OKTAGON 96 in Munich on Oct. 31.Kevin Pastran replaces the injured Ion Surdu against Jessin Ayari in a welterweight bout at OKTAGON 96 in Munich on Oct. 31. -
Fact
Pastran enters as the interim FFC welterweight champion and is making his OKTAGON debut.Pastran, the FFC interim welterweight champion, is 15-4 and makes his OKTAGON debut; Ayari is 19-6 and ranked seventh in OKTAGON's welterweight division. -
Fact
No reason has been given for Ayari's withdrawal.Removed -
Article
Jessin Ayari will not face Ion Surdu in Munich, and Venezuela's Kevin Pastran has accepted the bout on short notice.Removed -
Article
No reason for Ayari's withdrawal has been given.Removed
How the story developed
Sources
MMA Fanatik Slovakia
MyMMANewsSummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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