Ivica Trušček (44-39-0) fought all over the world and made over 80 MMA appearances, but today one of the biggest performances in his career awaits him. The popular “Terror” will lead the event of the Oktagon MMA organization, which is currently the leader in the European market along with KSW.
Koeln will be the host city of the Octagon 78 event and is expected to be slightly less than 20 thousand people in the stands. Trušček’s opponent will be Christian Eckerlina fighter known from the past as the “King of Germany”. Namely, in the tenth month of last year, Eckerlin played a match against Christian Jungwirth for the symbolic title of “King of Germany”. The Octagon even created a special belt for the occasion, and Eckerlin celebrated with a unanimous decision from the judges.
The match took place at the Octagon 62 event, that one historical event attended by 59 thousand people (held at the stadium in Frankfurt). It was the most significant victory of Eckerlin’s career. This 38-year-old German fighter cannot boast of winning any prestigious titles. He belongs to the category of fighters who are prominent on the European market, but failed to make a breakthrough on the world’s biggest stages.
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Eckerlin has during his career so far achieved 17 wins and seven losses. He is a versatile fighter, so he won six times by knockout, eight times by “submission” and three times by points. Many will agree that his wrestling and grounder are somewhat stronger, but Eckerlin is equally good on his feet.
This German welterweight is one of a kind legend of the Octagon organization. Inside the Octagon, he made seven appearances and recorded four wins, two losses, and one match ended in a “no contest”. Eckerlin is constantly somewhere near the top, but still not of sufficient quality to be decorated with the title of champion.
⚔️ Welterweight Showdown ⚔️
‘The King of Germany’, Christian Eckerlin 🇩🇪 defends home soil against Croatian terror, Ivica Trušček 🇭🇷 in Cologne this Saturday.
Who will leave OCTAGON 78 as the victor?
📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ & RTL pic.twitter.com/GmgbjKT3Se
— OKTAGON (@OktagonOfficial) October 16, 2025
But Eckerlin is one of the most beloved and popular German fighters. At the event in Cologne, he will enjoy huge support and Trušček is waiting for a hot away field. Nothing that the experienced “Terror” is not already used to. Ivica traveled to Germany as a big outsider, but he seems very motivated and eager to silence the German crowd.
At yesterday’s weigh-in, Trušček looked phenomenal. It is obvious that he took the preparations as seriously as possible and we can expect his best possible release. The scale showed 77.3 kg, Eckerlin was at 77.5 kg and the match became official after both successfully completed the scale.
There were no tensions at the confrontation. Both of them cold-bloodedly shot each other with their eyes and we have nothing else to do but wait for a match that will surely live up to expectations.
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How and when to watch the show?
Octagon 78 event will start at 6 p.m with one free match that will be broadcast on Octagon’s YouTube channel. That match will be played by Kirill Negru, the greatest Slovenian MMA talent, and his opponent will be Michael Obodozie. It’s total 11 matches on the “card” before Trušček, which means that we expect Ivica in the cage after 11:00 p.m.
Viewers in Germany will be able to watch this event via RTL television and it will be an event that will mark the beginning of a great collaboration between Oktagon and RTL. Other viewers can watch the show via Oktagon TV and by purchasing PPV.
(fightsite.hr | Photo: X)
