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John Hathaway signs with OKTAGON MMA in multi-fight deal
OKTAGON MMA have revealed a momentous signing announcing British athlete John Hathaway has joined the ever growing roster of the promotion.
Announced on Monday by the organisation that they have penned John Hathaway to a multi-fight deal. He was once one of the biggest prospects in the region and many touted him as a future world title contender, but serious health issues derailed his climb to the top of the sport. After eight years away from the cage, ‘The Hitman’ will make his return to competition on October 15 at OKTAGON 36 in Frankfurt, Germany – one of the biggest fight cards to take place in Europe this year.
Hathaway (17-2) last competed in March 2014 when he headlined a UFC card in Macao, China against Dong Hyun Kim. The Englishman was defeated but planned on heading back to the gym and improving to better his own game. However, during this time, Hathaway was battling an inflammatory bowel disease which left him feeling withered and weak – far from the optimal conditions that an elite athlete needs to perform at their best.
In order to try and cure this serious illness, he had his entire large intestine removed in the first of three surgeries. The road to recovery was a long and difficult one; many would not have even considered a future in professional sport being possible. Despite this, Hathaway always intended on making a comeback to MMA which is testament to his mental toughness and drive to fulfil his ambitions. Now the time has come where he has defeated his health difficulties and his body is no longer holding him back.
The 35-year-old is training for his return bout at his long-time team, London Shootfighters, and wants to prove that he is better than ever with a statement showing inside the iconic Festhalle Frankfurt. He is a true fighter in all aspects of life and fans around the world will tune in next month to see if the fairy-tale comeback will be completed.
OKTAGON 36 will be broadcast live around the world on OKTAGON.TV.
Current OKTAGON 36 Fight Card
October 15th – Frankfurt, Germany
Main Event
Catchweight (82kg/181lbs)
Christian Eckerlin (14-5, 1NC) vs. Denilson Neves de Oliveira (16-8, 1NC)
Co-Main Event
Light Heavyweight
Stephan Puetz (21-5) vs. Miloš Petrášek (12-6)
Heavyweight
Jeremy Kimball (18-9) vs. Hatef Moeil (12-4)
Welterweight
Jakub Bahník (8-4) vs. Jamie Cordero (2-0)
Welterweight
Máté Kertész (12-5, 1NC) vs. Christian Jungwirth (12-5)
Strawweight
Katharina Dalisda (6-3) vs. Mallory Martin (7-5)
Middleweight
Václav Mikulášek (7-9) vs. Hojat Khajevand (5-3)
Lightweight
Marek Bartl (10-11) vs. Ebrahim Hosseinpour (6-6)
Catchweight (99kg/218lbs)
Alexander Poppeck (14-4) vs. Nermin Hajdarpašić (4-0)
Welterweight
Bojan Veličković (22-11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (25-10-1, 1NC)
Middleweight
Samuel Krištofič (15-4) vs. Zdenek Polivka (8-5)
John Hathaway (17-2) vs. TBA
