Dulatov Gets His Janković Fight

Tamerlan Dulatov and Nikola Janković are scheduled to meet at OKTAGON 94 in Frankfurt on Saturday, September 26. They were originally booked to fight in Cologne in July, but that bout was cancelled at short notice. Dulatov now gets another fight in front of a German crowd against an opponent who has finished every one of his victories.

The Düsseldorf-based fighter is 5-0 as a professional. All five wins came in round one: two by knockout or technical knockout and three by submission. Most recently, he submitted Artur Moor with a choke in 59 seconds in early May. Dulatov has yet to enter a second round in his professional career.

From Chechnya to Düsseldorf

Dulatov has an unusual background, but his sporting progress deserves more attention than his modelling work alone. His family fled Chechnya for Germany; in Düsseldorf, the four brothers pursued combat sports while also working in fashion. Deutsche Welle reported on their shared ambition to make it in MMA as early as 2019. Tamerlan now trains at Triple One Gym in Düsseldorf, while his brother Islam competes in the UFC.

In the cage, Tamerlan has shown more than punching power. He caught Ghith Ighzawi with a guillotine in 16 seconds in 2025 and submitted Stefan Končar with an armbar in early 2026. Those three submission victories alongside two knockout wins make his early attacks difficult to reduce to a single threat.

Janković can finish fights, too

The 21-year-old Croatian Janković is 9-2 as a professional. According to OKTAGON, all nine wins came inside the distance: six by knockout or technical knockout and three by submission. He has more professional fights behind him than Dulatov and brings a finishing record of his own rather than simply serving as an opponent for an unbeaten prospect.

Those records suggest urgency, not a guaranteed early stoppage. For Dulatov, one question remains unanswered: what does his game look like if an opponent survives the opening round? His wins have not revealed a weakness there; they have simply ended before he needed to show it.

A second attempt in the stadium

Their first meeting at OKTAGON 91 in Cologne fell through on fight day. Now they share a card again. OKTAGON 94 at Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park is headlined by Christian Eckerlin versus David Kozma, but Dulatov–Janković carries stakes of its own: one man aims to remain unbeaten, the other to record the tenth finish of his career.