On Saturday, May 17th, one of the craziest comebacks in MMA history took place. At Oktagon 71, Peter Gabal took on Elias Jakobi in the 2nd fight of the night. In the first round, Elias Jakobi landed a picture-perfect Axe Kick, which sent Gabal’s mouthpiece flying out of his mouth, but Gabal weathered the storm and came back to win in the 2nd round.
Peter Gabal’s dramatic comeback
Peter Gabal managed to recover late in the 1st round, attacking a heel hook, and came out very fresh in the 2nd round. In the 2nd round, Jakobi looked tired, and Gabal put it on him. Landing punishing body kicks, and then sending Jakobi to the canvas with a powerful straight right hand. The crowd went wild. An unbelievable comeback.
In his post-fight interview, he said that moment was gone from his memory. He remembers entering the cage, the beginning of the round, and then there is a gap between the kick landing and him attacking heel hooks. Gabal proceeded to call out Ivan Buchinger and Vladimir Lengal. Buchinger and Lengal are set to square off in Prague next month, and Gabal would like the winner. Gabal has won 3 in a row, and is looking to break into the rankings.
Ideally, Gabal would like to face Buchinger. Peter Gabal said he has dreamed of facing Buchinger, and the fight would make sense. Gabal expressed interest in being the replacement if either man can’t make it to the fight, but that would now be unlikely, with any injury sustained from the Axe kick.
