Denis Frimpong silenced the Munich crowd at OKTAGONI 71 on Saturday night as he left his opponent in a stretcher.
The 30-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, was forced to overcome several early obstacles with those in attendance in full voice for their German fighter, Arijan Topallaj.
However, Topallaj had exhausted himself by round three and Frimong took full advantage by picking his opponent apart, leaving him in need of instant medical attention as the referee eventually stopped the fight.
Topallaj couldn’t hold himself up after the fight so was stretchered out of BMW Park in Munich.
Reports suggest the 26-year-old was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, but it is believed Topallaj has not sustained any major injuries.
Frimpong is expecting the birth of his child next week and couldn’t contain his emotions during his post-fight interview.
“I respect Arijan, but I proved him wrong today,” ‘The Menace’ explained.
“He said I didn’t have any heart, he brought heart out of me, I didn’t think he would, but I think i showed everyone that I do have heart.
“I want to thank my wife, she’s nine months pregnant right now. Our due date is next week, I was risking coming out here and missing the birth of my son.
“So, she was very helpful and she was very supportive through this. I went through a lot in this camp and I was really worried that, as I said, I would miss the birth of my son.
“Thankfully it didn’t happen, I came here got the win and made my wife proud.”
Frimpong had landed 47 more punches than his opponent’s 53 as the referee stopped the contest 44 seconds into the third and final round.
The Irishman was swiped to the canvas at the very beginning of round one as all three judges scored the first round 10-9 to Topallaj, who spent the majority of the opening five minutes in control of his opponent.
Topallaj’s pressure was relentless in round two and the German probably knew he needed to get Frimpong out as soon as possible with the full support of the crowd behind him.
However, he quickly faded and Frimpong took full advantage, growing in confidence as two judges had the fight all square at 19-19 heading into the final round.
It only took Frimpong 44 seconds to wear down his opponent in the last round, finishing Topallaj with a barrage of strikes, including knees and a nasty right elbow that signalled the beginning of the end for his opponent.
The referee eventually waved off the fight after Frimpong landed several nasty elbows to Topallaj’s skull and the latter failed to fight back.
Frimpong, who trains out of Manchester Top Team, is now undefeated in his last four MMA bouts.
The 30-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, had plenty to say about Topallaj ahead of the fight, and backed up his words with a convincing victory.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com ahead of the fight, Frimpong detailed insights into his mindset and revealed where his confidence has emerged from.
“It comes from the hard work that I’ve put in,” he said. “I work so hard. [Topallaj] was saying that since his last fight he’s become a professional in his approach…
“I’ve been a professional in my approach since I was an amateur, since I was just doing jiu-jitsu.
“So I have put a lot of time and work into this and I know how good I am based on who I train with.
“The people that I’ve sparred with in my life. The Paddy [Pimblett] spar, if you want to say that, that’s a top 10 UFC guy that just demolished Michael Chandler, and [Topallaj] isn’t on his level – so I know how good I am.”
Back in January, Frimpong settled an online feud with Pimblett by having it out with his rival in a sparring session at his gym in Manchester.
The altercation sparked a massive reaction online when Frimpong tapped out to a choke from Pimblett, who refused to let go as both men’s teams intervened.
Frimpong got a lot of haters following the incident, but told talkSPORT that he likes having those against him, and he only took positives from his spat with Pimblett, as it got his name out there.
Unlike most fighters, ‘The Menace’ only started training in the sport when he was 22, predominantly drilling jiu-jitsu, before he transitioned to MMA in 2021.
Frimpong has only been in the sport for just over two years, and in that time has accrued 10 pro fights, with seven of them coming under the OKTAGON MMA banner.
Elsewhere at OKTAGON 71 Liverpool’s Shem Rock overcame Attila Korkmaz to claim a split-decision victory on the main card.
Meanwhile, Hull’s George Staines got the better of local fighter Hafeni Nafuka to secure a unanimous decision win.
