Martin Buday details UFC exit, explains reason for signing with OKTAGON

Martin Buday wasn’t too surprised that the UFC opted not to re-sign him after his last win.

Buday pulled off an upset win over Marcus Buchecha back at UFC Abu Dhabi in July. Buday was fighting out his contract despite being on a two-fight winning streak and being 6-1 in the UFC.

Although Buday got the upset win, it was another decision, so he wasn’t confident the UFC was going to re-sign him.

“There were a couple of hints; they wanted finishes from me,” Buday said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I didn’t get a finish in my fight before, and fighting Buchecha, it went the distance. It was like 50-50 for me (if I wouldn’t get re-signed). The performance wasn’t bad at all, so I was hoping to get re-signed, but it didn’t happen.”

As Buday says, the UFC wanted finishes out of him, and he didn’t do that, which is why the promotion opted to move on.

After he was informed he wouldn’t re-sign, he wasn’t sure what would be next. But, Buday did field offers from OKTAGON and the PFL and decided to re-sign with OKTAGON.

“I was wondering what would be next,” Buday said. “I was nervous. But, once it was announced publicly that I wasn’t re-signing with the UFC, offers started to come in from all over the world. It was nice to have many choices. Mainly, I was deciding between PFL and OKTAGON at the end.”

Martin Buday explains decision to re-sign with OKTAGON

Once Martin Buday was down to PFL and OKTAGON he opted to return to OKTAGON.

Buday is the former OKTAGON heavyweight champ, and the offer they gave him was hard to turn down. Meanwhile, it’s a chance to fight in stadiums in Europe, which also enticed him.

“We have a history, and I think we can do big things at heavyweight in OKTAGON. I’m very happy that I have a new home,” Buday said.

Now that Buday is signed, all signs point to him fighting Will Fleury for the heavyweight title later this year. It’s a fight that Buday is excited about as he knows it will be a fun fight for the fans.

“There were some options, but it’s not announced yet. It will be at the end of the year, it won’t be a long wait. I didn’t take much damage in that last fight, so the end of the year in December. It will be a five-round fight (against Will Fleury)… I am happy to fight against him; it’s a good opponent. We will show the fans the fight they deserve, and I’m going to prove I’m UFC level and I’ll take my belt back,” Buday concluded.