Novak vs Kurhela

Who won Novak vs Kurhela?

Marco Novak beat Eemil Kurhela by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest during the prelims of OKTAGON 65, on Sunday 29th December 2024 at O2 Arena in Prague.

The scorecards were announced in favor of the winner Marco Novak.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 3 rounds in the Featherweight division, which meant the weight limit was 145 pounds (10.4 stone or 65.8 KG).

Novak vs Kurhela stats

Marco Novak stepped into the octagon with a record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws, 1 of those wins coming by the way of knock out and 2 by submission.

Eemil Kurhela made his way to the cage with a record of 7 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, 3 of those wins coming by knock out and 3 by submission.

This was Marco Novak's 3rd fight in Oktagon MMA, having made his debut for the promotion in 2023. Eemil Kurhela marked his 1st fight for them, having made his own debut for the promotion in 2024.

Marco Novak's Oktagon MMA record stood at 2-1-0, while Eemil Kurhela's came in at 0-1-0.

The stats suggested Kurhela had a large advantage in power over Novak, boasting a 43% knock out percentage over Novak's 20%.

If the fight went to the ground, their records suggested Kurhela had a slight advantage over Novak, with a 43% submission rate over Novak's 40%.

Marco Novak was the same age as Eemil Kurhela, at years old.

Novak was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 3 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2023, 1 year and 6 months later than Kurhela, whose first professional fight was in 2022. He had fought 3 more professional rounds, 15 to Kurhela's 12.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Eemil Kurhela had been fighting more than Marco Novak.

Going to this contest, Marco Novak had last fought 8 months and 10 days ago, while Eemil Kurhela's last outing had been 10 months and 26 days ago.

What were the odds on Novak vs Kurhela?

Marco Novak was a 4/9 (-210) favourite going into the contest, while Eemil Kurhela made his way into the ring at 7/4 (+160) with oddsmakers.