Another ex-UFC fighter has shown that success can still be found away from the organisation.
Krzysztof Jotko joined the promotion back in 2013, staying on the middleweight roster for nine years before moving on.
During his time with the UFC, he faced some notable names, including Sean Strickland and Uriah Hall.
His stint came to an end following a submission defeat to Brendan Allen in October 2022.
Krzysztof Jotko’s €1m tournament victory puts him back on the map
Fast forward to now, and Jotko has put together five straight wins to completely turn things around.
The bulk of that success came during the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament, organised by OKTAGON.
The event started in April 2025, with 16 middleweights fighting for a piece of the €1 million prize pool.
Even fighters who lost early pocketed about €15,000, with payouts growing each round until the winner took home €300,000 at OKTAGON 82.
The final took place in Düsseldorf, where Jotko faced Kerim Engizek. Engizek came into the bout riding a remarkable 17-fight win streak dating back to 2014.
But Jotko wasted no time in handling business, locking in a rear-naked choke and finishing it inside four minutes.
Krzysztof Jotko: Sean Strickland’s best days are over
Strickland has been out of action since losing to Dricus du Plessis by decision for a second time at UFC 312 last February.
His return will see him headline the Houston card on February 21, facing Anthony Hernandez.
Jotko feels Strickland’s best years are behind him and expects Hernandez to take advantage of that.
“Hernandez is a really, really dangerous guy,” Jotko told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive interview. “He can wrestle, and he has good submissions. He attacks submissions very fast.
“Strickland is a very good boxer, of course. He likes to fight in the stand-up but I think he has a lot of miles, a lot of fights.”
“In my opinion, Strickland’s gonna go a little bit down from his shape, I think so.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Strickland has his big fights behind him already.”
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