Linear bantamweight titleholder Jonas Magard was surprised by the popularity of Oktagon MMA in the Czech Republic. Magard (13-5, 2-0 Oktagon) is only a few days away from facing interim Oktagon champion Gustavo Lopez in a unification bout that’s headlining the upcoming Oktagon 41 event. Danish fighter Magard captured the belt in November 2021 when he outpointed Filip Macek on all scorecards at Oktagon Prime 4. “Shark” was supposed to face Macek again in December, but Magard was forced to pull out of the fight after breaking his jaw, and Macek lost the chance to recapture his belt after being submitted by Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Lopez. Ahead of his next assignment, Magard sat down with Sherdog to discuss his popularity from being the champion in the rising mixed martial arts promotion in Europe at the moment. While he’s relatively unknown in his country, Magard stated people are asking for photos with him on the streets in the Czech Republic. “I would be very proud of ju