Jonas Mågård is among Europe’s elite bantamweight fighters. The Danish mixed martial artist became the all-time longest-reigning OKTAGON MMA Bantamweight Champion, holding the title from 2021 to 2023. Mågård notably won the Polish Fight Exclusive Night (FEN) Bantamweight Championship in 2020 and then the Czech-Slovak based OKTAGON Bantamweight Championship in 2021.
One Mågård’s highlight was his thrilling title defense against former UFC fighter Gustavo Lopez, where Mågård surprised fans by winning via TKO in the second round. That stoppage, coming at OKTAGON 41 in 2023, was especially notable because Lopez was a highly experienced opponent and Magard was expected to rely on grappling.
Earlier in his career, Mågård also pulled off rare submissions like the Japanese Necktie — he twice used that uncommon choke to win fights in 2017. The Danish “Shark” has secured 2 wins by KO/TKO and 7 by submission, giving him a finishing rate around 50%, while the rest of his wins have come by decision. He can hunt for a finish when possible, but he’s equally content to outwork and outclass opponents over three or five rounds with technique and cardio. Mågård finds ways to win.
He broke through in November of 2020 by capturing the vacant FEN Bantamweight title. In that championship fight in Łódź, Poland, Mågård won over local veteran Sebastian Romanowski over five rounds to earn a unanimous decision and the belt.
Just a year later, Mågård reached another career pinnacle by winning the OKTAGON MMA Bantamweight Championship. He earned that title in November of 2021 with a unanimous decision victory over Filip Macek at “OKTAGON Prime 4”. This made Magard a champion in two different countries’ top promotions. He went on to successfully defend the Oktagon title in April of 2023, when he headlined “OKTAGON 41” and defeated the former UFC competitor Gustavo Lopez via second-round TKO.
Although Mågård eventually lost his OKTAGON belt to Brazil’s Felipe Lima in July of 2023, his title reign lasted 629 days, the longest for any bantamweight in OKTAGON history.
Despite losing the title, Mågård’s momentum did not stall. In early 2024, he was matched with Jack Cartwright, an 11–1 English standout and former Cage Warriors champion. Mågård prevailed by unanimous decision, outworking Cartwright over three rounds. Later that summer, when a planned rematch with Felipe Lima fell through (after Lima signed with the UFC), Mågård instead faced Josh Hill — a Canadian veteran of Bellator and WSOF — at “OKTAGON 59”. Mågård defeated Hill soundly via unanimous decision in July of 2024.
