Last Saturday, Kurdish fighter Cihad Akipa, also known as ‘the Punisher’, defeated Hungarian MMA fighter and former title challenger Máté Kertész at the Oktagon Deutschland at a sold-out Lanxess Arena in Cologne, broadcast live on German RTL.

Following his victory Akipa displayed both the German and Kurdish flag.

“After being down on all three scorecards, Cihad Akipa stopped Máté Kertész in the third round due to strikes,” the official X account of Oktagon posted. “That is the biggest win of his career to date!”

As a result, Akipa now has a record of 12 wins, 2 losses, and no draws.

After the fight, Kertész placed his gloves in the middle of the cage, thereby officially announcing the end of his professional MMA career.

Akipa was born on April 1, 1996, in Lüdinghausen, Germany, while his parents come from Mardin, Northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey).

On his Instagram, Akipa posted a video message saying that the burden Kurds carry is memory. “The memory of what our families experienced, what they lost, and what they fought for. That is why many Kurds carry so much strength within them. Not because life was easy, but because giving up was never an option for our parents and grandparents.

“That is why, for many of us, strength is not a choice. It is part of our history.”

Kurdish athletes, including Agit Kabayel, Hakan Gardi, Namo Fazil, Makwan Amirkhani, and Farshad Gardakaneh have recently dominated fighting sports events.

In late June, the undefeated German-Kurdish boxer Kabayel became the first-ever Kurdish WBC Heavyweight World Champion.