September is a great month month for MMA and it’s highlighted by a new era in Bellator MMA getting underway.
While some of the moves Scott Coker and his team have been making lately (Stephan Bonnar? Really?), let’s give them the benefit of the doubt…for now. This month begins Year 1 with the new regime and after a very sparse slate of non-UFC events in August, it’s nice to have some fights to look forward to outside the Octagon.
Bellator 123 (Sept. 5)
Fight to Watch: Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire
Fighters to Watch: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Bobby Lashley, Tamdan McCrory
Going head-to-head with UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Mousasi on the opening Friday of the month, this event is headlined by the long overdue featherweight championship rematch between Curran and Freire. Last time they fought, Curran took home a razor thin split decision win and the 145-pound “Pitbull” has been kicking up a fuss about getting this rematch, so the sequel should be entertaining as well.
Lawal is in a must-win situation. After being hyped through the roof when he signed with the promotion, the former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion has fizzled on the Bellator stage. Even if you want to argue that he beat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when they fought earlier this year, it wasn’t a blowout win where he was robbed and that tells you everything you need to know about where “King Mo” is at in his career.
The current Impact Wrestling heavyweight champion, Lashley returns to professional fighting for the first time in 10 months opposite veteran opponent Josh Burns. Because of his massive physique, marketability and the dearth of talent in the heavyweight ranks, it’s always intriguing to see Lashley in the cage, if even just to think about what could have been if he’d made MMA his career way back when.
As for McCrory, his return to MMA is intriguing. He was a solid emerging talent in the UFC before taking a five-year break. He returns here, fighting at middleweight from the looks of things, against highly touted Brennan Ward. It will be interesting to see what “The Barn Cat” brings to the table after such a long layoff.
Invicta FC 8 (Sept. 6)
Fight to Watch: Stephanie Eggink vs. Katja Kankaanpaa
Fighters to Watch: Michelle Waterson, DeAnna Bennett
The fact that this show (and all future Invicta shows) will be broadcast on Fight Pass is awesome, especially considering that broadcasting their events was arguably the biggest issue the company faced through its first seven events.
Waterson is a potential superstar. A talent fighter who earned the atomweight title with a fourth-round submission win over Jessica Penne back in April, the Team Jackson-Winkeljohn representative could easily be the face of the franchise going forward, given that the UFC has no plans to introduce a 105-pound division any time soon. She headlines opposite Japanese veteran Yasuko Tamada.
In the co-main event, Eggink and Kankaanpaa battle for the vacant strawweight title, previously held by TUF 20 contestant Carla Esparza. As much as this is a competitive fight that shouldn’t be missed, it’s also a chance to watch potential UFC call-ups compete before they hit the Octagon, which is important for the growth of the division and the sport as a whole.
Bennett trains out of The Pit Elevated and UFC welterweight Court McGee has been singing her praises to me for over a year. Last time out, the unbeaten flyweight earned a first-round submission win over Colleen Schneider. This time around, she’s taking on veteran Michelle Ould in a what should be a step up in competition and solid measuring stick of where Bennett stands in her development.
Bellator 124 (Sept. 12)
Fighters to Watch: Emanuel Newton, Liam McGeary
Newton, Bellator’s reigning light-heavyweight champion, squares off with Joey Beltran in the main event, and should end up retaining his title. As much as there are more competitive and compelling divisions in Bellator, the 205-pound ranks is where most of their bigger names reside, so Newton should have the opportunity to gain some recognition and establish himself going forward if he can hold on to the belt.
A potential future challenger for Newton, McGeary is 8-0 and has a penchant for knocking people out. He dropped Mike Mucitelli in his first =-round tournament matchup and did something equally nasty to Egidijus Valavicius in the semis. Now he takes on grinder Kelly Anundson in the finals.
RFA 18: Manzanares vs. Pantoja (Sept. 12)
Fights to Watch: Matt Manzanares vs. Alexandre Pantoja, Abel Cullum vs. Ulysses Gomez
The main event is for the flyweight title, currently held my Manzanares, who won the belt in April. Pantoja is another Nova Uniao product with a stellar 14-2 record whose only loss in his last 13 fights was against UFC contender Jussier Formiga.
Cullum and Gomez are battling to remain relevant after both had early success on the regional circuit before hitting hard times. Gomez hasn’t fought since dropping back-to-back contests in the UFC, while Cullum has dropped three straight.
BAMMA 16: Daley vs. da Rocha (Sept. 14)
Fighters to Watch: Paul Daley, Mansour Barnaoui, Mike Wootten
Daley is set to face Brazilian striker Marinho Moreira da Rocha in the main event, and because of his nasty power and overall unpredictability, he’s still a must-see attraction.
Barnaoui is someone that could one day end up in the UFC, as the 21-year-old lightweight is 11-2 and has back-to-back wins over Colin Fletcher and Curt Warburton, two Brits that had a cup of tea in the Octagon. Additionally, his first career loss came against Kevin Lee, who is now a top prospect to watch in the UFC’s 155-pound ranks.
Because he was a contestant on TUF 18, Wootten is someone to track on the regional circuit. He’s unbeaten professionally (7-0) and showed some upside on Team Rousey. If he can string together a couple good performances, the man whose Instagram handle is a shout out to the Wu-Tang Clan (@woottang) could earn a shot in the big leagues.
World Series of Fighting 13 (Sept. 13)
Fighter to Watch: Marlon Moraes
The current WSOF bantamweight champ is in a position to brutalize anyone in WSOF’s 135-pound division. Much like Justin Gaethje, Moraes is someone that could very well end up as a contender in the UFC once his contract with WSOF is up–he’s that good.
Bellator 125 (Sept. 19)
Fighter to Watch: Goiti Yamauchi
Sure, there are some “this should be interesting” fights on this card, like the main event slobberknocker between Melvin Manhoef and Doug Marshall, but the 21-year-old Yamauchi is the only guy on the card worth having long-term interest in. Facing off with 13-3 Martin Stapleton, the featherweight prospect is someone to track in this new version of Bellator.
Titan Fighting Championship 30 (Sept. 26)
Fighters to Watch: Walt Harris, Anthony Gutierrez, Gleristone Santos
Titan has become a landing spot for fighters looking to get to the UFC, as their out clause is a big plus for fighters–just ask Ben Saunders.
Harris stumbled in a pair of UFC appearances, but rebounded with a first-round knockout win over veteran D.J. Linderman last time out, while Gutierrez is looking to work his way to the big leagues after washing out of TUF 18 without ever setting foot in the Octagon. Santos is the most promising of the bunch, a 26-year-old Brazilian who is 15-1 over his last 16 bouts, including a second-round TKO win over UFC vet Alvin Robinson.
Bellator 126 (Sept. 26)
Fighter to Watch: Alexander Shlemenko
After losing to Tito Ortiz last time out, Shlemenko moves back to middleweight, where he’s mauled the competition throughout his Bellator tenure…save for Hector Lombard. The one-off with Ortiz was a smart choice since it got his name out there to a larger audience, but now the 50-8 striker needs to get back to doing what he does best–bringing the violence at 185 pounds.