Seriously, where does the time go? It feels like only yesterday I was getting keyed up for UFC 174 in Vancouver and yet we have already seen changes since that show.
With July already upon us, it’s time to take our monthly look at the best action taking place beyond the walls of the UFC in the month ahead.
WSOF 11: Gaethje vs. Newell (July 5)
Fights to Watch:
Justin Gaethje vs Nick Newell
Melvin Guillard vs Gesias Cavalcante
Fighters to Watch: Jon Fitch, Cody Bollinger
Gaethje might be the best lightweight competing outside of the UFC right now — an unbeaten product of the Grudge Training Center in Colorado and the reigning WSOF champion. He’s an aggressive and nasty striker with good wrestling skills in his back pocket, and has crushed the competition thus far.
Newell is far more than a curiosity at this point, as the one-armed fighter has finished 10 of his 11 opponents to date and earned his way into this title fight. This is the best lightweight pairing WSOF could possibly make and the fight should be all kinds of exciting.
This will be Guillard’s first bout since being let go from the UFC following a tepid performance against Michael Johnson last March. Cavalcante isn’t the same fighter he was during his best days in Japan, but “JZ” is still dangerous and should provide fans with a chance to get a good read on where “The Young Assassin” is at right now. Plus, the winner could be next in line for a title shot.
As for Fitch, his matchup with Dennis Hallman feels like a make-or-break bout for the former UFC title challenger. Grinding out a split decision win over Marcelo Alfaya after being choked unconscious by Josh Burkman in his WSOF debut isn’t enough and if he can’t do something memorable against Hallman, he could fall further into the shadows.
ONE FC 18: War of Dragons (July 11)
Fighters to Watch: Eric Kelly, Rafael Nunes, Paul Cheng
Kelly, who faces Rob Lisita in the main event, suffered his only loss due to injury and has since rebounded with another victory outside of the promotion. The 32-year-old Filipino fighter is a finisher and has the potential to be one of the bigger draws under the ONE FC banner.
Unbeaten as a pro, Nunes is an intriguing prospect — 26-years-old, tall for a lightweight at five-foot-11 and boasting nearly a 50/50 split in terms of his finishes. Cheng is a former Canadian Football League player transitioning to MMA and getting a solid push from the promotion. With the heavyweight ranks being thin around the globe, a couple good wins could put him on the radar for larger organizations, if he were interested in pursuing that kind of thing.
Legacy Fighting Championship 33 (July 18)
Fight to Watch: Leonard Garcia vs Damon Jackson
After an ugly 0-5 run got him bounced from the UFC, Garcia has gone 3-0 under the Legacy banner, earning first-round stoppages in each of his last two outings. Nine years Garcia’s junior, Jackson is unbeaten as a pro (8-0) and coming off a second-round submission win over one of Garcia’s Team Jackson-Winkeljohn teammates, Hunter Tucker. The winner of this featherweight contest could earn themselves a call to the big leagues.
Bellator 122 (July 25)
Fights to Watch:
Andrey Koreshkov vs Adam McDonough
Liam McGeary vs Egidijus Valavicius
Fighters to Watch: Luiz Philipe Lins, Bubba Jenkins
This is kind of a weird show since the final two bouts are tournament finales, but the new Bellator regime has since announced they’re doing away with tournaments.
Koroshkov and McDonough battle to be the final welterweight tournament winner in company history and both have promise going forward in the division. Koreshkov’s lone loss came against Ben Askren and McDonough has yet to be beaten, so whoever emerges with the win will stand as one of the future challengers to current champ Douglas Lima.
McGeary and Valavicius face off in one of the Summer Series light-heavyweight tournament semifinals and it’s the unbeaten Englander McGeary that should be watched. He stopped Mike Mucitelli in just 22 second to get here and has five first-round stoppages in seven wins.
Lins faces TUF 19 washout Kelly Anundson in the other semifinal coming off a first-round submission win over Austen Heidlage. He too is unbeaten at 9-0 and looks like a potential find for Bellator in the 205-pound ranks. Jenkins, meanwhile, is a former NCAA Division 1 national champion who is looking to continue his development as a mixed martial artist. TUF fans will remember him from Jon Jones’ coaching staff during Season 17.
Thoughts:
It feels like we’re on the verge of another race to sign regional talent — we’ve already seen the UFC scoop up top fighters from promotions like RFA and Legacy in the last couple of months. With Bellator shifting gears and looking to be a more traditional organization going forward, you can be sure Scott Coker & Co., will be doing plenty of regional scouting and signing as well.
Though that will mean a couple of lean months as the vacated roster spots get filled, it’s ultimately a great thing for MMA. Competition at the highest level means more opportunities trickling down through the system. Hopefully this is the way things pan out and not just wishful thinking on my behalf.