In a blur of events and news, retirements and un-retirements, the month of July has come and gone, leaving us in a “one down, one to go” summer scenario both in everyday life and as it pertains to the world of mixed martial arts.
Here’s the thing about the month of August on the regional MMA circuit: the pickings are kind of slim.
Bellator MMA held an event at the end of July, but the organization affectionately nicknamed “Spikeforce” by some smart Internet denizens after Scott Coker replaced Bjorn Rebney and started bringing in old friends from his Strikeforce days doesn’t hold another show until they go head-to-head with the UFC in the great state of Connecticut on Sept. 5.
After rolling out the big guns for their NBC debut last month, World Series of Fighting (WSOF) returns with an uninspiring event filled with regional vets and unheralded prospects, while Titan Fighting Championship (TFC) brings another fight card filled with UFC castoffs to the cage near the end of the month.
I don’t say this to be unnecessarily harsh or take shots at these organizations — the sport needs stable, competitive minor league outfits that give veterans a chance to regroup and young fighters a chance to earn their stripes against battle-tested names, even if they are in decline.
Here’s a look at some of the top events and fighters to watch outside the Octagon in the month of August.
Tachi Palace Fights 20 (Aug. 7)
Fighters to Watch: Joe Soto, Nate Loughran, Joby Sanchez
Soto, the first Bellator bantamweight champion, has won five straight since a two-fight skid that saw him drop the title to Joe Warren and then get submitted quickly by one-time UFC competitor Eddie Yagin just under a year later. Each of his last four wins have come inside the distance, and if he can add a sixth consecutive victory to his resume, the 27-year-old could find himself getting a phone call from Joe Silva or Sean Shelby.
Loughran, the current TPF welterweight champ, was supposed to fight Erick Silva in the UFC back in February, but an injury forced him out of that contest. He’s scheduled to defend his title against regional vet Ricky Legere Jr. and if he’s successful, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another call up to the big leagues.
Sanchez is someone to add to your prospects list (you guys have those too, right?) and keep an eye on over the next year or so. The unbeaten 23-year-old takes on WEC and UFC vet Antonio Banuelos in his biggest fight to date and with ties to Team Jackson-Winkeljohn, you know he’s on the UFC radar given how thin the flyweight division is at the present time.
WSOF 12: Palomino vs. Gonzalez (Aug. 9)
Fights to Watch:
Luis Palomino vs. Lewis Gonzalez
Elvis Mutapcic vs. Kelvin Tiller
Fighters to Watch: Ronny Markes
Palomino and Gonzalez are battling for the title of “Future Justin Gaethje Victim” and represent opposite ends of the regional MMA spectrum. The former has been around the block a time or two, making a couple stops in Bellator and opposite recognizable veterans on the Florida circuit, while the latter is an unbeaten 26-year-old working his way up the ranks for the first time.
MFC supporters will remember Mutapcic as “The King” held the middleweight title for a brief period before departing. Though he’s coming off a decision loss to Jesse Taylor, he’s a stiff test for Tiller, an unbeaten 24-year-old who counts a win over TUF 19 contestant Daniel Spohn amongst his six career victories.
As for Markes, this will be his first fight since being jettisoned from the UFC after back-to-back loss. Still just 26 years old, the Brazilian has solid overall skills, a favourable match-up, and a chance to make some waves in the WSOF middleweight division.
M-1 Challenge 50: Battle on the Neva (Aug. 15)
Fighters to Watch: Damian Grabowski, Ivan Buchinger
Yes, I still hold out hope that Damian Grabowski will fight in the UFC. Call me crazy, but I’d take a 34-year-old heavyweight with just one career loss (against Cole Konrad) and a solid resume against regional veterans at this point. Should Marcin Tybura become the second man to defeat “The Polish Pitbull,” he immediately becomes someone to keep tabs on as well.
Buchinger is a Cage Warriors veteran with a 26-4 mark and a five-fight winning streak. Three of those four setbacks have come against fighters that made their way to the UFC — Akira Corassani, Anton Kuivanen and some guy with the last name McGregor that you may or may not have heard about recently. With European shows on the calendar for the fall, “Buki” might just get his shot yet.
Titan Fighting Championship 29 (Aug. 22)
Fights to Watch:
Matt Riddle vs. Ben Saunders
Mike Ricci vs. George Sotiropoulos
Bristol Marunde vs. Micah Miller
Five of the six have officially fought under the UFC banner at one point, with Miller having competed in the WEC and come up short during the elimination fights on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Riddle is the best of the bunch (by far), but he set fire to the bridge back to the UFC with a pair of positive tests and some harsh words for his former bosses upon being dismissed. Ricci is coming off a dominant performance against Jorge Gurgel in his TFC debut, but that has as much to do with Gurgel being 37 and carrying a 2-6 record over his last eight prior to that matchup than anything else.
Legacy Fighting Championship 34 (Aug. 29)
Fighters to Watch: Pedro Souza, Jonathan Brookins, Cosmo Alexandre
Any regional fighter that is able to run up double-digit wins without suffering a setback catches my eye, and Souza has done just that, amassing 12 consecutive victories to start his career. With 11 finishes, the Cristiano Marcello student is worth tracking for the time being.
A former TUF winner, Brookins returned to action after a lengthy layoff in March, earning a second round submission win. It was never a lack of talent that stifled the submission specialist, but rather his mental approach and makeup. If he’s got that side of things sorted, he could work his way back to the UFC fairly quickly.
Alexandre is a 32-year-old kickboxer out of the Blackzilian camp who has won six straight. While his upside is limited, he’s a finisher with ties to a strong team, which makes him more likely to land a call-up to the major leagues. That, in turn, makes him someone fight fans should keep tabs on.
One FC 19: Reign of Champions
Fights to Watch:
Ben Askren vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki
Shinya Aoki vs. Kamal Shalorus
Fighters to Watch:
Roger Huerta
Ana Julaton
Askren and Aoki should cruise to victories, as they’re two of the top talents in their respective weight classes fighting outside of the UFC at this time. The professional wrestling fan in me really wants to see them join forces and crash a future UFC show, storming the cage nWo style.
It won’t happen, but a boy can dream.
Huerta looks shot and my interest in this fight is sheer morbid curiousity. He’s facing an unbeaten European (Christian Holly), but I really just want to see if the former Sports Illustrated cover boy really has burned out as quickly as he got hot.
As for Julaton, she’s a former world champion boxer making the transition to MMA. She’s 34, so that’s working against her, but with the UFC having a division above and below her current fighting weight (125 pounds), “The Hurricane” could have options going forward if she’s able to string together a couple wins and build some momentum.