5 Must Watch Fights in MMA This Weekend
Let the Countdown Begin
No UFC this weekend? No problem. Here are five mixed martial arts fights that are sure to knock your socks off.
1. Paul Daley vs. Rory MacDonald
Former UFC welterweight title contender Rory MacDonald makes his long awaited Bellator MMA debut on Friday. MacDonald (18-4) signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator in August 2016 and will finally be making his debut nine months later. It will be interesting to see how the layoff affects “The Red King” who is coming off back-to-back losses in the UFC to Robbie Lawler and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Daley, (39-14-2) is coming off a sensational flying knee knockout over Brennan Ward at Bellator 170 in January.
With this Bellator 179 headliner taking place at the SSE Arena in Wembley, London, England Daley will have the hometown support behind his powerfully packed punches, but MacDonald will be looking to make a statement and put the division on notice. Tune in Friday night on Spike.
2. Farkhad Sharipov vs. Jose “Shorty” Torres
History can be made on Friday night on UFC Fight Pass if Titan Fighting Championship’s flyweight champion Jose “Shorty” Torres gets a win in the Titan FC 44 headliner. Torres will be moving up in weight to take on bantamweight title holder Farkhad Sharipov in a fight for the 135-pound belt. If Torres is successful he will remain undefeated at 5-0, while his opponent looks to improve to 18-7.
Sharipov was part of a four man bantamweight tournament that began at Titan FC 40 in August. He defeated Bruce Lutchmedial via split decision and went on to face Andrew Whitney in the finals at Titan FC 42, where captured the title via unanimous decision. Torres, one of MMA’s top prospects, won the title via second round KO over Abdiel Velasquez at Titan FC 40. He then defeated UFC veteran Pedro Nobre via first round TKO at Titan FC 43.
This Titan FC 44 main event marks the first time in Titan FC history, one fighter will look to hold two titles in two different weight classes concurrently. The event will take place on May 19 from the Pembroke Pines City Center in Florida.
3. Liam McGeary vs. Linton Vassell
A fight that is seemingly flying under the radar is a matchup that should rock the London audience on Friday night as former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary takes on former title contender Linton Vassell. This Bellator 179 co-main event matchup pairs two 205-pounders with all the talent to be successful in the UFC. Throw in the fact that both contestants are from England and extremely popular in their home country, and you have fireworks.
4. Kurt Holobaugh vs. Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante
In an exciting match-up of former Titan FC champions, Kurt Holobaugh will face Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante in a battle for the Titan FC interim lightweight championship. Holobaugh, a former featherweight champion made the move up to 155 after dropping the title to Andre Harrison. He returned at Titan FC 39 and has since defeated Luciano dos Santos and Yosdenis Cedeno. Cavalcante captured the lightweight belt with a first round KO over Pat Healy at Titan FC 39, but subsequently lost it to Fredy Assuncao at Titan FC 40. He rebounded at Titan FC 42 with a unanimous decision victory over Robert Turnquest.
5. Joe Lowry vs. Mike Pope
Joe Lowry (6-0 amateur) 5-0 as a pro, will be challenging the defending Cage Fury Fighting Championship’s 155 lb., champion Mike Pope (7-2) for his belt on Saturday in one of three title fights the organization is featuring.
Pope is coming off a guillotine submission win over Mike Wilkins at CFFC 62 in December. Five of his seven professional wins have come by way of submission.
Lowry has had all five of his professional fights and victories shares in the CFFC cage. The 27-year old will be looking to keep his unblemished fight record in tact and take home the strap.
CFFC 65 takes place Saturday, May 20th at the historic 23oo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can stream the fight live at cffc.tv
Runners Up:
Viktor Nemkov vs. Ronny Markes
Former two-time M-1 Challenge light heavyweight champion Viktor Nemkov will take on M-1 Global-debuting Ronny Markes, May 19, in the M-1 Challenge 77 main event at Sochi, Russia. Markes (16-4-0), of Brazil, will be making his M-1 Global debut against Nemkov. In his last fight this past February, Markes choked out 15-4-0 Tony Lopez in the opening round of their King of the Cage super heavyweight championship match. Markes is a UFC and World Series of Fighting veteran.
M-1 Challenge 77 will be streamed in high definition on www.M1Global.TV
Tiffany Van Soest vs. Christine Ferea
Let’s not forget about the ladies. Invicta Fighting Championships holds Invicta FC 23 on Saturday, and our prediction for the fight of the night is the fight that opens up the card on UFC Fight Pass. Hard-hitting Christine Ferea takes on world Muay Thai champion Tiffany Van Soest. We spoke with Ferea yesterday who said, “One of us is gonna go to sleep or both of us are gonna be bleeding.”
