When fighters are given their release from a major North American MMA promotion like the UFC, Bellator or WSOF – unless they’re a major star – they often fall into obscurity on the regional/overseas circuit unless they rack up a few wins and end up signing with one of the aforementioned promotions. In this regular feature for MMAOddsBreaker.com, I take a look at some regional/overseas MMA matchups for the month of June, and rather than listing off the top fights outside these major organizations, I highlight some familiar names that you might recognize on upcoming fight cards.
Unified MMA 31 – June 9th (Edmonton, Alberta)
Shane Campbell (11-6) vs. Tristan Connelly (9-5)
UFC veteran Campbell looks to make it two in a row when he takes on Unified lightweight champion Connelly. Campbell snapped a three-fight skid when he earned a third-round knockout victory over Jose Rodriguez at Unified 30 this past March. Connelly captured the Unified lightweight title in defeating former champion Garrett Nybakken by third-round submission at Unified 30. The 31-year-old has won four fights in a row, and he is coming off a third-round submission victory over Lenny Wheeler at Elite 1 MMA in May.
Road FC 39 – June 10th (Seoul, South Korea)
Seo Hee Ham (17-8) vs. Mina Kurobe (10-2)
Ham competes for the first time since her UFC release as she battles Kurobe for the vacant atomweight title. Ham went 1-3 in the UFC, with her lone victory coming against Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night 79. Kurobe hasn’t lost since 2015 and heads into this matchup on a five-fight win streak.
Fight Night Medicine Hat 3 – June 10th (Medicine Hat, Alberta)
Joe Riggs (44-17) vs. Ryan Machan (24-9)
Former UFC title challenger Riggs looks for his fourth win in a row when he battles Canadian Machan. Since leaving the UFC last year, Riggs has picked up three straight stoppage victories, including wins over Cody McKenzie, Billy Martin and Jerome Jones. The 34-year-old hasn’t won four fights in a row since 2013. Machan is coming off a win over Cody McKenzie at the inaugural Fight Night Medicine Hat event in April 2016. The 33-year-old has fought once since 2015.
M-1 Challenge: Battle in the Celestial Empire 2 – June 14th (Harbin, China)
Sergei Kharitonov (24-6) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (18-17)
Bellator heavyweight Kharitonov returns to M-1 for the first time since 2015 as he takes on Sokodjou. Kharitonov has won six of his last seven fights, including a first-round knockout victory over Chase Gormley at Bellator 175 in his last fight. Sokoudjou has lost three of his last four fights and has won just twice since 2014.
NEF 29: Stars & Stripes – June 17th (Lewiston, Maine)
Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra (19-5) vs. Ray Wood (8-3)
Bellator veteran Bezerra battles Wood in a featherweight affair. Wood is coming off back-to-back losses in Bellator against Adam Piccolotti and AJ McKee Jr.
Conquer FC 4 – June 24th (Richmond, California)
Shawn Bunch (6-3) vs. Rodrigo Lima (12-3)
Bunch looks for his third straight win when he battles fellow Bellator veteran Lima. Bunch went 4-2 in Bellator, suffering losses to Steve Garcia Jr. and Darrion Caldwell. Lima went 1-2 during his Bellator tenure, defeating Ronnie Mann and suffering losses to Hiroshi Nakamura and Rafael Silva.
Is there a notable MMA veteran competing this month that I missed? Or is there a matchup that has been changed? Hit me up on Twitter @LynchOnSports, and I’ll add it in or fix it up. Thanks.
