When fighters are given their release from a major North American MMA promotion like the UFC or Bellator – 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 September 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.
PLMMA 74 – October 7th (Torun, Poland)
Matt Horwich (31-25-1) vs. Mateusz Kędzierski (1-1)
UFC/IFL veteran Horwich looks for his first three-fight win streak since 2007 when he takes on Gracie Barra Toruń product Kedzierski. After losing four-fights in a row the 39-year-old has racked up back-to-back stoppage victories. Kedzierski competes for the first time since October 2016 and competes at middleweight for the first time in his career.
Colosseum Combat 41 – October 7th (Kokomo, Indiana)
Dominique Steele (14-9) vs. Daniel Vizcaya (9-4)
Steele competes for the first time since his UFC release as he battles fellow CES veteran Vizcaya. Steele went 1-4 in the UFC, earning a win over Dong Hyun Kim and suffering setbacks to Zak Cummings, Danny Roberts, Court McGee and Luke Jumeau. Vizcaya competes for just the second time since 2016 and is coming off a submission setback to Kevin Nowaczyk at NFC 32 in February.
Pancrase 290 – October 8th (Tokyo, Japan)
Akihiro Gono (35-21-8) vs. Akira Okada (11-5-3)
UFC/PRIDE veteran Gono looks to get back on the winning track when he takes on Okada. Gono is coming off a TKO loss to Killys Mota in April, which was his second-setback in his last three fights. Okada is 2-2 in his last four fights including a TKO loss to Kazuki Tokudome at Pancrase 286 in April.
Hatsu Hioki (29-10-2) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (21-14-2)
Former UFC featherweight Hioki looks for his first win this year when he takes on DREAM veteran Takaya. Hioki had his two-fight win streak snapped in his last fight when he was knocked out by Hiroshige Tanaka at Pancrase 287 in May. Meanwhile Takaya looks for his first win since 2015 as he heads into this matchup on a three-fight skid.
ACB 72 – October 14th (Montreal, Quebec)
Zach Makovsky (20-8) vs. Yoni Sherbatov (6-0-1)
UFC veteran Makovsky looks for his second straight win since his UFC release when he battles TUF 24’s Sherbatov. After losing three in a row, Makovsky was released from the UFC last year and rebounded with a first-round submission win over Josiel Silva at ACB 60 in May. Sherbatov is coming off a first-round TKO win over Martin Sandoval in February and has yet to taste defeat in his seven-fight career.
Jesse Ronson (17-8) vs. Jeremie Capony (5-1-0)
Former UFC lightweight Ronson looks for his third straight win when he takes on Tristar product Capony. The 31-yearold is coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Jimmy Spicuzza and Derek Gauthier. Capony is coming off the first loss of his career when he was submitted by Kevin Généreux at TKO 38 in April. The Quebec native competes for the third time this year.
Thiago Tavares (21-7-1) vs. Adlan Bataev (7-1-0)
Tavares looks for his second-straight victory as he squares off with Bataev. The 32-year-old is coming off a 49-second TKO win over Mauricio Machado at Aspera FC 49 in February, which was his first win since being released from the UFC last year. Bataev (7-1) is coming off a split decision loss to Marat Balaev at ACB 61 in May which snapped his seven-fight win streak. The Russian fighter will be making his North American debut.
RIZIN World GP 2017 – Autumn: aki no Jin – October 15th (Fukukoa,Japan)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (36-11-2) vs. Gabriel Oliveria (9-0)
Former UFC featherweight Kawajiri looks for back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015 when he faces Oliviera who makes his RIZIN debut. Kawajri is coming off a unanimous decision win over fellow UFC veteran Anthony Birchak which snapped his three-fight losing streak. Meanwhile his 27-year-old opponent has won four of his nine career wins by stoppage.
KSW 40 – October 22nd (Dublin, Ireland)
James McSweeney (15-15) vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski (11-5)
UFC veteran McSweeney looks for his first win since October 2015 when he takes on “The Worlds Strongest Man” Pudzianowski. McSweeney heads into this matchup off four knockout losses in his last six fights. Meanwhile his 40-year-old opponent looks for his third-straight win after earning back-to-back stoppage victories.
Norman Parke (23-6-1) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (13-0)
Former UFC lightweight Parke faces Gamrot in a rematch from their matchup in May at KSW 39. Parke lost the matchup by unanimous decision which snapped his two-fight win streak. Gamrot has remained undefeated in his career and has finished seven of his opponents.
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.
