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 November 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.
PFL: Fight Night – November 2nd (Washington, DC)
Blagoi Ivanov (15-1) vs. Caio Alencar (11-1)
Bellator veteran Ivanov looks for his fifth straight when he takes on Brazilian Alencar. Ivanov is coming off a first-round knockout victory over UFC veteran Shawn Jordan at WSOF 35. Alencar is also coming off a first-round TKO win over a UFC veteran in Jared Rosholt and will be looking for his fifth straight win.
Steven Siler (29-16) vs. Lance Palmer (11-3)
Former UFC featherweight Siler looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 2014 when he takes on former WSOF champion Palmer. Siler is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Hakeem Dawodu and has now lost two of his last three fights. Palmer is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Andre Harrison at WSOF 35.
Mike Kyle (22-15-1) vs. Daniel Gallemore (7-3)
Strikeforce veteran Kyle looks to get back on the winning track when he takes on Victory FC champion Gallemore. Kyle has lost three of his last four fights including a unanimous decision setback to Josh Copeland at PFL Everett in his last fight. Gallemore has won three-straight fights by stoppage and has won six of his last seven fights.
Wieczór Walk R8 2 – November 4th (Krakow, Poland)
Former UFC middleweight Drwal competes for the first time since May 2015 when he battles Ducar. Drwal went 3-3 in the UFC from 2007 to 2010 fighting notable opponents like Thales Leites, Rousimar Palhares and David Branch. Since leaving the UFC, the 36-year-old has gone 4-1. Meanwhile Ducar make his professional debut in 2013 and fought in a number of kickboxing matches before returning to MMA earlier this year. He’s coming off a submission loss in June against Adam Horváth at Fusion FN 14: Cage Fight Brno.
ACB 74: Sweden – November 4th (Sweden)
Sirwan Kakai (12-5) vs. Luca Iovine (11-1)
UFC/Bellator veteran Kakai looks to snap a three-fight losing streak when he takes on Italian fighter Iovine. Kakai hasn’t competed since a September 2016 loss to Joe Warren at Bellator 161. Iovine hasn’t lost since June 2015 and heads into this fight on a seven-fight win streak.
Fight Nights Global 78 – November 4th (Togliatti, Russia)
Maiquel Falcão (38-12) vs. Ayub Gimbatov (8-1)
Former Bellator standout Falcao looks to get back on the winning track when he faces Russian fighter Gimbatov. Falcao has lost two of his last three fights including a second-round TKO loss to Strahinja Gavrilovic at TKO 40 in September. Gimbatov heads into this matchup on a three-fight win streak and hasn’t lost since December 2015.
Aspera FC 58: Road to EFC – November 4th (Santa Catarina, Brazil)
Diego Nunes (20-7) vs. Maicon Miller (7-3)
UFC/Bellator veteran Nunes looks for his second-straight win when he takes on fellow Brazilian fighter Miller. Nunes has won two of his last three fights, including a 25-second knockout over Radu Mihatu at Magnum FC 2 in July. Miller competes for the first time in over a year and has lost two of his last three fights.
Road FC 44 – November 11th (Hebei, China)
Rony Torres (35-5) vs. Tom Santos (7-4)
UFC and WSOF veteran Torres looks for his 11th win in a row when he battles Santos. Torres is coming off a first-round submission win over Elnur Agaev at Road FC 40 back in July. Santos meanwhile is on a four-fight win streak with three of those wins coming by knockout. After missing all of 2016, Santos competes in his fourth fight this year.
RCC 1: Fighting in the Cage 1 – November 11th (Ekaterinburg, Russia)
Christian M’Pumbu (21-8-1) vs. Ivan Shtyrkov (12-0)
Former Bellator light heavyweight champion M’Pumbu looks for his third win in a row when he takes on undefeated Russian fighter Shtyrkov. M’Pumbu won the Bellator light heavyweight tournament in 2011 to capture the vacant title. After that he would never win another fight for Bellator going 0-4, with notable losses to Quinton Jackson and Kendall Grove. Since leaving Bellator, the 40-year-old has gone 3-1. Shtyrkov meanwhile has won 10 of his 12 career fights by stoppage, including a second-round TKO win over Bellator’s Satoshi Ishii in July.
Sugar Creek Showdown 33 – November 11th (Hinton, Oklahoma)
Tony Lopez (55-26) vs. Josh Clark (12-4)
Bellator veteran Lopez competes for the 12th time this year as he faces TUF 19’s Clark. Lopez had his eight-fight win streak snapped his last bout, losing by first-round knockout to Dan Charles at RUF MMA 22. Clark has lost two of his last three fights, including a unanimous decision loss to Karl Moore at Cage Warriors 81.
Pancrase 291 – November 12th (Tokyo, Japan)
Issei Tamura (10-8) vs. Takumi Suzuki (5-1)
Former UFC bantamweight Tamura looks to bounce back against Suzuki. Tamura had his three-fight win streak snapped in his last bout when he was submitted by felllow UFC veteran Nazareno Malegarie at Pancrase 285 in March. The 33-year-old looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since 2015. Suzuki meanwhile heads into this matchup on a five-fight win streak.
KOTC: New Beginning – November 16th (Worley, Idaho)
Elizabeth Phillips (6-6) vs. Nikohl Johnson (4-4)
UFC/Invicta FC veteran Phillips looks to get back on the winning track when she faces Johnson. Phillips has lost three of her last four fights, including a unanimous decision setback to Kelly Faszholz at Invicta FC 23 back in May. Since she was released from the UFC, Phillips has gone 2-3. Meanwhile Johnson hasn’t competed since November 2016 and is coming off a 39-second submission win over Angela Samaro at Dragon House 24.
Brave CF 9 – November 17th (Isa Town, Bahrain)
Lucas Martins (19-3) vs. Elias Boudegzdame (14-4)
Former UFC featherweight Martins looks for his fifth win in a row as he battles 23-year-old Boudegzdame. Martins has won four-straight fights since leaving the UFC in 2015, including a second-round submission victory over Fabian Galvan at Brave CF 3 in March. Boudegzdame meanwhile has won his last four fights by submission and hasn’t lost since August 2015.
“JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (21-10-1) vs. Alan Omer (20-5)
WSOF and DREAM veteran Cavalcante competes outside the U.S. for the first time since September 2014 when he battles UFC veteran Alan Omer. Cavalcante hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Kurt Holobaugh at Titan FC 44 in May. The 34-year-old has lost two of his last three fights.
SCL 64 – November 18th (Denver, Colorado)
Josh Copeland (15-4) vs. Jared Togeson (18-17)
Former UFC/WSOF heavyweight Copeland looks for his fourth-straight win when he battles Torgeson. Since losing to Blagoi Ivanov in June 2016, Copeland has racked up three-wins in a row including a unanimous decision victory over Mike Kyle at PFL: Everett in July. The 34-year-old competes for the fourth time this year. Togeson meanwhile has lost three of his last four fights.
BFL 52 – November 18th (Richmond, British Columbia)
Matt Dwyer (9-4) vs. Chris Anderson (6-0)
UFC veteran Dwyer competes for the first time since July 2016 as he takes on undefeated BFL champ Anderson. The 27-year-old went 1-3 in the UFC, with his lone win coming against William Macário at UFC Fight Night 61. Following his UFC run, Dwyer defeated Jesse Ronson by unanimous decision at XFFC 10. Anderson meanwhile has won five of his six career fights by stoppage.
ONE Championship: Immortal Pursui– November 24th (Kallang, Singapore)
Ben Askren (17-0) vs. Shinya Aoki (39-7)
Former Bellator welterweight champion Askren competes in his retirement bout against former ONE lightweight champion Aoki. Askren is coming off a second-round TKO victory over Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Championship: Shanghai in September, which was his second-straight win by stoppage. Aoki hasn’t fought since November 2016 when he was knocked out by Eduard Folayang at ONE Championship: Defending Honor. The loss snapped the 34-year-old’s nine-fight win streak.
Cage Warriors 89 – November 25th (Antwerp, Belgium)
Cindy Dandois (6-3) vs. Kerry Hughes (3-2)
One time UFC competitor Dandois looks for her first win since November 2016 when she takes on Hughes. Dandois was cut from the UFC after one fight after losing to Alexis Davis by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 108 in April. The loss snapped the former Invicta FC standout’s three-fight win streak, which included a win over Megan Anderson. Hughes meanwhile has gone 2-2 in her last four fights.
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.
