MMA Fights To Pay Attention to in September 2013

MMA Fights To Pay Attention to in September 2013

August 31, 2013

By Ryan Porzl

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

UFC 165 (September 21, 2013)

This fight will be the main event for UFC 165 and it's a big one. Not only is Jon Jones defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship but is looking to make history. Should he be successful then he will have achieved a record by defending the LHW Title six times. During Jones' title reign, Gustafsson has been on the rise as he's scored wins over Vladmir Matyushenko, Thiago Silva, and Shogun Rua. To be champion would be great but to beat a big name like Jon Jones as well be becoming the first Swedish champion in UFC history are just greater incentives.

Renan Barao vs. Eddie Wineland

UFC 165 (September 21, 2013)

Despite being the interim UFC Bantamweight Champion, Renan Barao is considered by many to be the best Bantamweight in the world. Despite this, Barao still wants to one day challenge Dominick Cruz to become the Undisputed Bantamweight Champion. To get his chance at the injured Cruz, he'll have to continue to hold the interm title until the time comes and that means fending off Eddie Wineland. Wineland's recent run has been interesting. From 2006-2007, Wineland was WEC's first Bantamweight Champion before eventually losing the title to Chase Beebe. Despite going 6-1 in his next seven fights (with two wins outside WEC), Wineland was never able to get a title shot. Thing got worse in 2011 when Wineland lost his first two UFC fights against Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. By 2012, Wineland began a comeback by being the first to knockout former WEC title contender Scott Jorgenson and then defeated Brad Pickett by a close split decision. Even if it's for the Interim title, Wineland has been waiting for this chance for six years and knows he has to make the best of it.

Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader

UFC on Fox Sports: Teixeira vs. Bader (September 4, 2013)

With Lyoto Machida losing to Phil Davis back at UFC 163 and Davis not looking impressive, this fight looks more important then ever. It's safe to say that if the winner looks good that they'll face the winner of the Jones/Gustaffson fight for the Light Heavyweight Title. It seems like a lifetime ago when Bader won the Ultimate Fighter and looked to have a lot of potential. However, since that time, Bader has never been able to take it to the next level. An impressive win over Teixeira would reignite Bader's career and title aspirations. Teixeira has been looking impressive since his debut and many have pegged him to be a future title contender. A win over Bader and a great performance would all but confirm him as the next challenger.

Yushin Okami vs. Ronaldo Souza

UFC on Fox Sports: Teixeira vs. Bader (September 4, 2013)

This fight is very important. Souza has had a lot of success in MMA. An impressive win over Okami would catapult Souza to the top of the UFC and many MMA websites Top 10 rankings. Meanwhile, with Anderson Silva no longer champion (though he can regain the title), this opens the door for many of his victims. Okami is one of those victims. With a new champion in Chris Weidman, Okami has new life in the UFC. Even though he isn't one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, Okami is riding a three fight win streak, coming off a win over Hector Lombard, and one over Souza would give Okami a great argument for another shot at the championship.

Pat Healy vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 165 (September 21, 2013)

Pat Healy hasn't had the best year or so. At this time last year, Healy was a Strikeforce Lightweight title contender but never got his shot after champion Gilbert Melendez pulled out of two scheduled fights due to injury. He then went to the UFC and scored a good victory over Jim Miller only to lose his submission of the night bonus and his win turned to a no contest due to testing positive for marijuana. To say the least, Healy has to make up for a lot of lost time. On the other side, Nurmagomedov is a star on the rise. He's looked absolutely impressive since his arrival to the UFC. A win over Healy would be a great next step in his rise to stardom. This is a classic example of a vet defending their position against a hungry contender.

Ivan Menjivar vs. Kid Yamamoto

UFC 165 (September 21, 2013)

This fight is one that a lot of fans can overlook. Yamamoto's story is well documented. A MMA legend who ruled in Shooto and K1 HEROS only to suffer a knee injury and hasn't been the same since. Currently riding a three fight losing streak, Yamamoto's back is to the wall. If he wants to stay employed, he needs to win. Careerwise, Yamamoto has absolutely nothing to lose here. Menjivar is a top 15 fighter in most rankings, 10 in the UFC's ranking, and a loss wouldn't hurt his career. Should he win impressively as unlikely as that can be, it could potentially revive his career by beating a guy that's ranked in the UFC's top 10. Menjivar is coming off a big loss to Urijah Faber and needs to win to stay relevant. A loss to Yamamoto would drop him significantly.

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Brett Cooper

Bellator 98 (September 7, 2013)

This fight is the first one under Bellator's championship replacement clause. With Season Eight Middleweight tournament winner Doug Marshall out due to reinjuring his hand and no other tournament winners to challenge, Season Eight tournament runner up Brett Cooper will challenge. These two have history with Shlemenko defeating Cooper back in 2011. Both have a lot to gain. Shlemenko wants to prove he's worthy of his championship despite having won a vacant title. By defeating Cooper and then Marshall, Shlemenko will prove he's no paper champion and one of the best middleweights in the world. Cooper has the chance to kill three birds with one stone. He has the chance to win the first major championship of his career and avenge two losses as he would avenge the loss to Shlemenko and then get the chance to avenge his loss against Doug Marshall when he comes back to get his title shot.

Douglas Lima vs. Ben Saunders

Bellator 100 (September 20, 2013)

This fight has been a headache for Bellator. This fight has been scheduled for the March 21^st and July 31^st but was delayed due to Lima suffering injuries. This fight will crown the season eight welterweight tournament and the next title contender. Lima has won a Bellator tournament before and challenged for the title. No doubt, he'll want another shot at the title. Saunders has taking part in two previous tournaments but hasn't been able to win one yet. He'll be hoping third times the charm. This fight is also interesting as both represent American Top Team and have fought once before in the Season 5 tournament finals with Lima coming out on top there.

Joe Riggs vs. Mike Bronzoulis

Bellator 98 (September 7, 2013)

This fight will determine the winner of Bellator's Fight Master tournament. Both guys have a lot riding on this as well as having great stories. For Joe Riggs, he's been everywhere but this win will be his biggest achievement and revive his career. Not having had that breakout moment in his career, Riggs has claimed to have given himself an ultimatum that either he wins or he retires. Bronzoulis is the cinderella man of the competition. He was constantly ranked low in the Fight Master seedings which meant he wasn't ranked high and never got to pick his opponent. Despite this, he perserved and proved he wasn't a weak link in the tournament as defeated everyone who challenged him. To win this would be the biggest win of his career and get his name noticed.

Blagoi Ivanov vs. Manny Lara

Bellator 99 (September 13, 2013)

A former gold medalist in Sambo, Ivanov entered MMA in 2009. Since then, a lot of fans believe that Bagata has a lot of potential. After racking 7 straight wins, Ivanov slowly moved up the ladder and was coming to his own. Sadly on February 26, 2012, Ivanov's career and life nearly came to an end when he was stabbed in a bar. After a few months of his health going up and down, he finally began to recover in May 2012. Despite recovering, he hasn't fought since Christmas Eve 2011. While Lara is a favorable fight, it should be interesting to see how the stabbing and time off as affected Ivanov. Will Ivanov be able to make up for the lost time?

Shinichi Kojima vs. Andrew Leone

ONE FC: Champions & Warriors (September 13, 2013)

While this main event isn't as sexy as the original featuring Kojima vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani to determine the first ONE FC Flyweight Champion, it's still important. Both want to make history. If Kojima wins then he keeps his spot in the Flyweight Title fight. Meanwhile, if Leone wins then he'll have a great argument to face Urushitani for the Flyweight Title.

Kotetsu Boku vs. Vuyisile Colossa

ONE FC: Champions & Warriors (September 13, 2013)

Boku and Colossa are two guys who need a win. Boku made a name for himself outside of Japan when he upset Zorobabel Moreira to become the first ONE FC Lightweight Champion. However, he lost the title in his first title defense to Shinya Aoki. Boku is hoping this fight will allow him to regain lost momentum and get back into the title hunt. Colossa is a talented fighter but hasn't been able to take it to the next level when facing up and comers like Lowen Tynanes or top asian talent like Eduard Folayang and Yui Chul Nam. He's also coming off a two fight losing streak. A win over Boku would do wonders for Colossa's career. It would be the biggest win of his career, snap his losing streak, and allow him to be a fight or two away from a title shot.

Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Waylon Lowe

WSOF 5 (September 14, 2013)

Karakhanyan has been everywhere. He competed in Bellator and won the Taichi Palace Featherweight Championship. Despite all that, he never got that big break until going to DREAM last year and upset champion Hiroyuki Takaya. Now signing with WSOF, Karakhanyan's has the chance to take it to the next level. Lowe is another guy who's been everywhere. He competed in Bellator and the UFC but didn't make an impact. Lowe not only made his WSOF debut in his last fight but also made his featherweight debut. Lowe will want to keep his momentum going. This match can also be important since WSOF is beginning to crown champions and a WSOF Featherweight Championship will no doubt be on the horizon.

Pawel Nastula vs. Karol Bedorf

KSW 24 (September 28, 2013)

This fight will determine the first KSW Heavyweight Champion. Nastula has a reputation in MMA as the former Olympic gold medalist competed in PRIDE from 2005-2006. Despite going 1-3 in the organization, he went through a murderers row as lost to the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Alexander Emelianenko, and Josh Barnett. Following PRIDE, Nastula has been quiet but occasionally busy going 4-1 since. At 43 years old, Nastula knows he doesn't have a long career ahead. To be the first Heavyweight Champion of the top promotion in his home country would be a great way for Nastula to make an impact and leave his mark in MMA. Bedorf is a former ADCC World Champion and is a up and comer in MMA. At 29 years old and 9-2, Bedorf has more time to achieve great things in MMA. Despite this, he too would love nothing more than to be the first KSW Heavyweight Champion and get a win over a fighter like Nastula. By winning this fight, Bedorf would definitely get more eyes on him and possibly great career opportunities outside of KSW over the next few years.