We’re officially 3/4 of the way through the year, and there’s still some great fights to look forward to. We here at MMASucka.com feel that it is our duty to help you sort through the cluttered MMA landscape and pick 5 fights that are “must-see.” We’ve scoured the world to find a quintet of the best battles to watch over the next 31 days.
Five fights to watch this October
#5) Megumi Fujii vs. Jessica Aguilar (Vale Tudo Japan 3, October 5th)
When these two women first clashed on May 18th, 2012, the bout ended in a controversial, with the judges giving a bizarre unanimous decision win to the Bellator Strawweight Champion Aguilar. Having watched the bout a couple of times since then, I can’t help think that “Mega Megu” was robbed. Now, in her retirement bout, Fujii has the chance to avenge the loss. The 39 year old WMMA pioneer will no doubt be motivated, as she will also be fighting in front of a home country crowd. Definitely a fight to watch, even if just to see one of the greatest fighters in history, male or female, compete for the last time.
#4) Mark Munoz vs. Lyoto Machida (UFC Fight Night 30, Oct. 26th)
With a devastating eye injury taking Michael Bisping out of the UFC Fight Night 30 main event, Lyoto Machida’s middleweight debut was moved up from the November 6th Fight For the Troops 3 event as he was slotted in against “The Filipino Wrecking Machine.” Mark Munoz is a great challenge for a fighter like Machida, having spent time working on his stand-up with Machida’s part-time training partners in Team Blackhouse, as well as Maestre Rafael Cordero at King’s MMA, sharpening it to go along with his superlative wrestling skills. After returning from a long injury lay-off, Munoz looked fantastic in his return bout, dominating Tim Boetsch with grappling and positional control like nobody else before him. The big question here, though, is will Munoz even be able to get his hands on the ever elusive “Dragon?” That’s what we’ll find out on October 26th.
#3) Sarah Kaufman vs. Jessica Eye (UFC 166, October 19th)
Lost among the the anticipation for Velasquez vs. dos Santos III and buried on the undercard, Sarah Kaufman – the last of the women brought over in the Strikeforce merger – will be making her debut against top prospect and fellow UFC debutante Jessica “Evil” Eye. Kaufman, a former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion, is a powerhouse on the feet and in top position, notching strike-based stoppages in the first 8 of her 16 wins. She was also the first woman to get a powerbomb KO of Roxanne Modafferi in her highlight reel. She will have her hands full, though, with the electric Eye, who currently sits at 10-1. The formerly 125 lbs. “Evil,” who trains with the likes of Stipe Miocic over at Team Strong Style, is still dangerous, with her last two wins being a technical submission victory over former Bellator queenpin Zoila Frausto-Gurgel and a decision over a performance-enhanced Carina Damm. Since the women of the UFC are already developing a reputation for bringing their “A” games, this bout is certainly one to watch.
#2) Bibiano Fernandes vs. Soo-Chul Kim (One FC 11: Total Domination, October 18th)
When One FC returns to Singapore, they’ll be bringing the night to an end with a main event featuring a fighter who some consider to be the best bantamweight outside of the UFC and a young upstart who stands between him and the undisputed One FC Bantamweight Championship. Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes is currently on a 6 fight winning streak, with wins over Antonio Banuelos and Koetsu Okazaki. He is currently One FC’s interim bantamweight titleholder, and is also the last man to hold Dream’s bantamweight and featherweight belts. The Brazilian will be looking to bring his grappling prowess to bear on the young Kim, who at 21 is already One FC’s first bantamweight champ. After defeating Leandro Issa at One FC 6 to capture the title, the boyish-looking Korean is returning from a long lay-off due to a shoulder injury. The well-rounded Team Force prospect will be sure to give it his all as he attempts to prove that he is One FC’s only champion at 135 lbs.
#1) Cain Velasquez Vs. Junior dos Santos (UFC 166, October 19th, 2013)
The most anticipated match of the month pits the world’s top 2 heavyweights against each-other for the 3rd time. UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez takes on Junior Dos Santos in the rubber match that no matter what the matchmakers threw in its path seemed almost destined to happen. The Brazilian boxer versus the Mexican-American wrestler, with the series tied at 1-1. Who will triumph? How? Will we see something new from either man? We will find out on October 19th, at UFC 166.
