Rin Nakai facing off with Brenda Gonzalez
April sure had some good fights, and May is on track for some more interesting clashes. From the UFC to Pancrase, there’s something going on somewhere. So, without further ado, here are five fights to watch this month, in no particular order.
1) Rin Nakai vs. Sarah D’alelio (Pancrase 258, May 11th)
Reigning Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai is arguably the promotion’s meal ticket. Why else would they make her bout with the tough-as-nails Sarah D’alelio a non-title fight? There’s been an air of promotional shenanigans hanging over some of Nakai’s recent wins, and that alone is enough to add intrigue to the bout. Additionally, many of her opponents have been flyweights – including her last challenger, long-time veteran Tara Larosa. While D’alelio is coming off of a pair of losses in Invicta, that does not mean she is not a threat. A powerful grappler who trains out of Combat Sports Academy with the likes of Alexis Davis and Zoila Frausto, “The Monster” is the last person to defeat surging UFC fighter Amanda Nunes. We could be seeing a rematch later this year if D’alelio does indeed take the win to Pancrase’s muscular pin-up girl, so track this one down if you can.
2) Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva (UFC Fight Night 40, May 10th)
How can you not be excited for this bout? When both fighters are on, they can be two of the most exciting competitors in the welterweight division. Brown is tough as nails veteran who has – without the use of TRT – entered a late career resurgence and is on a 6 fight winning streak. Silva was once a hot prospect that the UFC is currently trying to rebuild who was even able to drag an exciting fight out of Jon Fitch. This is a recipe for mayhem, folks. Get your popcorn.
3) Renan Barao vs. TJ Dilishaw (UFC 173, May 24th)
The never-ending saga of Team Alpha Male vs. Nova Uniao continues. It’s like the Hatfields vs. McCoys of MMA, and I – for one – can’t get enough of it. Dilishaw goes into this as the last TAM fighter to be cornered by Duane Ludwig, and it would be quite the feather in “Bang’s” cap if the young gun TUF winner is able to capture the bantamweight crown from the Brazilian dream-destroyer.
4) Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler III (Bellator 120, May 17th)
Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler are, bar-none, the biggest stars in Bellator right now. Despite the way the promotion pushes under-achieving athletes like Mo Lawal and Rampage Jackson, the it’s these two lightweights who have the ability to garner the attention of MMA fandom. Both times they’ve fought, it’s been dynamite, and with their series tied at one a piece, this rubber match is all but guaranteed to be tremendous.
5) Ben Askren vs. Bakhtiyar Abbasov (OneFC 16, May 30th)
The best welterweight not in the UFC makes his debut for Asia’s #1 promotion taking on a fellow with a 9 fight winning streak from the steppes of Azerbaijan. It will be interesting to see what the time spent with Chatri Sityodtong and his insanely good coaching staff at Evolve will help Askren with, that much is certain. It will also be interesting to see how he deals with the banes of all wrestlers’ existence: knees to the head while on the ground and soccer kicks. If Abbasov can sprawl on even a single takedown, he’s got a knee-er’s chance of taking this fight.
