A new month of competitive violence kicks off with a new promotion making its debut on UFC Fight Pass this Friday night. The month of February in MMA begins with the sport heading to Montreal for Samourai MMA Chapter 9. It’s the first show from Samourai MMA to stream on Fight Pass after a stint of pay-per-views on FITE.TV.
Live coverage begins Friday at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on the subscription-based streaming service, with commentary feeds accessible in both English and French. In total, there are 12 fights to be held this weekend in Quebec, absent of any postponements or cancellations between now and fight night.
Super-Welterweight Action in Samourai MMA Chapter 9 Co-Main Event
At the top of the bill are two interesting confrontations, beginning with the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event at super-welterweight (175 lbs).
Initially Dejan Kajic (15-7-2 MMA, Samourai MMA promotional debut), a veteran of Battlefield Fight League out of Vancouver, was to face Jonathan Ramsay (5-0 MMA, 4-0 Samourai MMA) for the Samourai MMA Super-Welterweight Championship, but he’s since withdrawn in the last few days leading up to the fight in order to appear on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter television series. Instead, Kajic will battle Marco Antonio Elpidio (17-8-2 MMA, 1-0 Samourai MMA.)
This nontitle affair is a maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.
Samourai MMA Chapter 9 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event on Friday night, Marco Antonio Elpidio stands as the taller man at six feet even, compared to the 5-foot-6 frame of Dejan Kajic. Elpidio owns a 69-inch reach, with no such information accessible for Kajic.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the oddsmakers had yet to release betting odds for Friday’s card. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Marco Antonio Elpidio Coming in on Short Notice
Marco Antonio Elpidio enters the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event with a 3-2 mark over his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak, one which got extended last time out with a second-round knockout of Miguel Angel Cabrera (6-5 MMA) during Budo Sento Championship 19.
Elpidio didn’t even know as recently as a few weeks ago that he’d even be in training camp for a fight, much less competing this weekend. Having an abbreviated training camp is never easy, but he will be the fresher fighter of the two, having just fought about two months ago.
Dejan Kajic Returns to MMA After Nearly 16 Months Off
In the other corner, Dejan Kajic enters the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event having posted a record of 5-0 in his last five fights. Dating back to July 14, 2018, he’s on a seven-fight winning streak. Most recently, he scored a unanimous decision victory over JC Llamas (9-8 MMA) during BFL 74 on Fight Pass on Oct. 12, 2022.
However, since that night, inactivity has been the order of the day for Kajic, who has seen his last four scheduled fights canceled without a single punch thrown, including the original co-main event on Friday. As a result, he’s been out of the cage for close to 16 months’ time.
It will be interesting to see if the time away from the cage will affect Dejan Kajic on Friday night.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Both men have clearly earned this co-main event spot on Friday night. They can each dish out the pain when the situation calls for it, too.
Look For Elpidio to Land Knees
Marco Antonio Elpidio has been known to get the victory by any means allowable under the laws of MMA. His fight in UWC 33 vs. Leonardo Blasco is a textbook example of this.
Late in round two, Elpidio repeatedly hit Blasco with ground and pound shots, but they weren’t enough to put the contest away. Once the bout got to the clinch, he continued to pour it on with another slew of punches and a few knee shots to end the fight.
Watch for Elpidio to try to hunt for an opening to land knees. If he lands just one knee square and true, he’s got a shot at the win.
Dejan Kajic Can Punch His Way to a Victory
In the other corner, you’d be wise not to discount Dejan Kajic’s striking ability in the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event because he’s equally brutal with punches. Just watch his fight against Saeid Mirzaei from April of 2022.
Round one of a scheduled three saw Kajic absorb strikes from Mirzaei, but he recovered with a variety of shots, including a combination. He used his footwork to give Mirzaei less room to work with and continued to land strikes.
A devastating cross resulted in Kajic injuring Mirzaei’s shoulder, forcing him to run back to his corner and wave his hand to the referee before making a verbal submission.
Look for Dejan Kajic to land punches in bunches in the Samourai MMA Chapter 9 co-main event. This is going to be a lot of fun to watch and could easily turn into a boxing match at the drop of a hat.
Final Thoughts
With this being the first Samourai show on UFC Fight Pass, it stands to reason that Dana White is going to be tuned in on Friday night. The winner of this one may very well receive a phone call from the UFC’s boss if all goes according to plan.
Prediction: Dejan Kajic by Unanimous Decision.
