Outside the Octagon – Volume 3

Every week, I will be providing some of the best fights not happening under the UFC, Bellator, or WSOF banner.

Leonardo “Macarrao” Mafra will be looking to make it 4 in a row since being released by the UFC in 2012. Mafra was a cast member of Season 1 of TUF Brazil. While on the show he flashed a ton of talent and heart, but in the end a move back to the independent circuit was probably just what he needed in order to round out his skills and gain more experience. Mafra is now competing as a Welterweight, and with another KO win, I would consider him a lock to be recalled by the UFC in 2014.

Ronys Torres never ended up being a UFC star as some had hoped, but he has remained one of the top fighters in his native Brazil. With career KO wins over current UFC fighters Adriano Martins and Diego Brandao, and an extensive resume of dominating victories, it is still puzzling why Torres has struggled at the big league level. He’s 0-3 in fights under the UFC and WSOF banner, though all of his losses were very competitive decisions.

2008 Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo, will look to extend his undefeated streak to 6 as he faces fellow prospect Elias Garcia. This should be Cejudo’s stiffest test to date as Garcia has a combined 10-1 record as a pro and amateur. Cejudo’s potential is obvious, but there are still some lingering questions about him taking his MMA career serious enough as he has yet to settle down at one of the elite training camps.

Many were hoping to see Filho announce his retirement following his one-sided loss to Dave Branch at WSOF 2, but it looks as if the former WEC Middleweight champion is still at it. Filho and WSOF seem to be on the outs following Filho’s continued out of the cage struggles.

Marcus Davis will look to rebound from his 1st round submission loss to Alexander Sarnavskiy in Bellator. Davis has gone 5-2 since his release from the UFC in 2011, but he may be nearing his end as he recently turned 40 years old.

Mikihito Yamagami is considered to be one of the Top 5 Flyweight prospects in the world today. He’s currently riding a 7-fight win streak, highlighted by a decision victory over former Flyweight king Mamoru Yamaguchi. Yamagami previously competed as a Strawweight, where he was the Shooto 114 lbs. champion. He move up a weight class in 2013 because he wants to one day fight in the UFC. His opponent, Nam Jin Jo, fights out of Busan Team MAD, which is the same camp of UFC fighters Dong Hyun Kim and Kyung Ho Kang. Nam drew some attention internationally after defeating B.J. Kojima in 2012. He has since gone 1-2, while jumping back and forth between Bantamweight and Flyweight. At just 22 years old, he could one day be a fighter to watch out for.

Luis “Japa” Rafael has one of the most impressive records in all of MMA. Considering, he’s won all 24 of those bouts since 2012, and is just 21 years old, he will likely find himself on the UFC or Bellator’s radar very soon. Rafael’s competition level has been less than stellar and that won’t be no different in this fight as he’s already previously beaten Fernandes via KO just 6 months ago.

Bae Young Kwon is probably the next South Korean to join the UFC’s roster. He’s currently 5-1 in his last 6 fights, with submission wins over current UFC Bantamweight Kyung Ho Kang and fellow prospect Honorio Banario. He also took home a close decision over former UFC veteran Michihiro Omigawa in 2013.

Don’t let Soo Chul Kim’s record fool you as he’s proving to be a much better fighter than his record would indicate. Kim is just 22 years old, and proved very competitive against world ranked One FC Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes. Prior to his fight with Bibiano, Kim had defeated recent UFC signee Leandro Issa and fellow prospect Kevin Belingon. Kim’s opponent will be Motonobu Tezuka, who was recently released by the UFC in 2013 after going 0-2.

Takasuke Kume would arguably be fighting in the UFC today had he not dropped back-to-back decisions to recent Yui Chul Nam. Nam has since signed with the UFC, while Kume will look to get back on track against Brazilian Eduardo Simoes. Kume is one of the strongest Lightweight prospects, and has an excellent grappling game as well.

Chris “Beast Boy” Barnett is supposedly returning to the cage tonight after not fighting for nearly 3 years. It should be noted though that Barnett has had his last 4 fights cancelled, and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear him bail out of this one as well. Barnett’s last fight occurred in 2011 where he defeated current UFC Heavyweight Walt Harris via decision.

Jake “The Librarian” Lindsey is currently one of my Top 25 ranked Lightweight prospects. He’s thus far undefeated, having recently knocked out fellow prospect Zach Freeman in Titan FC. He should have no problem defeating well-traveled journeyman Worthington.

Joey Rivera was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 16, but despite beating current Bellator Lightweight Saad Awad and #1 overall pick Sam Alvey, Rivera was not invited to compete on the Season Finale card after losing to Jon Manley. This will be Rivera’s first fight since his TUF 16 stint.

Yoisland Izquierdo will look to make it 4 in a row since being released by the UFC in 2012 following an 0-2 stint. Izquierdo has finished his last 3 fights via knockout.

Former Ultimate Fighter veterans will square off this weekend as Strikeforce veteran Shamar Bailey looks to break out of his slump against TUF 16’s Kevin Nowacyzk. Nowacyzk is still just 24 years old and though he’s fallen short against stiffer competition, a win over Bailey could be a significant step to one day fighting in the UFC.

Former Abu Dhabi bronze medalist Ryan Hall is looking to make it 3 in a row since returning to MMA in 2012. Hall is one of the top BJJ artists in the world today, and has currently been seen training out of Canada’s Tristar Gym.

Scott Heckman and former TUF participant Jeff Lentz will vie for the vacant Cage Fury FC Featherweight title. Heckman is 8-1 in his last 9 fights, including a 2-1 stint in Bellator. Lentz, who is the brother of UFC Featherweight Nik, has struggled mightily with injuries over the last few months.

A couple of seasoned veterans will square off as the headling for XFC’s new Brazilian expansion. Meller is currently riding a 4-fight win streak. French has not competed since 2011, where he defeated current UFC Lightweight James Krause at Titan FC.

Silva and Nogueira were once considered top prospects in Brazil. Silva was once 9-0 with wins over UFC veterans John Lineker and Marcos Vinicius. Then the wheels fell off as he lost his next 3 of 4 fights. He was away from the cage for nearly 3 years before returning in 2013, where he has since gone 2-0. Nogueira, who trains out of Team Nogueira, though he is a sibling of Big Nog and Lil’Nog, has struggled with consistency over the years, though he did beat former UFC veteran Willamy Freire in his last fight.

Cain Carrizosa is an undefeated 5-0 Lightweight prospect, having recently appeared on a Bellator undercard. His biggest career win is a decision over Team Alpha Male fighter Daniel Romero.

Hector Sandoval fights out of Team Alpha Male, and has been on my prospects radar for quite some time. His only career loss was in his debut to former UFC veteran Ulysses Gomez. He will have his hands full with Vinson, who has a combined 11-1-1 record as a pro and amateur.

Francisco Mario has won 19 of his career 24 wins via submission. Unfortunately, his record has suffered some blemishes as of late following an 18-1 run from 2003-2008. The Nova Uniao product has won his last 5 fights.

Trindade is considered a KO artist, but the one time he stepped up in competition, he was quickly finished by UFC Lightweight James Krause in RFA. Trindade is still a prospect to watch, but the verdict is out on whether he will ever breakthrough as a legit big show fighter.