Outside the Octagon – Volume 4

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

Miguel Torres is returning home to Indiana in hopes of resurrecting his career following a recent 0-3 slump. Torres is just 3-6 overall since losing his WEC Bantamweight title to Brian Bowles back in 2009. He recently decided to move up to the Featherweight division, but lost his debut there to journeyman Pablo Alfonso.

The end is nearing for these two grizzled veterans as Monson is currently mired in an 0-4 losing streak, while Lopez is just 1-5 himself. Monson has primarily competed in Eastern Europe, but it looks as if he’s returning stateside for what may be his final bout in the states.

Danny Roberts is a rising Welterweight prospect that has found a home in the Cage Warriors promotion. He’s 4-0 in England’s leading promotion, and is likely on the verge of earning a Cage Warriors title shot, which would put him on the radar of the UFC.

Tyler Hellenbrand is probably the top prospect outside of the UFC to be competing this weekend. He’s fresh off a KO slam victory over fellow prospect Juha-Pekka Vainikainen. The only blemish on his record is to recently signed UFC fighter Tony Martin.

David Mitchell certainly underwhelmed in his 5-fight UFC career, going 1-4 overall. Mitchell was once a promising prospect, having gone 11-0 with 9 of those wins coming via submission, including victories over UFC veterans Bobby Green, War Machine, and Tim McKenzie. It’s doubtful Mitchell will ever fight for the UFC again, yet nonetheless, he will make his return to the independent circuit against journeyman Fernando Gonzalez.

Joni Salovaara recently turned some heads in the Cage Warriors promotion, where he ultimately came up short in his title bid against #1 Featherweight prospect Jim Alers. Salovaara is 10-2 in his last 12 fights, and recently won his biggest victory to date, choking out WEC veteran Chase Beebe in the very 1st round.

Vainikainen looked to be on his way to the UFC following back-to-back victories over UFC veterans Kyle Watson and Steve Lopez, and a 9-0-1 record from 2010 to 2012. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down as Vainikainen lost his next 3 fights, albeit to top level competition. Those that beat Vainikainen, Shamil Zavurov (Bellator) and Piotr Hallman (UFC), went on to sign with major promotions shortly thereafter. Vainikainen will look to put an end to his losing streak as he faces Brazilian Thiago Martins.

James Pennington is nearing a spot in my Top 25 Bantamweight Prospects, thanks to his recent wins in the Cage Warriors promotion. His only career loss was to TUF 18 finalist David Grant. Pennington has great size for his weight class and also trains alongside UFC veteran Phil Harris and fellow prospect James Brum.

Anthony Avila is Featherweight prospect fighting out of Team Alpha Male. He was riding a 10-fight win streak, spanning over 4 years, before ultimately falling to UFC veteran Caol Uno in the Vale Tudo Japan promotion. Avila will look to bounce back this weekend and hopefully earn a look from the RFA, Titan, or Legacy promotions.

I am always on the lookout for quality heavyweight prospects, which is why this fight caught my attention. Griffin is an entertaining Heavyweight, showcasing a similar style to UFC veteran Shawn Jordan. His only losses thus far have been to fairly skilled opponents. Though Griffin’s name was better known to me, Kahl looks to be the more intriguing prospect. He’s 3-0 professionally, with a 4-0 record as an amateur. He’s won all 7 of his fights via finish. If Kahl can knock off Griffin, expect him to gain some notice from big league talent scouts.

Photo Credit: www.sherdog.com, Dave Mandel