After a weekend in which none of the three major North American MMA promotions put on a show, all three return this weekend for a loaded three days of high-quality mixed martial arts action. The fun kicks off tonight with World Series of Fighting 18 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Friday night, Bellator 133 comes at you live from Fresno, California, and the UFC closes out the weekend on Saturday from Broomfield, Colorado, with UFC Fight Night 60. In total, the three promotions have a combined 32 scheduled fights, which means 64 fighters are going into combat this weekend. Don’t have the time or desire to check them all out? Here’s the top 10 fighters to watch this weekend:
10: Chris Honeycutt, Bellator 133
Chris Honeycutt is one of the brightest prospects in the sport right now. A stand-out wrestler, this is just the start of his third year as a pro. He’s already 5-0 with four of those wins coming inside the distance. Friday night he’ll have the Fresno crowd on his side; he trains out of the local Dethrone Base Camp. The team is headed up by one of Honeycutt’s former coaches and fellow graduate of Edinboro University, TUF 1 semifinalist Josh Koscheck. Honeycutt’s ever-evolving skills are only matched by his drive to be one of the top-ranked welterweights in the world, and he continues on that path Friday as he opens up the main card against fellow unbeaten Clayton MacFarlane.
9: Neil Magny, UFC Fight Night 60
After ending 2013 with back-to-back losses, Neil Magny went on an absolute tear in 2014, going an astounding 5-0. While the competition he beat might not have been the highest quality, it’s still very impressive when someone can win five straight fights inside the octagon. Saturday night Magny will have a hometown advantage as he trains in Colorado. Magny looks to start 2015 off right with a main card win versus Kiichi Kunimoto, who was also undefeated in 2014.
8: Ray Borg, UFC Fight Night 60
At just 21-years-old, Ray Borg is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC’s roster. An extremely talented and exciting grappler fighting out of Albuquerque, Borg has impressed thus far in his two UFC bouts despite being 1-1. In his first fight, he lost a super close split decision to top 15 ranked Dustin Ortiz. He followed it up with a Performance of the Night-winning first round submission of Shane Howell. His opponent Saturday night, Chris Kelades, is 12 years Borg’s senior, but he only has one more career fight. Kelades himself could make a case to be on this list, but due to Borg’s age and seemingly endless potential, he gets the spot. Their fight Saturday night kicks off the main card, and is a strong contender for the Fight of the Night bonus.
7: Pat Curran, Bellator 133
Along with current champion Patricio Pitbull and former champion Daniel Straus, former Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran has helped cultivate one of the best three-man rivalries in the sport. A combination of two of those three has fought each other seven times, including five times since 2013. And since 2013 these three have been the work horses and stand outs of Bellator’s loaded featherweight division. However, Curran, the organization’s hand-picked face of the trio, has struggled recently. In 2013, he lost the title to Straus in a rout, and in 2014 was well on his way to losing his championship rematch with Straus before locking up a fight ending submission with 14 seconds left in the bout. His second title reign didn’t last long though, as he immediately lost the title to Pitbull in September of last year. A win Friday night would be huge in getting Curran back in the title picture, but it will not come easily. His opponent is Daniel Weichel (more on him below).
6: Alexander Shlemenko, Bellator 133
Like Curran, Alexander Shlemenko is a former Bellator champion and poster boy who was one of the main faces of the promotion over the last few years. From 2011-2013, Shlemenko went 13-0, including winning and defending the Bellator Middleweight Championship. He started 2014 off with another title defense victory, then the wheels came off the tracks. He moved up to light heavyweight for an ill advised one-off fight versus Tito Ortiz, which he lost via first round submission. He returned to middleweight for his next fight but got choked unconscious for a second straight fight. The consequences were far more dire this time though, as he lost his title to Brandon Halsey. Has time finally passed by the 60 fight veteran? Or does Shlemenko still have some gas left in the tank? We’ll find out Friday night as he takes on feared striker Melvin Manhoef in the Bellator 133 main event.
5: Max Holloway, UFC Fight Night 60
Max Holloway is one of the fastest rising featherweights in the UFC. He’s just 23-years-old, but Saturday night will already be his eleventh fight inside the octagon. He’s one of the best strikers in the division, his ground game is rapidly improving, and he’s the only man to go the distance with current number one contender Conor McGregor in the UFC. Since his loss to the Irish star, he’s won four straight, finishing all of his opponents and collecting a Knockout of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus. Saturday night he takes on TUF 5 competitor Cole Miller, and a win will give Holloway five in a row, the longest streak of his career.
4: Daniel Weichel, Bellator 133
Speaking of rising featherweights, Daniel Weichel might be the one to keep an eye on above all others this weekend. Since September of 2012, he’s won six straight, including an 8-man Bellator featherweight tournament. Weichel isn’t some hot young prospect on the rise though. He’s 30-years-old, and his skills are peaking. Right now is his time to shine, and a win Friday night over former champ Curran not only solidifies Weichel as a top-tier featherweight, but it secures him a title fight against champion Patricio Pitbull.
3: Marlon Moraes, WSOF 18
Marlon Moraes, the WSOF Bantamweight Champion, could arguably be number one on this list. But until he finds himself in the UFC, or even Bellator, he’ll be stuck fighting subpar competition. When you think of top bantamweights, you think of TJ Dillashaw, Dominick Cruz, Renan Barao, Urijah Faber, Raphael Assuncao, Joe Warren, Eduardo Dantas, Mike Richman or Marcos Galvao. All of those men are in the UFC or Bellator. Until Moraes faces off with them, he’ll be stuck on the outside looking in. For more on Moraes, here’s what I wrote about him last September after his most recent fight.
2: Benson Henderson, UFC Fight Night 60
Benson Henderson is a name everyone is familiar with. A former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion, he’s currently stuck in the roughest patch of his career, losing back-to-back fights for the first time ever. He was knocked out by current lightweight number one contender Rafael dos Anjos, and followed that up with a heartbreaking split decision loss to longtime rival and friend Donald Cerrone a mere three weeks ago. He was itching to get back in the cage right away, and he gets his wish Saturday night in the main event opposite Brandon Thatch. This is no ordinary fight for the former champ: he’s moving up from lightweight to welterweight. Can Henderson bounce back from his first losing streak at a higher weight class? Our number one on the list will have something to say about that.
1: Brandon Thatch, UFC Fight Night 60
Since 2009, Thatch is 10-0 (2-0 UFC). All eleven of his career wins have come via first round stoppage; four by submission and seven by knockout. Thatch always come out of gate fast, and last weekend, he described his style as “calculated violence” on the Parting Shot MMA podcast. Henderson is unquestionably the biggest challenge of his career, but Thatch will enjoy a size advantage, and if he can keep this one on the feet, he’ll have the edge there too. A win over Henderson could catapult Thatch into the top 15 of the division, and the 29-year-old could be on the verge of some very big fights. Brandon Thatch is the fighter to watch this weekend.
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