This weekend, the three biggest North American MMA promotions are each putting on an event. Tonight, Friday, April 10th, sees World Series of Fighting 20 on NBC Sports Network from Ledyard, Connecticut, and Bellator 136 on Spike TV from Irvine, California. On Saturday, UFC Fight Night 62 is live from Krakow, Poland on the UFC’s exclusive streaming service, UFC Fight Pass. There’s 34 fights over the next two days, and for whatever reason, you might not be able to watch all of them. Here’s the top 10 fights you can’t miss:
10: Fabricio Guerreiro vs John Teixeira, Bellator 136
The reason you need to watch this fight is all about Fabricio Guerreiro. Guerreiro, 24, is a fast-rising Brazilian prospect in Bellator’s stacked featherweight division. He already has impressive wins over former Bellator tournament champions Shabulat Shamhalaev and Desmond Green, and after having his scheduled bout in January scrapped at the last moment due to his opponent pulling out, Guerreiro is chomping at the bit to get back in the cage. Opposite him is John Teixeira, a veteran of the first season of TUF Brazil. Teixeira is a gaudy 17-1, and while I expect Guerreiro to win impressively, Teixeira will not make it easy on him.
9: David Branch vs Jesse McElligott, WSOF 20
Like the previous fight, this one is all about David Branch. Branch is the current WSOF Middleweight Champion, and tonight, he was supposed to be facing Ronny Markes in the semifinal round of WSOF’s light heavyweight title tournament. Unfortunately, Markes had to pull out yesterday due to dehydration, and Branch now faces late replacement Jesse McElligott. The other semifinal fight saw late replacement Teddy Holder upset favorite Thiago Silva, can McElligott do the same to Branch? We’ll find out tonight.
8: Ben Fodor vs Emmanuel Walo, WSOF 20
There’s a bit of a theme to this list: for the third fight in a row, this fight is mostly about one man. In this fight, that man is Ben Fodor, a.k.a. Phoenix Jones. As Phoenix Jones, Fodor leads the Rain City Superhero Movement, a group of superheroes in Seattle, Washington. That’s right: a real life superhero will be entering WSOF’s cage tonight. Fodor is no joke though, as he boasts a 5-0-1 record so far in his pro MMA career. His opponent is Emmanuel Walo, who is not impressed by Fodor’s Phoenix Jones routine and is looking for the villain to defeat the hero tonight.
7: Gabriel Gonzaga vs Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, UFC Fight Night 64
Nearly eight years to the day, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop are set to rematch. Of course in their first meeting, Gonzaga famously knocked Cro Cop out with a headkick in the main event of UFC 70. They main event once more, with Cro Cop looking for revenge, and Gonzaga trying to prove the first time was no fluke. Plus, they’re both heavyweights with shaky chins, so the likelihood of this one ending in a knockout is high.
6: Nick Newell vs Joe Condon, WSOF 20
And we’re back to focussing on one individual making this bout must see. In this case, it’s congenital amputee Nick Newell. Newell has no left arm below his elbow, but that didn’t stop him from starting his MMA career 11-0 and earning a title fight with WSOF Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje last July. Gaethje beat Newell by technical knockout in the second round, and Newell hasn’t fought since. Tonight, he’s back, and everyone’s anxious to see how he bounces back from his first career defeat. His opponent is Joe Condon, who won his WSOF debut last January.
5: Joanne Calderwood vs Maryna Moroz, UFC Fight Night 64
One final bout that’s all about one man, or, in this case, woman. Joanne Calderwood vs Maryna Moroz is all about Calderwood. As a pro, Calderwood is 9-0, and her only loss as an amateur was in the quarterfinals of TUF 20 to eventual runner-up Rose Namajunas. Calderwood is a highly regarded striker, and a win over Moroz, who makes her UFC debut on Saturday, likely earns Calderwood a fight with new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title, possibly in July in Calderwood’s native Scotland.
4: Joe Schilling vs Rafael Carvalho, Bellator 136
Kickboxing superstar Joe Schilling makes his second trip to the Bellator cage tonight when he takes on Rafael Carvalho in the co-main event of Bellator 136. In 2008, Schilling had four MMA fights, going 1-3 and admittedly not taking it seriously. Since then, he’s gone 12-5 in kickboxing, including finishing as the runner-up in the Glory 8-man Middleweight Championship Tournament. Last November, he made a triumphant return to MMA with a knockout of Melvin Manhoef. Tonight he has a bit of a stiffer test in the form of Carvalho. Carvalho will pose a much bigger ground threat to Schilling than Manhoef did, and Carvalho has won ten straight fights, including a knockout of Brian Rogers in his Bellator debut last September.
3: Jimi Manuwa vs Jan Blachowicz, UFC Fight Night 64
The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 64 will be an awesome striking affair between Jimi Manuwa and Poland’s own Jan Blachowicz. Manuwa is 14-1 and coming off of his first career loss. 13 of his 14 wins are by knockout. Blachowicz will not be scared to stand and trade with the Englishman thought. Blachowicz is 18-3, with five of his wins by knockout and seven by submission. He’s coming in off of an impressive UFC debut, and he’ll no doubt want to put on a show for his people Saturday night.
2: Alexander Sarnavskiy vs Marcin Held, Bellator 136
The second best fight this weekend is an awesome lightweight match-up between Alexander Sarnavskiy and Marcin Held. Both men are young, with the Russian Sarnavskiy 26-years-old, and the Pole Held even younger at 23-years-old. Combined, they have 55 fights, and a mere five losses between them. Both men are the future of the division, and stylistically, this should be a great fight, with the winner possibly earning a lightweight title shot. Speaking of the lightweight title…
1: Will Brooks vs Dave Jansen, Bellator 136
The top fight to watch this weekend is the main event of Bellator 136, where Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks defends his title against Dave Jansen. In the fall of 2013, Brooks tore through the Season 9 Lightweight Tournament to earn a title shot. From there, he beat then-champ Michael Chandler in a five round thriller to win the belt, then put an exclamation mark on it by knocking Chandler out in their immediate rematch. As for Jansen, he’s 7-0 in Bellator, including winning the Season 7 Lightweight Tournament. Injuries have slowed him down, and he’s only fought once in the last two years, but tonight, he finally gets his title shot. Brooks is the brash, young champion, and Jansen is the long-time veteran finally getting his shot at the top. Both men have great wrestling, and both have improved their striking leaps and bounds over the past few years. This will be an awesome fight, and it is undoubtably the top fight to watch this weekend.
