6 Must See Scraps: October 2012

It’s October and the sun is setting earlier, the leaves are beginning to fall off the trees, and another month of mixed martial arts action is upon us.

Two major events –UFC on FX 5, UFC 153– round out the October MMA schedule with plenty of pivotal match-ups on tap. While no championship belts are on the line this October, there are still plenty of fights to keep an eye out for as the world’s most elite athletes will battle for respect, relevance, and future contendership.

October will undeniably have a number of memorable fights, however, only six can make the list. With that said, here are the fights you CANNOT miss this coming month.

(In Chronological Order)

The Who: John Dodson vs. Jussier Formiga (Flyweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 5th – UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot
The Where: Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Goods: The first challenger to newly crowned UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will be determined on Oct. 5 when “The Ultimate Fighter” season 14 winner John Dodson meets UFC newcomer Jussier Da Silva in a featured bout at UFC on FX 5.

Dodson (13-5) won “The Ultimate Fighter” competing as a bantamweight but immediately dropped down to flyweight once the UFC introduced the weight class. “The Magician” is one of the fastest fighters in the weight class and holds serious finishing abilities in his hands as seen by his quick knockout of T.J. Dillashaw in the “TUF” finale. The 28-year-old had title aspirations as soon as a 125-pound weight class became available in the UFC and he is now only one fight away from challenging for the gold.

Formiga (14-1) has the chance to do what few fighters before him have done by earning a UFC title shot in his debut fight with the organization. Even though the Brazilian has not been fighting in the UFC, he is still one of the top-5 flyweights in the world with his only career loss coming to another flyweight contender in Ian McCall. Formiga is a very dangerous grappler who has won half of his fights by submission.

The Verdict: The UFC is wasting no time in putting together another flyweight title fight after Demetrious Johnson edged Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 to win the belt. Of all the fighters currently signed with the organization, Dodson and Formiga are by far the most compelling challengers and with so much on the line it should be an extremely entertaining bout. The flyweights are always fun to watch, but when they are competing for a shot at UFC gold it just makes things that much more fascinating.

The Who: Travis Browne (13-0-1) vs. Antonio Silva (16-4) (Heavyweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 5th – UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot
The Where: Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Goods: Two massive, powerful heavyweight headline the UFC’s first trip to Minneapolis since UFC 87 when undefeated Travis “Hapa” Browne takes on former EliteXC heavyweight champion and former Strikeforce heavyweight contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Browne (13-0-1) had a fight lined up for UFC on FOX 4 on Aug. 4, but was forced off the card after his scheduled opponent, Ben Rothwell, was forced off the card just nine days prior to the event. Although a search for a replacement to face Browne did occur, no suitable opponent could be found on short notice and the 30-year-old was pulled from the card. The situation worked out for the better, though, as Browne will headline a UFC event for the first time in his career on Oct. 5. Browne is currently undefeated in five UFC appearances and has won three of those bouts by knockout or submission.

Silva (16-4) is coming off a first round TKO loss to former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 146 last May. The fight against Velasquez was Silva’s first with the organization after a five-fight stint in the Strikeforce organization where he picked up wins over Andre Arlovski, Mike Kyle and Fedor Emelianenko. The Brazilian is in a must-win situation after losing back-to-back fights and will look to rebound from a disappointing octagon debut with a strong performance against Browne.

The Verdict: Something crazy is sure to happen when Travis Browne and Antonio Silva step into the cage against one another. With a combined 25 finishes out of 29 career wins, Browne and Silva like to fight until their opponent is either knocked out or gives up via submission. Expect a battle regardless of where the fight takes place and given the history of the two big men, the chances of the fight going five full rounds are laughably minimal.

The Who: Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva (Welterweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 13th – UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar
The Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The Goods: Welterweight contenders collide on the main card of UFC 153 as Brazilian prospect Erick Silva takes on former Num. 1 contender Jon Fitch in a bout that will show if the landscape is shifting in the welterweight division or if the supposed best are hanging on to their places in the rankings.

Fitch (23-4-1, 1 NC) fights for the first time since Dec. 2011 when he was knocked out by fellow welterweight contender Johnny Hendricks in just 11-seconds. The loss brought an end to Fitch’s six-fight unbeaten streak and marked the first time he was finished in 16 UFC fights. The American Kickboxing Academy product was slated to fight Aaron Simpson at UFC on FUEL TV 4 on July 11, but a knee injury that required surgery forced him off the card. The welterweight division has shifted a lot since Fitch last competed, and he will look to reestablish his place in the pecking order with a win at UFC 153.

Silva (14-2) last entered the Octagon at UFC on FX 4 where he submitted Charlie Brenneman in the first round with a rear-naked choke. The 28-year-old is 2-1 under the UFC banner and gets a stern leap in competition against a top-10 opponent in Fitch. The Brazilian has received a lot of attention from UFC fans and is being pegged as a potential title challenger in the future. The fight against the always-tough Fitch will prove where he stands in the welterweight division.

The Verdict: While there aren’t many people out there who enjoy watching Jon Fitch fight, his bout with Silva is fascinating for a number of reasons, the biggest of all is to find out if Erick Silva is ready and capable of taking out a fighter who has challenged for UFC gold and hung around the top-5 of the weight class for years. If Silva can take Fitch out it would be a huge statement to the rest of the welterweight division that there is a new contender emerging to challenge for the gold. If Fitch wins, he shuts down the hype of a rising star and shows he still has what it takes to be one of the very best.

The Who: Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado (Light Heavyweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 13th – UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar
The Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The Goods: Once Quinton “Rampage” Jackson withdrew from UFC 153 due to injury, Glover Teixeira needed an opponent to face on short notice. It has been well documented since Teixeira got into the UFC that the organization had a hard time finding opponents to face the Brazilian, but Fabio Maldonado stepped up and took the fight. While the bout no longer included a household name in Jackson, the new match up is arguably more compelling.

Teixeira (18-2) made a successful UFC debut last May when he submitted Kyle Kingsbury in less than two minutes at UFC 146. The win was the Brazilian’s 16th consecutive victory over the past six years, 15 of which have come by (T)KO or submission.

Maldonado (18-5) is currently on a two-fight skid in the UFC after starting his Octagon career with a victory over James McSweeney. The 32-year old was scheduled to face Cyrille Diabate at UFC 154, but was pulled from the bout in favor of facing Teixeira. Much like his opponent, Maldonado prefers to strike with his opponents as 12 of his 18 victories are by way of (T)KO. From the moment Jackson was off the UFC 153 card, Maldonado began a public campaign to replace the former light heavyweight champion, and the UFC granted his wish.

The Verdict: The light heavyweight bout on the main card of UFC 153 between Glover Teixeira and Fabio Maldonado has the potential to be one of the best striking battles of the year due to the willingness of both men to stand up and trade punches regardless of the circumstances. Don’t blink when Teixeira and Maldonado enter the cage because it is nearly guaranteed one of them is taking a nap.

The Who: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dave Herman (Heavyweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 13th – UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar
The Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The Goods: After having his arm broke by Frank Mir at UFC 140 last December, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will return the Octagon at UFC 153 as the former PRIDE heavyweight champion is set to take on American Dave Herman in the co-main event of the evening.

Nogueira (33-7-1, 1 NC) attempted to return from his arm injury against Cheick Kongo at UFC 149, however the Brazilian pulled out of the fight at the last minute after he reinjured himself and was replaced by Shawn Jordan. Prior to the fight with Mir, Nogueira knocked out Brendan Schaub in the first round at UFC 134 in Brazil. “Big Nog” has alternated wins and losses over his last five bouts and is undefeated on Brazilian soil in his career.

Herman (21-4) will look to get back in the win column at UFC 153 after being stopped in back-to-back fights against Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson. Before suffering consecutive losses, Herman had won 21 of his 23 professional fights. The 27-year-old will be looking to have his hand raised for the first time since June 2011 and tweeted he is “excited to retire Minotauro” at UFC 153.

The Verdict: Both Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Dave Herman had extremely tough outings in their most recent bouts and it is a guarantee they will be hungry for a victory. Herman claims he is going to “retire” Nogueira, however that claim is going to take a lot of work to back up, especially in front of an extremely pro-Nogueira Brazilian crowd. Both men should be admired for their willingness to step up on short notice and add depth to the UFC 153 fight card. The bout is worth watching simply to see Nogueira compete. The Brazilian legend only has a few fights left in his tank and you never know which could be his last. Seeing one of the sport’s all-time greats is always worth it.

The Who: Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar (Light Heavyweight Bout)
The When: Saturday, October 13th – UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar
The Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The Goods: Few expected Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar to be the fight the UFC would pull out of their hat to save the UFC 153 fight card, but it’s the best they were able to do. Just when fans thought they weren’t going to see Silva compete until 2013, the champ offered to fight a non-title bout at light heavyweight so the crowd had something to watch.

Silva (32-4) is the undisputed number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. The longtime middleweight champion is undefeated in the UFC at 15-0 with 10 wins by (T)KO. The Brazilian last fought at UFC 148 in July where he defeated nemesis Chael Sonnen by TKO in the second round. Silva’s move to light heavyweight is not permanent, win or lose, he will likely return to 185-pounds to defend his championship. The 37-year-old has fought twice in the UFC at 205-pounds, defeating both James Irvin and Forrest Griffin by first round knockout.

Bonnar (14-7) has contemplated retirement from the sport in recent months, citing that he wanted a big fight or he would hang up his gloves for good. “The American Psycho” was granted his wish by the UFC as he will face by far the biggest challenge of his career at UFC 153 and look to be the first man to hand Silva a loss in the UFC. Bonnar has not competed since defeating Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139 in Nov. 2011; however, the 37-year-old is currently riding his longest win streak since 2005-2006, having won three bouts in a row.

The Verdict: The UFC is selling this match up as exactly what it is. It’s either going to be squash match for Silva or Bonnar is going to pull out the most historic upset of all time and hand the sport’s Num. 1 pound-for-pound fighter the first loss of his UFC career. Most people see it going the way of Silva but as spectators have seen in MMA a million times, anything can happen. Order UFC 153 and watch Silva work his magic and dismantle Bonnar or see “The American Psycho” do what no one thinks he can.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.