...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The month of June features a lot of MMA action on television, from the UFC's Fuel TV event in Brazil and pay-per-view in Winnipeg, to the return of the World Series of Fighting on NBC Sports Network, and Bellator's first summer series event on Spike TV. There aren't a ton of huge names competing this month, but there are several highly intriguing fights coming in the next 30 days; here are five fights that have my attention this month in chronological order:
Erick Silva vs. Jason High - UFC on Fuel 10
Jason High is returning to the UFC for the first time since being unceremoniously released following a decision loss to Charlie Brenneman in his debut in 2010. He's been fighting for respect since then, compiling seven straight wins - and dealing with the frustration of trying to get a fight in Strikeforce down the stretch - en route to this return.
He's jumped up the card to take on Silva after John Hathaway was forced out of the event in Brazil, and stylistically this could be a really fun matchup. High's got a good grappling game with some striking behind it, while Silva's a well rounded and dangerous fighter. Throw in the storylines of Silva trying to bounce back from his loss to Jon Fitch last fall and High out to prove he belongs among the top level welterweights, and this should be a fantastic fight.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira - UFC on Fuel 10
Just shy of seven years since they fought in Pride's 2006 Openweight Grand Prix, Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira will square off next weekend following a stint coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2." Werdum's looked excellent through two fights back in the UFC after a horrid fight with Alistair Overeem in 2011, and given the ground games both fighters possess it should be another good fight between the two. Add in Werdum's improved striking shown in his past couple of fights, and Nogueira's no longer unbeatable chin, and this could provide for a highlight-reel style finish. Regardless, it's a hell of a fight, especially for free TV on Fuel.
Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman - WSOF 3
Jon Fitch had one of his best ever performances last October against the aforementioned Erick Silva, putting on a beating in the third round of that fight which was thrilling to watch. However, a one-sided loss to Demian Maia, where he was thoroughly mauled, led to a surprising release from the UFC, and he'll make his debut this month in the World Series of Fighting against a man he's beaten once before.
This is another rematch of a fight from 2006, where Fitch scored a submission win in the second round. But they're both in different spots in 2013, and Burkman has found a decent run in himself over the last few years. That includes a current four-fight winning streak that most recently saw him knock out Aaron Simpson in Simpson's first fight since his own release from the UFC.
There are a lot of those little storylines into this one, and with Fitch no longer needing to fight like he's going to be released at the drop of a hat, we might see something different out of him in this one. Again, it's another free fight, and is one of the better matchups the WSOF has to offer right now.
Alex Davis vs. Rosi Sexton - UFC 161
Over her last five fights in both Strikeforce and Invicta Fighting Championships, Alexis Davis has gone 4-1, with the sole loss being a majority decision in a fantastic "Fight of the Year" candidate against former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman. Three of her four wins in that stretch have come by stoppage, including her last two over Hitomi Akano and Shayna Baszler into this UFC debut.
Sexton brings a stellar 13-2 record with her into this debut, with her two losses coming to Zoila Gurgel in Bellator and by Gina Carano back in 2006. She's won three straight fights since the Gurgel bout, but has competed sparingly, and was close to walking away from the sport before the opportunity to fight in the UFC presented itself, and she's actually moving up in weight for this fight.
That said, this remains an excellent matchup in the UFC's young women's division, and Davis especially could prove to be a future contender if she does what should be expected of her into this one.
Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley - UFC 161
Now, had this fight been put together a year ago, I wouldn't be nearly as intrigued by it, but Woodley's wild brawl with Nate Marquardt followed by the absolute starching of Jay Hieron in his UFC return have him rightfully back on the radar. Shields is coming back to the welterweight division, and he has a lot to prove in what has been a rather underwhelming run thus far in the UFC.
Shields' high point came in his final Strikeforce fight when he pulled off that upset over Dan Henderson, but a razor thin win over Martin Kampmann, a lackluster loss to Georges St-Pierre, a knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger, and fairly dull wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Ed Herman (changed to a no contest after a failed drug test) have him in an awkward spot.
Both are highly talented grapplers, and that actually plays well into Woodley's newfound brawling abilities. Because he can keep things standing, even against a fighter like Shields, Woodley's got the best tool to win this fight with the KO power he's shown. The possibility of that type of connection has this one right up there with the best of the month, and if it remains on the FX Prelims of this card, it could serve as a great final lead-in to the pay-per-view portion of the card in Winnipeg.
Honorable Mentions: Jacob Volkman vs. Lyle Beerbohm (WSOF 3), Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson (UFC 161), Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan (UFC 161)
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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