Your weekly look at what MMA’s big-show veterans are up to on the regional circuit.
In the shadow of Diaz vs. McGregor last weekend, over a dozen former UFC fighters took to the ring in hopes of working their way back to the limelight, with Friday’s TitanFC 37 playing host to more than a few.
In the co-main event, Steven Siler (28-15, 5-4 UFC), on the strength of a five-fight winning streak, made a bid for the undefeated Andre Harrison‘s featherweight title. Harrison maintained his dustless record, out-dueling Siler across the full five for a split-decision victory. This is Harrison’s second title defense. Siler slips to 5-2 in his post-UFC career.
And Tim Elliott (13-6-1, 2-4 UFC) successfully defended his TitanFC flyweight title, coming out ahead on the scorecards against Pedro Nobre (17-2-2, 1NC UFC). Having handed Nobre his first loss in nearly four years, Elliott improves to 3-0 since the unanimous decision loss to Zach Makovsky that ended his UFC campaign.
Also on the card, Pat Healy (30-21, 0-4-1NC UFC) rebounded from his split-decision loss to Rick Hawn with a decision win of his own against Muhsin Corbbrey (14-9, 0-2 WEC, 2-1 EliteXC). Corbbrey, who had a close fight with Nick Diaz in EliteXC, sees a recent win-streak come to a halt at four. Healy moves to 4-1 since being released from the UFC; another title shot in TitanFC seems likely, given champion’s Hawn’s retirement last October.
On the undercard, E.J. Brooks (9-5, 4-1 Bellator) handed Ben Egli (6-1-0) his first career loss via unanimous decision; Jason Novelli (11-1-0) took a unanimous decision over Zak Bucia (15-7, 1-2 Strikeforce); and Gabriel Solorio (13-11-0) upset TUF18’s Anthony Gutierrez (7-3-0) by split-decision.
And in Warsaw, Poland, in the main event of KSW 34, heavyweight champion Karol Bedorf (14-2-0) turned away challenger James McSweeney in the first, folding him up with kicks to the body before marching into phone booth range and overwhelming him with a barrage of hooks and uppercuts. With his third title defense, Bedorf extends his winning streak to eight. McSweeney (15-14, 1-2 UFC) slips to 3-3 in the last two years.
Watch Bedorf vs. McSweeney here.
Also on the card, Maciej Jewtuszko (12-3, 0-1 UFC, 1-0 WEC) forced a submission due to strikes from Krzystztof Kulak (26-15-2) in Round 2. Jewtuszko is 4-2 since his lone UFC appearance in 2011.
And in Minnesota, at RFA 36, Chico Camus (15-7, 3-4-1NC UFC) put himself back in the win column with his unanimous decision victory over Matt Brown (10-6-0).
Other Results
Karen Darabedyan (11-5, 1-2 WEC) made a successful return from his two-year hiatus, submitting Pablo Sabori (7-3-0) with a first-round rear-naked choke in the California Xtreme Fighting headliner.
At Heat 37, bantamweight title challenger Takeshi Kasugai (17-4-1) unseated Motonobu Tezuka (27-11-5, 0-2 UFC) following a split-decision verdict. The bout is a rematch of a 2014 fight, which Kasugai also won.
At Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s Unified MMA 26, heavyweight Tim Hague (20-12, 1-3 UFC) was TKO’d for the third time in a row, succumbing to the elbows of 24-year-old prospect Tanner Boser (9-1-0) in Round 2. Boser’s victory evens the score between him and Hague, who knocked Boser out last year in the opening few seconds of the fight.
Jay Silva (10-10-1, 0-2 UFC, 1-1 Bellator) picked up a much-needed win, claiming a unanimous decision over neophyte Guram Mestvirishvili (0-1-0) at Ring of Combat 54.
At London’s Full Contact Contender 15, Brendan Loughnane (11-2, 0-1 UFC) successfully defended his lightweight title from David Lee (12-10, 0-2 UFC), stopping Lee with strikes in Round 1.
In the main event of WBK 11, Jumabieke Tuerxun (16-3-1, 0-3 UFC) captured the organization’s vacant featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Alison Marques (2-1-1). The two had fought to a draw last November.
And TUF Nations alum Chris Indich (5-4, 0-2 UFC) stumbled in his return to the regional circuit, dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Johns (4-0-0) in the main event of Carnage in the Cage 6.