It’s that time of the month again, it’s time to go through the top 10 best fights involving Canadians outside the UFC. The best part about it is that October is stuffed so full of great MMA fights that it feels like a pillow case full of candy bursting at the seems. Since there are so many tasty tussles this month, there is bound to be much debate over which one’s were included and which were left off the list, so the honorable mentions section has been brought back. Now sit back, relax, grab some still expensive Halloween candy, and enjoy this month’s Top Maple Leaf Match Ups:
Honorable Mentions
* Craig Hudson (4-5) vs. Kalib Starnes (16-10-1) – XFFC 7 – Grande Prairie – October 9
* Spencer Jebb (10-4) vs. David Perron (7-5) – XFFC 7 – Grande Prairie – October 9
* Mario Perreira (4-1) vs. Tristan Connelly (5-4) – Battlefield Fight League 39 – Vancouver – October 17
* Chris Day (3-0) vs. David Moon (2-1) – Battlefield Fight League 39 – Vancouver – October 17
* Marc-André Barriault (3-0) vs. Jo Vallée (2-1) – Hybrid Pro Series 4 – Montreal – October 17
* Lindsay Garbatt (2-1) vs. Valerie Mejia (2-0) – Hard Knocks 46 – Calgary – October 23
* Alexi Argyriou (2-0) vs. Mike O’Neill (5-4) – Hard Knocks 46 – Calgary – October 23
* Jordan McKay (7-2) vs. Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (4-0) – Prestige FC – Weyburn – October 24
* Ty Collier (2-1) vs. Travis Gervais (3-1) – Prestige FC – Weyburn – October 24
* Matt DiMarcantonio (8-5) vs. Peter Petties (3-0) – GPG 22 – New Jersey – October 24
Top 10 Maple Leaf Match Ups
Todd Stoute at SCC 1 (photo: Mike Fischl)
10. Todd Stoute @BlackHulkNation (6-3) vs. William Carriere (3-1)
XFFC 7 – Grande Prairie – October 9
An extreme fan favorite in his home town of Grand Prairie, Alberta but a novelty in the rest of Canada, William Carriere has quietly become one of the more exciting fighters to watch on every XFFC card. Sure, his competition has not been stellar and, sure, his techniques are, well, missing technique, but his brute force attacks and blitzing speed have made him a Light-Heavyweight to be feared. Todd Stoute, once a highly touted 205 lbs. prospect, lost some of his momentum going just 2-3 in his past five outings. But what you can’t take away from this Toronto, Ontario native is his five TKO/KO finishes. This is a match up between two big heavy hitters that need the win to legitimize themselves or stay relevant. No matter! This will be the most exciting five minutes or less of cage time we see this month, don’t blink.
9. Arjan Bhullar @1ArjanSingh (2-0) vs. Blake Nash (3-1)
Battlefield Fight League 39 – Vancouver – October 17
It’s not very often we, as Canadian MMA fans, get to see a competitive Heavyweight scrap and rarely, if ever, is it between two emerging prospects. That is exactly what BFL has organised for us this month. Arjan Bhullar‘s wrestling credentials are staggering: a 2012 Olympian, a 2010 Commonwealth Games Champion, and Canadian Wrestler of the Year for 2009 just to name a few. He’s gone 2-0 in professional MMA and knocked off BFL’s other Heavyweight prospect Adam Santos via TKO in the third round. Blake Nash, a member of the Maximum Training Centre in Windsor, Ontario, is currently riding a two fight win streak including a 16 second KO of Ryan Pokryfky. Bhullar’s wrestling will finally be put to the test against a heavy handed striker and one will emerge with BFL’s gold wrapped around their waist.
8. Aiemann Zahabi @AiemannZahabi (4-0) vs. Jeremy Dichiara @J_DiChiara (2-0)
Hybrid Pro Series 4 – Montreal – October 17
A lot has been made about Aiemann Zahabi‘s opponents. More exactly, a lot has been made about how bad his past opponents have been. At the time Zahabi stepped in the cage with them, his opponents had a combined record of 11-20. Now, throw that talk out the window. Hybrid Combat has lined up a legit combatant from a very legit camp. Now Zahabi, who obviously trains out of Tristar, did exactly what he should have done in his past bouts, which is finish them all in the first round – three via submission and one by way of KO. In steps Jeremy DiChiara, who currently trains out of Wulfrun MMA and recently spent some time in Thailand shoring up his stand up game. He also finished all of his professional outings in the first round. Zahabi needs this win to prove he is a viable contender among Canada’s Bantamweight division while Dichiara could get no bigger win this early in his career than defeating a member of the Zahabi bloodline.
7. Eric Wilson (6-6) vs. Ilias Sanoudaksi (3-0)
Prestige FC – Weyburn – October 24
Prestige FC decided to pull out all the stops for their premiere. Instead of just promoting themselves as a regional promotion and serving their fans the usual swathe of Midwestern fighters, they brought in fighters from around the country putting hot prospects against proven veterans. That’s exactly what we get in this fight as another Tristar fighter who struggled to get fights not only faces a veteran but one of the most durable Bantamweights this country has to offer. Ilias Sanoudaksi, a long time training partner of Kajan Johnson, has had an extremely hard time finding opponents and has not touched the canvas since May 2014. Currently 3-0, Louie Sanos owns two first round submissions including one over Ottawa area prospect Pablo Santos. Eric Wilson may only have a .500 record but that because if you have been ranked 1 through 5 in the Canadian Bantamweight rankings, you must have had to tangle with Eric Wilson. Not only does Wilson have to fight the best in the best in the country, only one of the best, John Fraser, was ever able to finish him. Can Wilson halt his 3 fight skid or will Sanoudaksi prove his worth over the cagey veteran?
Brandt Dewsbery (photo: Mike Fischl)
6. Brandt Dewsbery @DewsberyMMA (14-3-1) vs. Christopher Boisvert (4-3)
Rumble in the Cage 51 – Lethbridge – October 2
9-2 over his past eleven outings and currently riding a four fight win streak, “The Peppermint Hippo” has to be close to a shot at the bigger leagues. Brandt Dewsbery even holds a submission win over current RFA title contender Benjamin Smith but due to all those accolades, it has been a chore to find Dewsbery a scrap. Luckily for him, he trains at a great gym who’s owner is also a promoter, so at least he can get a fight a stay busy inside the RITC cage. On the surface, this is definitely a “stay busy” fight for Dewsbery as Christopher Boisvert is a capable and durable Lightweight who has moved up in weight. If you take a look a Boisvert’s record, he was a staple of the Quebec scene up until 2011 when he fell of the radar. He resurfaced in Alberta in 2014 in the MFC, dispatching the then undefeated Nick Hrabec and followed that up with a win over Jonathan Cowan – both at 170lbs while finishing both in the first round. This is supposed to be a win for Dewsbery in front of his hometown crowd while increasing his win streak, but he’ll need to take Boisvert seriously as “The Tank” has the power to blow his head off.
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Jose Rodriguez
5. Mandel Nallo @NoTweetMandel (3-0) vs. Jose Rodriguez @JoseRozottoMMA (7-3)
Prestige FC – Weyburn – October 24
There are three certainties when you are a Tristar trained prospect: 1) you will get some of the best training around, 2) no opponent you fight will be good enough according to fans, 3) no one will accept a fight against you. These are three things that Mandel Nallo has had to deal with since starting his pro career and choosing to train at Tristar. Luckily, Prestige FC and Jose Rodriguez have changed that for the young Lightweight as Prestige found him a place to fight and Rodriguez stepped up to the plate. Since taking almost a three year sabbatical from MMA, “The Rockstar” has not found his footing back in the cage as he has dropped two decisions in a row to Derek Boyle and Stephen Beaumont. In this matchup, either Nallo will prove he is a legit and soaring Lightweight or Rodriguez will once again find his former form.
4. Kurt Southern @KurtSouthern (13-6) vs. Daniel Swain @Swain_MMA (14-5-1)
Prestige FC – Weyburn – October 24
After taking a two year hiatus, Kurt Southern returned to the MMA scene in 2013 with a vengeance. His goal? To capture the MFC Lightweight crown. Unfortunately for him, he ran into his own personal kryptonite known as current TUF 22 competitor Tom Gallicchio, who defeated him twice in a row via arm bar. With the departure of the MFC, Southern again took another hiatus to shore up his submission game and work on his diet as he has now reinvented himself as a Featherweight and Prestige FC’s debut card will be his coming out party. Daniel Swain, a product of AKA, is the epitome of an MMA journeyman and not in the bad sense as he has traveled extensively throughout his career from the RFA to M-1 to Pancrase and even up into the great fight north competing for BFL, MFC, and Caged Rage. Both men have very similar records, over 20 fights, and have suffered from the same career issue, consistency. Now, matched up against each other in the co main event, they need this win to continue on the path to the big leagues.
Matt MacGrath (photo: Martin Blais | Aggro Photography)
3. Matt MacGrath @MattMacGrathMMA (16-8) vs. Michael Hill @MMAMike (8-3)
Elite 1 MMA – Moncton – October 3
Matt MacGrath has to be on the cusp of a shot at either UFC or Bellator. He is currently the Welterweight champion in three promotions (Elite 1, ECC and XFFC) and has amassed a six fight win streak. Seriously, what else does a guy have to do to get a crack at the big leagues? Michael Hill has seen mixed success since his time spent on The Ultimate Fighter 16. He has only gone 4-3 since, but his losses have come against some of the sports tougher Welterweights in the form of Ryan Ford, Joel Powell and Bristol Marunde. This is a must win bout for both men as MacGrath needs to extend his win streak for his big league shot and Hill needs this victory to remain relevant among Canada’s elite 170 pounders.
2. Jesse Arnett @BigCatsReal (8-4) vs. Dimitri Waardenburg @DW401 (11-7)
Hard Knocks 46 – Calgary – October 23
As much as some Canadian MMA fans might hate to admit it, Jesse Arnett is one of the hottest fighters in Canada these days. Hard Knocks recognizes this and has given the much improved Bantamweight a shot at their vacant title. Arnett is currently riding a five fight win streak while most recently dispatching UFC veteran and perennial top Canadian Bantamweight Roland Delorme via second round TKO. Across the cage from Arnett will be one of Canada’s top strikers in the 135 lbs division Dimitri Waardenburg. “No Stress” might not have the glossiest record but that’s due to the fact he has faced almost every top Bantamweight Canada has to offer including: Mitch Gagnon, Chris Kelades and Michael Imperato. Arnett may have faced tough opposition over his current win streak but most, if not all, were ground specialists and his match up with Waardenburg will put him right in front of a deadly striker. Has the wrestler’s hands improved? Fans will find out October 23rd.
Jesse Ronson (photo: Mike Fischl)
1. Jesse Ronson @Ronsoff (15-5) vs. Alexander Sarnavskiy @Tiger_Sanavski (30-3)
Abu Dhabi Warriors 3 – Abu Dhabi – October 3
With his match up against Magomedrasul Khasbulaev falling through due to visa issues, it has left “The Body Snatcher” more time to train for “Tiger” Saranvskiy. Since receiving his UFC pink slip last July, Jesse Ronson has gone 2-0 finishing both Dom O’Grady and Gadji Zaipulaev in the second round. Alexander Sarnavskiy a long time veteran of the Russian MMA scene signed with Bellator MMA in October 2012 and has gone 5-3 inside the round cage with wins over the likes of Marcus Davis, Ricardo Tirloni, and Dakota Cochrane. For Ronson, this is easily the biggest bout so far in his career, as he needs not only a win, but an impressive one to earn a return trip to the UFC’s Octagon. Can he catch the Tiger by the tail?