Weekend MMA Breakdown: Notable Non-UFC, Bellator Matchups

Cody Saftic / January 25, 2013 - 2:01pm

You’ve heard about all the big UFC fights happening this weekend, but here are some notable fights you might have missed:

5. WHO: Jamie Toney (16-7) vs. Nicolae Cury (7-3)
WHERE: Spartan FC 17: The Homecoming, Ashland, Kentucky, USA
WHY IT MATTERS: Nine-year MMA veteran Jamie Toney enters the cage for the first time this year when he takes on one-time Bellator competitor Nicolae “The Armor” Cury in Kentucky. Toney is currently under contract with Canada’s Maximum Fighting Championship, and should return to the promotion if he’s victorious in this fight. In 33 pro outings, the Bas Rutten-trained fighter has only been finished twice and holds a notable first-round submission victory over “Ultimate Fighter 14” winner Tony Ferguson. The Florida native Cury fights out of the highly regarded “Blackzilian” camp where he trains alongside UFC staples Melvin Guillard and Rashad Evans. Since making his debut on the undercard of an EliteXC show in 2008, the 32-year-old has had mixed results, often dropping showcase fights to higher opposition.

4. WHO: Ivan Jorge (22-3) vs. Lindeclercio Oliveira (3-0)
WHERE: Jungle Fight 48, Sao Paulo, Brazil
WHY IT MATTERS: Brazilian submission ace Ivan “Batman” Jorge puts his four-fight win streak on the line Friday against unheralded local Lindeclercio Oliveira. Jorge is 9-1 in his last 10 fights, finishing all nine of his wins by submission. Training alongside Bellator standouts Nazareno Malegarie and Ricardo Tirloni at Ataque Duplo in Brazil, Jorge has finished nine of his career opponents inside of one round. Oliveira made his professional debut in late 2011, winning a split decision over fellow newcomer Bruno Martiliano in Brazil. Since then, the “Iron Xtreme” representative has picked up two more wins, both by KO.

3. WHO: Phillipe Nover (7-4-1) vs. Tony Martin (5-0)
WHERE: Dakota FC 14: American Dream, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
WHY IT MATTERS: Three-time UFC vet Philipe Nover looks to reign victorious for the second straight time since 2007 when he meets undefeated prospect Tony Martin. Once proclaimed by UFC president Dana White as the “Next GSP or Anderson Silva,” Nover has done anything but live up to expectations, dropping all three of his octagon appearances. At 28, Nover could still have some upside to his career and might even surprise a couple of his critics. Meanwhile, Martin is looking to use the former “TUF” contestant as a springboard to bigger opportunities. Unbeaten in five pro outings, the former welterweight is dropping down for the first time in his career as he looks to make Nover his sixth straight victim.

2. WHO: Deividas Taurosevicius (15-5) vs. Frank Caraballo (11-4)
WHERE: Ring of Combat 43, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
WHY IT MATTERS: Former WEC standout Deividas Taurosevicius will try and keep his recent success going when he locks up with Ohio native Frank Caraballo. Despite posting a 2-1 record, Taurosevicius was one of the few fighters surprisingly not picked up by the UFC after their purchase of World Extreme Cagefighting. A second-degree black belt in BJJ under the famed Renzo Gracie, Taurosevicius has never been finished in 20 pro outings, and holds notable victories over UFC vets Bart Palaszewski, Javier Vazquez and Mackens Semerzier. Entering this fight on the strength of a six-fight win streak, Frank “The Tank” Caraballo hasn’t tasted defeat since a 2010 submission loss. Training out of the “Fearless Fight Team” in Ohio, the 28-year-old has only gone the distance three times as a pro and has finished five of his past six opponents.

1. WHO: Drew McFedries (10-6) vs. Jeremy Kimball (7-3)
WHERE: Fight to Win: Paramount Prize Fighting, Denver, Colorado, USA
WHY IT MATTERS: Former UFC fan favorite Drew “The Massacre” McFedries travels into enemy territory this weekend to fight local hero Jeremy Kimball in Colorado. A nine-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, McFedries hasn’t lost a fight since his release from the company over three years ago. Once thought to be a potential factor in the middleweight division, the Iowa native didn’t live up to expectations, going 4-5 in the UFC between 2006-2009. However McFedries will always possess his freakish knockout power, that has seen him T(KO) his opponent in nine of his 10 career victories. Training out of Thomas Denny’s “Team Wildman Vale Tudo” in Colorado, Kimball is coming off the biggest win of his career, a knockout of former “TUF” finalist Tommy Speer in October. Since losing his first two career fights, Kimball has gone a solid 7-1 run, which has included impressive wins over Strikeforce vet Artenas Young and the aforementioned Speer, both in his home state.

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Jungle Fight 48
January 25, 2013
Ginásio da Portugues
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

-Ivan Jorge (22-3) vs. Lindeclercio Oliveira (3-0)
-Jorge Bezerra (18-7) vs. Antônio Dos Santos Jr. (3-1)
-David Cubas (8-3) vs. Junior Orgulho (4-1)
-Sergio Soares (9-5) vs. Joel Iglesias (3-2)
-Mario Israel (6-0) vs. Atila Oliveira (8-5)
-Renan Silva (5-2) vs. Fabio Lima (0-0)
-Douglas Bertazini (5-5) vs. Julio Rodrigues (1-2)

Ring of Combat 43
January 25, 2013
Tropicana Casino and Resort
Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

-Deividas Taurosevicius (15-5) vs. Frank Caraballo (11-4)
-Ryan LaFlare (6-0) vs. Andrew Osborne (5-4)
-Ed Gordon (5-1) vs. Shaun Asher (5-1-1)
-Ryan Contaldi (7-5-1) vs. Ariel Sepulveda (4-6)
-Elias Silverio (5-0) vs. Pat Defranco (2-1)
-Chris Wade (4-0) vs. Mike Medrano (10-9)
-Andre Harrison (4-0) vs. Ruben Rey (6-4)
-Frankie Perez (4-0) vs. Alfred Walker (3-2)
-Keith Berish (2-0) vs. Michael Andrillo (1-1)
-Whitney Jean Francois (2-2) vs. Robert Plotkin (0-0)

Fight to Win: Paramount Prize Fighting
January 25, 2013
Paramount Theater
Denver, Colorado, USA

-Drew McFedries (10-6) vs. Jeremy Kimball (7-3)
-Rocky Johnson (18-10) vs. Jarred Mercado (7-0)
-Chase Hackett (6-1) vs. Tony Sims (5-1)
-Chris Holland (5-4) vs. Jason Lee (5-2)
-Santana Martinez (4-12) vs. Chris Williamson (0-1)
-Edward Banks (2-8) vs. Cody Mumma (1-1)

Midwest Cage Championship 45
January 25, 2013
Hy Vee Hall
Des Moines, Iowa, USA

-Chris Mickle (29-16-2) vs. Will Shutt (18-21-1)
-Demi Deeds (15-10) vs. Gino DiGiulio (3-2)
-Will Dicke (12-6) vs. Todd Schmauss (2-0)
-Luis Saldana (4-1) vs. Nic Cox (0-0)
-Ben Crowder (7-10) vs. Ryan Delf (0-2)

Fight Lab 30
January 25, 2013
Silver Hammer Studios
Hamilton, North Carolina, USA

-Drew Kennedy (6-0) vs. Roger Carroll (10-9)
-Joey Carroll (6-8) vs. Noe Quintanilla (10-17)
-Bryan Keller (6-9) vs. Nick Bleser (3-9)
-Adam Ronsick (0-0) vs. Ivan Grijalva (0-0)

SteelFist Fight Night 13: Kausing Kaos
January 25, 2013
The Rail Event Center
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

-Jared Hatch (7-2) vs. Cole Rose (14-13)
-Curtis Johnson (7-5) vs. Richard Urias (3-4)
-Bryan Anderson (3-1) vs. Jordan Chandler (6-5)
-Randy Yellowhair (1-0) vs. Luke Oliver (1-2)
-Jason Delrio (1-2) vs. Mike Robinson (2-3)

Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore's Rise to Power
January 25, 2013
Stage AE
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA:

-Chase Owens (4-2) vs. Chris Dempsey (1-1)
-Adam Milstead (3-1) vs. Tex Trismegistus (0-0)
-Jeff Holmes (2-3) vs. Rhett Northcraft (1-3)
-Fikret Darzanoff (1-1) vs. Ryan Quaill (0-0)
-Roger Hampton (0-1) vs. Jason Willett (0-0)
-Doug Hodges (0-1) vs. Dominic Mazzotta (0-0)

UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson
January 26, 2013
United Center
Chicago, Illinois, USA

-Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1) vs. John Dodson (14-5)
-Quinton Jackson (32-10) vs. Glover Teixeira (19-2)
-Donald Cerrone (19-4) vs. Anthony Pettis (15-2)
-Erik Koch (13-1) vs. Ricardo Lamas (12-2)
-Clay Guida (29-13) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2)
-Ryan Bader (14-3) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (26-6)
-TJ Grant (19-5) vs. Matt Wiman (15-6)
-Mike Russow (15-2) vs. Shawn Jordan (13-4)
-Simeon Thoresen (17-3-1) vs. David Mitchell (11-2)
-Rafael Natal (14-4-1) vs. Sean Spencer (9-1)
-Pascal Krauss (10-1) vs. Mike Stumpf (11-3)

Spartan FC 17: The Homecoming
January 26, 2013
National Guard Armory
Ashland, Kentucky, USA

-Jamie Toney (16-7) vs. Nicolae Cury (7-3)
-Cornelius Godfrey (5-1) vs. Bruce Ferguson (8-3)
-Augusta Tindall (2-1) vs. JP Felty (3-4)
-Chris Tucker (0-0) vs. William Hale (0-0)

Dakota FC 14: American Dream
January 26, 2013
Scheels Arena
Fargo, North Dakota, USA

-Brian Heden (23-11) vs. Brett Murphy (5-1)
-Phillipe Nover (7-4-1) vs. Tony Martin (5-0)
-Jeremy Stetz (12-3) vs. Mike Pickett (9-23)
-Cameron Ramberg (6-0) vs. Doug Jenkins (6-3)
-Chris Bachmeir (5-1) vs. Kyler Wegner (0-0)
-Kody Barberena (1-0) vs. Deven Fisher (1-3)
-Sam Garrett (1-0) vs. Paul Hunhoff (0-0)
-Summer Artherton (0-1) vs. Amber Stautszenberger (0-1)
-Devin Turner (0-1) vs. James Martin (0-0)

Sugar Creek Showdown 15: Frost Bitten
January 26, 2013
Sugar Creek Casino
Hinton, Oklahoma, USA

-Cedric Marks (30-23) vs. Kemmyelle Haley (1-0)
-Jeimeson Saudino (4-1) vs. Jacob Ritchie (9-9)
-Cody Griffin (5-3) vs. Jim Bradbury (0-0)
-Gabrielle Holloway (1-0) vs. Ruth Perkins (0-0)
-April Penrod (1-0) vs. Taren Pennell (0-0)

Cage Titans 13: Brawl At The Hall
January 26, 2013
Plymouth Memorial Hall
Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

-Johnny Campbell (4-4) vs. Joshua Beauparlant (0-2)
-Pierre Pierry (3-2) vs. Josh Mellen (1-11)
-Ryan White (1-0) vs. Hector Sanchez (2-8)
-Zack Costello (1-1) vs. Tunde Odumuso (0-0)
-Keegan Hornstra (0-5) vs. Sean Nichols (0-0)

KOTC: Curtain Call
January 26, 2013
Riverwind Casino
Norman, Oklahoma, USA

-Bill Albrecht (22-14) vs. Rob Wood (3-0)
-Isaiah Reyes (6-2) vs. Teddy Potts (3-7)
-Nathan Torrez (6-4) vs. Noah Zamora (2-0)
-Ryan Hayes (4-2) vs. William Stimmel (0-0)
-Lamont Stafford (4-3) vs. Jeremy Osheim (2-0)
-Chevy Bridges (2-0) vs. Adam Snook (0-1)
-Amber Brown (1-0) vs. Abby Higginbotham (0-0)
-Jazz Pierce (1-1) vs. Boye Zuah (0-0)