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October is now upon us and the UFC is set to present another four events before the month comes to an end.
While October is only set to feature one UFC pay-per-view, the four cards set to take place this month are full of excellent fights. There are several currently flying under the radar.
These fights all feature high-level prospects or contenders but, due to the presence of some huge title clashes, fans seem to be forgetting about them.
With that considered, here are five under-the-radar UFC fights to look forward to in October.
#5. Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn – UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez
Due to open the main card of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez is a battle of two standout middleweight wrestlers.
Both Phil Hawes and Deron Winn are amongst the best prospects in the UFC right now at 185lbs. The winner of this one is very likely to progress up into the elite levels of the division in the near future.
Of the two, it’s probably fair to say that Hawes has been slightly more impressive. ‘Megatron’ made good on his second attempt on Dana White’s Contender Series last September by knocking out his opponent. He then quickly transitioned into the UFC with a brutal knockout win over Jacob Malkoun.
His next two fights saw him use his powerful wrestling game to grind out wins over Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus. These are two highly talented fighters who are flying under the radar in their own right.
Whether or not Hawes can use his wrestling to good effect in this fight is a major question mark. ‘Megatron’ was an NCAA Division I All-American at Iowa State, but Winn is one of the more credentialed wrestlers in the UFC period. He competed internationally before transitioning into MMA.
While the protégé of Daniel Cormier has two losses to his name in the UFC, he looked strong in his last bout – a win over Antonio Arroyo – and has the takedowns and takedown defense to worry Hawes in this fight.
Add in the fact that, traditionally, clashes between high-level wrestlers often turn into stand-up brawls, and this clash should be one to watch this weekend.
#4. Grant Dawson vs. Rick Glenn – UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
The UFC’s lightweight division is widely renowned as one of the most stacked that the promotion has to offer. That means that plenty of highly talented fighters continually go unnoticed by fans.
Right now, Grant Dawson is absolutely one of those fighters. ‘KGD’ has been in the UFC now for the best part of three years following a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Thus far into his career he’s made just one appearance on a main card.
Despite that, Dawson has quietly put together a genuinely excellent run in the octagon. He’s 5-0 with his most recent win coming over Leonardo Santos, who to that point was 7-0 in the UFC.
Overall, ‘KGD’ has an outstanding record of 18-1, with just two of his victories going the distance. Essentially, he has everything it takes to be a genuine contender at 155lbs.
This month sees him face off against a tricky opponent in Rick Glenn, a longtime UFC veteran with over a decade of MMA experience and an octagon record of 4-3.
‘The Gladiator’ hadn’t fought in nearly three years when he returned this June. He looked better than ever when he landed a first round knockout on Joaquim Silva.
This fight is fascinating because it should be the first time that Dawson falls under the real spotlight. He is against an opponent that he ought to beat if he’s ever going to climb to the top.
If ‘KGD’ can pull it off, he could well develop into an unlikely title contender in 2022 – meaning fans should be keeping a close eye on this clash for sure.
#3. Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori – UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
A middleweight clash between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori is set to headline the UFC Fight Night card on October 23rd. Despite its main event status, this fight is somehow going largely ignored.
In one way, it’s almost understandable. After all, both men fell to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in their most recent fights, and neither really came close to dethroning ‘The Last Stylebender’.
This, of course, means that neither man can really hope to move back into title contention as long as Adesanya holds the title. However, that doesn’t make this a bad fight. In fact, if anything, it’s a truly fantastic fight between two of the best 185lbers on the planet.
Of the two, Costa has a slightly bigger reputation. Prior to facing Adesanya, ‘The Eraser’ had basically destroyed every fighter who stepped in front of him. He became the first man in the UFC to truly hurt Yoel Romero, coming close to finishing the Cuban.
After his loss to Adesanya, it’s safe to say there are questions around his durability and heart, and Vettori has the potential to test both. A strong fighter in all areas, ‘The Italian Dream’ will look to push the pace and break Costa down the stretch.
This one should be a tough fight to call. Judging by Costa’s previous octagon appearances in particular, it should be exciting too. If there’s a UFC Fight Night fans shouldn’t miss this month, it’s this one.
#2. Volkan Oezdemir vs. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC 267
UFC 267 is one of the most stacked events of 2021, with two title fights at the top of the card. That means there are a number of fights on offer that are flying under the radar, and one such sees Volkan Oezdemir take on Magomed Ankalaev.
It’s hard to really play down the importance of this fight to the UFC light-heavyweight division. Champion Jan Blachowicz will defend his title against Glover Teixeira on the same night, but after that, the top contender’s spot is up in the air.
Right now Jiri Prochazka probably sits at the front of the queue. However, it’s probably fair to say that because he hasn’t fought since May, someone could potentially leapfrog him with the right performance.
Oezdemir won’t be that fighter, as he lost to Prochazka in his last visit to the octagon, but the same can’t be said for Ankalaev.
The native of Dagestan is on one of the best runs in the division – winning six fights in a row, four by stoppage – and he appears to have all the tools to make a real title run in 2022.
If he can finish Oezdemir in impressive fashion, there’s every chance that he could leapfrog his way into the top contender’s spot and fight the winner of Blachowicz vs. Teixeira.
Obviously it won’t be easy for him, as Oezdemir is one of the best gatekeepers in the division. He is the only man to beat Aleksandar Rakic thus far in his UFC tenure. However, if Ankalaev can pull a win off, it’ll be hard to deny him his shot at destiny – making this one a must see fight.
#1. Li Jingliang vs. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC 267
Perhaps no other UFC fighter rose to fame quite as quickly as Khamzat Chimaev did in 2020.
At the midpoint of the year, nobody had heard of the Chechen-born, Swedish-based prospect. Three rapid-fire wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee and Gerald Meerschaert made him arguably the UFC’s hottest fighter.
However, before he could face Leon Edwards in a fight that could’ve put him in line for a UFC welterweight title shot, COVID-19 struck. It left him on the verge of a premature retirement.
UFC 267 will see ‘Borz’ return to the octagon for the first time in over a year, and he certainly hasn’t been handed an easy out.
Li Jingliang might not be the most popular fighter in the 170lbs division, but ‘The Leech’ has an impressive UFC record of 10-4. He most recently took out another fighter returning from a lengthy layoff in Santiago Ponzinibbio.
If Chimaev comes into this one far from his best, there’s every chance that Li can upset him and end his hype train there and then. At his best, Chimaev appears to have the skills to take out any fighter in the division, including ‘The Leech’.
Quite why more UFC fans aren’t talking about Chimaev's big return is a mystery, but even on a stacked card like UFC 267, this might be the fight to watch.
