Weekend MMA Rundown: UFC Veterans and Prospects Aplenty Compete

The UFC was off again this weekend, but the MMA world did not rest. The competition was fierce and there were plenty of finishes to go around.

For starters, Bellator continued its seventh season, showcasing the welterweight semifinals. Lyman Good and Andrey Koreshkov advanced to the finals, with knockouts of Michail Tsarev and Marius Zaromskis, respectively.

Also on the main card, top featherweight contender Daniel Straus remained busy while waiting for his title fight, as he applied a rear-naked choke on Alvin Robinson for another win. Brian Rogers won his main-card bout over Dominique Steele via unanimous decision.

Notably on the undercard, women's champion Zoila Gurgel made her long-awaited return from injury with a unanimous nod over Casey Noland. It was a tough battle, but she also had to shake off the rust in her return.

Maximum Fighting Championship returned in Canada with a solid card over the weekend. 

The headliner saw Elvis Mutapcic take on Ultimate Fighter alum Joseph Henle in the middleweight division. Mutapcic would win a stoppage victory due to leg kicks that Henle could no longer answer.

Also on that card, TUF alum Shane Nelson made his featherweight debut on the card against Graham Spencer. It was not the debut he was hoping for, as Nelson dropped a unanimous decision to the underrated Spencer.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship held an event in Wales over the weekend and boasted some top foreign prospects. 

The headliner saw Brazilian prospect Bruno Carvalho drop a unanimous decision to Cathal Pendred, who is criminally underrated. Pendred is just one of the numerous Irish fighters bursting on the scene.

Regular Cage Warrior fighter Faycal Hucin won another fight in the promotion, this time over John Michael Sheil. It was a close split decision, but a big win for the Frenchman.

Prospects Kris Edwards and Neil Seery were also on the card. Edwards faced a setback, as he was choked out by opponent Alan Philpott, while Seery won a unanimous decision over Karl Harrison.

Quick Hits

UFC veteran Daniel Roberts defeated Nuri Shakir via armbar at Freedom Fight in Canada. It was his first fight since being released by the UFC.

Top flyweight prospect Rambaa Somdet earned another victory at Grabaka Live in Japan. He took a unanimous decision over his opponent Takuya Eizumi.

UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam lost in the headliner of Super Fight League 6 against Claudio Henrique. It was by unanimous decision in India.