UFC News & FeaturesThe Hit List: Can’t-Miss Fights of September
Shares in Caio Borralho stock are trading at an all-time high.
Advertisement
The Borralho-Imavov showcase is but one must-see fight in September. Here are seven more:
Losene Keita vs. Patricio Freire
Sept. 6 | Paris
A former two-division Oktagon MMA champion, the Belgium-based Keita makes his ballyhooed promotional debut in neighboring France. The 27-year-old Lamiro Fight Club export has strung together five wins in a row since a leg injury resulted in his only pro defeat two-plus years ago. Keita last fought at Oktagon 65, where he captured the promotion’s lightweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Ronald Paradeiser on Dec. 29. On the other side of the ledger, Freire’s achievements speak for themselves. The four-time Bellator MMA champion sports 24 finishes—12 by submission, 12 by knockout or technical knockout—among his 37 career victories. He evened his Octagon record at 1-1 in July, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from Dan Ige at UFC 318.
Shanelle Dyer vs. Carol Foro
Sept. 9 | Las Vegas
Dyer ranks as one of the most promising prospects on the European mixed martial arts scene. The Great Britain Top Team rep and Brad Pickett protégé went 3-0 overseas in the Professional Fighters League and now makes a run at a UFC contract via Dana White’s Contender Series. Dyer, 24, has not competed since she was awarded a split verdict over Valentina Scatizzi at 2024 PFL Europe 3 in September. Foro, meanwhile, does not figure to fill the steppingstone role willingly. The 28-year-old Jungle Fight champion harbors plans of her own and has stopped each of her past six opponents, five of them inside one round.
Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva
Sept. 13 | San Antonio
Technical violence appears to be the order of the day in a marquee matchup between two of the UFC’s most dynamic featherweights at the Frost Bank Center. Lopes, 30, has posted wins in five of his past six outings but finds himself on the rebound following a failed bid to capture the 145-pound championship at UFC 314, where he wound up on the wrong side of a five-round unanimous decision against Alexander Volkanovski on April 12. It was his first setback in almost two years. On the other side of the equation, Silva has left a veritable path of destruction in his wake during a 13-fight winning streak. The burgeoning Fighting Nerds star has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, including two of the sub-minute variety.
Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Kevin Jousset
Sept. 26 | Nantes, France
Abdouraguimov carries the look of a talent around which the PFL can build moving forward. The once-beaten Russian steps into a main-event spotlight at the Zenith Nantes Metropole on the strength of nine consecutive victories. Abdouraguimov, 30, has already captured titles in the Brave Combat Federation and Ares Fighting Championship, so he could climb the ladder quickly in the PFL if all goes according to plan. More than half (12) of his 19 pro wins have resulted in submission. Jousset, meanwhile, attempts to get his feet back under him after being released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The former two-division Hex Fight Series champion operates out of the City Kickboxing camp in New Zealand, where he trains alongside Adesanya, Volkanovski, Dan Hooker and host of other top-shelf stablemates.
Carlos Ulberg vs. Dominick Reyes
Sept. 27 | Perth, Australia
Ulberg has quietly put himself in position to become the top contender for the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion. The 34-year-old Kiwi has pieced together eight wins in a row since being knocked out by Kennedy Nzechukwu in the second round of his 2021 promotional debut. Ulberg cleared perhaps his most significant hurdle to date on March 22, when he picked up a unanimous decision over Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 255. Now, Reyes stands in his way. “The Devastator” appears to have righted himself after a four-fight losing streak between Feb. 8, 2020 and Nov. 12, 2022 threatened to derail his career. Reyes, 35, last saw action at UFC 314, where he punched out Nikita Krylov a little more than two minutes into their April 12 encounter.
Mohsen Mohammadseifi vs. Mohammad Fahmi
Sept. 27 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The diminutive Mohammadseifi would like nothing more than to put himself in rarified air as a repeat champion under the PFL Middle East and North Africa banner. “Golden Boy” advanced to the 2025 PFL MENA lightweight semifinals and moved one step closer to his second straight tournament title with a three-round unanimous decision over Ahmed El Sisy on May 9. It was the eighth consecutive win for the 35-year-old Iranian, who stands just 5-foot-5 but packs plenty of punch. A showdown with the undefeated Fahmi awaits. “Soulkeeper” has finished four of his first five opponents, three of them inside one round. Fahmi wowed onlookers at his organizational debut in May, when he disposed of Georges Eid with a brabo choke a cool 3:13 into the first round of their quarterfinal.
Rajabali Shaidullaev vs. Viktor Kolesnik
Sept. 28 | Nagoya, Japan
They say it can be lonely at the top—a reality with which Shaydullaev has had to become acquainted. The undefeated Tajikistan native will put his Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight championship on the line for the first time when he marches into Aichi International Arena. Shaydullaev, 24, sports a perfect 14-0 record with 14 finishes. He struck gold at Rizin “Otoko Matsuri,” where he needed just 62 seconds to dismiss Kleber Koike Erst with punches on May 4. Kolesnik, meanwhile, has plenty of momentum and experience upon which to draw. The 29-year-old Russian has won nine bouts in a row, including a body punch knockout of Keisuke Sasu at Rizin Landmark Vol. 11 in June. Kolesnik held titles previously in the Open Fighting Championship and Serbian Battle Championship organizations.
« Previous Bo Nickal Targets Return at UFC 322 in New York
Next UFC Veteran’s Career Plans for Son: 'The Fight Has To Match the Pay' »
More
