October has an outstanding line-up of Octagon action, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he lists the five most anticipated UFC fights of the month.
ALSO READ: September’s Top 10 UFC Knockouts.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Payton Talbott
Sunday, October 4 SA time
It’s old school versus new school as former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo collides with hot young prospect Payton Talbott in the co-main event of UFC 332 in Salt Lake City.
Figueiredo is coming off back-to-back setbacks against top contenders Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong. Talbott, in turn, is high on confidence after his biggest-career win, a unanimous decision over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in December.
Will Figueiredo get back on track, or will Talbott catapult himself into the bantamweight top 10? Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long to find out.
Roberto Soldic vs Khaos Williams
Sunday, October 4 SA time
Former two-division KSW champion Roberto Soldic will make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC 332.
The Croatian is a beast who captured both the welterweight and middleweight titles in KSW and has history with the fighting pride of South Africa, former UFC champion Dricus du Plessis. He was rumoured to join the UFC several years ago, but opted to sign with ONE Championship instead.
The 31-year-old will finally step inside the Octagon for the first time at the Delta Center, where knockout artist Khaos Williams will look to play spoiler.
Joaquin Buckley vs Mike Malott
Sunday, October 18 SA time
Explosive American striker Joaquin Buckley goes into enemy territory to face Canada’s Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Edmonton at Rogers Place.
A dynamo with spectacular wins over former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque, Buckley looks to halt Malott’s momentum.
Meanwhile, Malott is out to break into the top 10. The Canadian standout has earned memorable victories over Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland and Charles Radtke, and intends to deliver another show-stealing finish on home soil.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev
Saturday, October 24 SA time
Something has to give when Alexander Volkanovski, arguably the greatest featherweight of all time, defends his title against the undefeated Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
It’ll be the Australian champion’s second title defence of his second reign as 145-pound king following a unanimous decision victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 325 in February.
Meanwhile, Evloev earned his first crack at the gold after winning a title eliminator by majority decision against Lerone Murphy at UFC London in March.
The Russian bounced his British foe from the ranks of the unbeaten and extended his record to a perfect 20-0, solidifying himself as the No. 1 contender and perhaps Volkanovski’s toughest challenge in recent times.
Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili
Saturday, October 24 SA time
Gold is also on the line in UFC 333’s co-main event, where we’ll finally find out who is the better man and the premier bantamweight on the planet as Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili face off for the third time.
Dvalishvili won their first, non-title bout by unanimous decision in March 2023 and went on to become champion. Yan, meanwhile, rebuilt himself and worked his way back into title contention.
“No Mercy” made the most of the opportunity at UFC 323 last December, shocking the world by dethroning Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to avenge his loss to the Georgian “Machine” and become a two-time champion.
Now, they’ll finally settle the score.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
