Fights to Watch This Week

Back in my day, no UFC for the week meant no MMA on television period.

Thankfully those terrifying days of yore are long gone. Even in a week without shows from so-called major promotions, there is still plenty of MMA going on that can be viewed live for a mere fistful of dollars.

Read on for a look at the fights that most deserve your greenbacks and perhaps turn some of what you have left over into some profit with your local leg-snapping bookie. I hold no accountability for fractures or seized collateral, but I will take 25 percent off the top.

Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Anthony Leone

When: Bellator 28 on Thursday
Where: The Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans
How: Fox Sports Net (if you’re lucky)

After training camp injuries kept both Chas Skelly and Alvin Robinson from challenging Karakhanyan, it looks like Anthony Leone will avoid the voodoo curse just long enough to make it to the Bellator cage.

Taking on the soccer convert -- yes, Karakhanyan went from kicking balls to kicking faces -- is a dicey move for Leone, especially since he’s coming off a loss to Renan Barao. That was the New York native’s first professional loss, and it exposed some troubling technical demerits in his style. While no one was expecting Leone to game Barao on the floor, trying for a kimura from underneath side control is the sort of mistake that will end poorly every time in a high-level bout.

If not for Joe Warren’s outlandish ability to endure sunk-in submissions, Karakhanyan’s offensive grappling would be even more esteemed than it already is. The tradeoff is that he stops takedowns about as well as a lamp, but Leone doesn’t have the uncompromising top control to deal with his disruptive fluidity and length. If we’re being honest here, Karakhanyan should have gotten the nod over Warren, but the local bumpkins Bellator routinely uses seem to judge based on antiquated standards.

Regardless, a grappling match won’t make it to the judges in all likelihood, and there is still the issue of how Leone intends to work around Karakhanyan’s marked striking advantage. Besides the obvious disparity in reach, Karakhanyan is the more well-rounded striker and has a particular aptitude for catching opponents coming in. The backbone of Leone’s game is collapsing the pocket with speedy punching combinations and hitting level changes, which plays right into Karakhanyan’s best offensive options.

If nothing else, the style clash will make for a fun fight, but it’s hard to imagine Leone actually mounting much significant offense. His best hope is to rely on his hand speed and wrestling all the while remaining cognizant of Karakhanyan’s ability to end this fight at a moment’s notice. That would require a level of strategic savvy Leone has yet to show.

Micah Miller vs. Diego Saraiva

When: Tachi Palace Fights 7 on Thursday
Where: The Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, Calif.
How: $10 gets you a live stream via www.gofightlive.tv

The perpetually under-the-radar Tachi Palace Fights has another quality slate of fights scheduled, and the featherweight No. 1 contender’s bout between Micah Miller and Diego Saraiva is the one not to be missed. Both men bring serious game on the mat and have made some real improvements over the years that make for an interesting scrap.

Befitting his “Octopus” noms de guerre, Saraiva uses the guard exceptionally well and can rock proper variations such as the spider and butterfly with seeming ease. While he often ends up relying on his guard to make up for his substandard wrestling, Saraiva’s ability to neutralize ground-and-pound and hit smooth sweeps makes up the difference nicely. That is to say Miller is the marginally better wrestler, but he has to pass guard to make anything of that advantage.

How the inevitable scrambles play out will be key for whoever ends up on the short end of the grappling exchanges. Of course this is all assuming we’re in for a jiu-jitsu only affair, and that discounts the undercover striking skill Miller has flashed many times before. For a guy who looks like that one kid in high school who was on the receiving end of infinite swirlies, Miller has some real power behind his punches and just enough boxing skill to put some nice combinations together.

Given his telephone pole reach and Saraiva’s surefire disinclination toward trading with him, Miller could easily catch him coming in and turn this fight on its head. Even if Saraiva manages to get through that gauntlet unfazed, he’s not going to beat Miller off his back. He’ll certainly force a hectic pace and make the fight a burner, but Miller’s versatility and sound grappling should win out.

Antonio McKee vs. Luciano Azevedo

When: MFC 26 on Friday
Where: The River Cree Resort & Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
How: HDNet will continue to bring the live realness

Besides obvious choices such as Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio McKee may be the most puzzling absence from the UFC’s roster. It’s rare that anyone with a seven-year-plus undefeated streak doesn’t end up in the UFC, but McKee has been thriving the whole time and is set for his first official defense of the MFC lightweight title.

Opposing him is Luciano Azevedo, who has built his name as a quality contender the world over. Getting past McKee, however, is a tall task for the grappling-oriented Brazilian since he’ll likely be stuck playing the guard against a stultifying top-control artist. While it may not always be the most aesthetically pleasing thing to watch, McKee is like a boa constrictor on the mat -- a boa constrictor with indefatigable takedowns and an 80’s style gold rope chain.

The upside to this fight is that Azevedo has the style to force some offense out of McKee, who is actually a fine offensive grappler when he has to be. Looking for excitement from a McKee bout is often a losing proposition, but this is the kind of style clash that makes for a perfect introduction to what McKee brings to the table. At the same time, it’s also a solid gauge of just how much stock to put in McKee’s recent proclamations of impending retirement.

Anyone interested in keeping up with the lightweight division at large should be watching McKee. With the depth in that division, it’s just a matter of time before he starts seeing even better competition. For the time being, Azevedo makes for a quality fight and perhaps a more vexing challenge that many expect. That won’t keep McKee from getting his hand raised, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see his second gear get activated.

Paul Daley vs. Jorge Masvidal

When: Shark Fights 13 on Saturday
Where: The Amarillo Civic Center in Amarillo, Texas
How: Live on pay-per-view

This may not be the match taking up space on the Shark Fights 13 poster, but if you’re going to plunk down the dough for the pay-per-view, it’s the match that will keep you from regretting that decision. Plain and simple, this fight is a binding contract for violence, considering both men will gladly go out on their swords given the opportunity.

Although Daley is more of a patient counterpuncher with a real knack for putting together nasty finishes, there won’t be any waiting as Masvidal’s voluminous output makes this a perfect convergence of styles. While “Gamebred” has shown a cast-iron chin before, that in-your-grill style is not a good idea against a starcher of Daley’s caliber. What’s even more worrying, however, is Masvidal’s well-known distaste for training camps and strategy -- two things that should be requirements for any fighter.

The hope is that no longer trying to cut down to lightweight will allay his conditioning issues, but it still does nothing for his lacking technical acumen. In all fairness, Daley isn’t supremely technical either. Anyone with a long jab will always be problematic for him, but Masvidal isn’t that kind of striker. Trying to get inside on “Semtex” tends to end poorly for anyone brave enough to try, and Masvidal lacks the second-dimension skills to threaten Daley on the mat.

For however long the bout lasts, there will be an air of doom to it as Masvidal is going to get in Daley’s range and provoke exchanges. Sooner or later one of those exchanges will end poorly for him, and if Daley’s recent wins are indication, it only takes one exchange for him to close out any fight.

Follow Tomas Rios and his obsession with the Ninja Pro food prep system on Twitter @Tomas_Rios