By Caoilte de Barra
Last week, Kohei Maeda and Elzhan Gasanov both won via finish, while Christian Leroy Duncan successfully defended his Cage Warriors Middleweight belt in the Cage Warriors 146 Main Event.
This week sees multiple world medalists amongst the alumni in action around the globe.
On Wednesday, two former members of the Irish national team will be in action. Stephen Costello is looking to pick up his third win of the year under the Centurion FC banner in Malta when he faces Joliver Allan Mougang. After losing his debut in Bellator MMA late last year, Costello finished his last two bouts in the opening round.
World silver medalist Danni McCormack is in action on the same day as her SBG Ireland teammate. McCormack will make her promotional debut at Invicta FC 50 against Maíra Mazar. The bout will serve as a reserve for the strawweight title tournament, meaning McCormack could launch herself into title contention with a win.
Two days later, World bronze medalist Dee Begley is in action at Combate Global. Begley has been on a tear since making Combate Global debut earlier this year, winning two decisions. A win in her third promotional appearance could line up a big opportunity next year as she continues to climb the ranks.
At Hex Fight Series 24, two IMMAF alumni face-off. 2020 Oceania gold medalist Olivia Ukmar will make her first appearance of the year against 2019 Oceania gold medalist Alish Smith.
The pair both represented Australia on the IMMAF stage but never crossed paths in their careers. However, given the lack of depth in the strawweight division, it was inevitable they would eventually meet. Neither has had a successful start to their pro career and will be looking for their first win in Melbourne on Friday.
Also in action on Friday is two-time World gold medalist Will Starks. Following his move to the pro ranks in 2017, he went 1-1 before a three-year layoff. Since returning to action, he has enjoyed plenty of success, and his record currently stands at 7-3. His bout at LFA 147 will be his second of the year and his fourth with the top United States-based promotion. A win over Ben Halder could kickstart his push for the title and potentially the UFC somewhere down the line.
On Sunday, three alumni are on the stacked Cage Warriors 147: Unplugged card. Omran Chaaban and George McManus are in the second clash between alumni this week, while Ollie Sarwa makes his promotional debut against Bakhtyaar Oryakhail.
