Sherdog’s Top 10: Can’t-Miss Fights of September (2024)

Not many embody the spirit of stick-to-itiveness better thanMerabDvalishvili.

The battle-hardened Serra-Longo Fight Team brute will challenge SeanO’Malley for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title when theysquare off in the UFC 306 headliner on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.Dvalishvili, 33, plows into the cage on the strength of a 10-fightwinning streak. The Georgian last saw action at UFC 298, where heoutpointed onetime Olympic gold medalist and former two-divisionUFC champion HenryCejudo to a three-round unanimous decision on Feb. 17.Dvalishvili has compiled a 10-2 record across his 12 outings insidethe Octagon. O’Malley, meanwhile, has rattled off three straightvictories since his 2022 encounter with PedroMunhoz ended in a no contest. The 29-year-old MMA Lab export last fought on March 9, when he was awarded aunanimous verdict over Marlon Veraat UFC 299. O’Malley has secured 12 of his 18 career wins byknockout or technical knockout.

The O’Malley-Dvalishvili showdown is but one can’t-miss fight inSeptember. Here are nine more:

Burns remains a fixture in the Top 10 rankings at 170, though histime there could be running short. The Kill Cliff Fight Club mainstay trudges into his latestassignment on the heels of back-to-back losses, and at the age of38, questions have begun to arise regarding exactly how much he hasleft in the tank. Burns last competed at UFC 299, where he wasfelled by a third-round knee strike and a volley of elbows fromJackDella Maddalena in March. It was just the third stoppage lossof his 29-fight career. Brady does not figure to provide much interms of refuge. The 31-year-old DanielGracie protégé on Dec. 2 rebounded from a 2022 technicalknockout loss to BelalMuhammad, as he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17winner KelvinGastelum with a kimura in the third round of their UFC on ESPN52 showcase.

Nurmagomedov’s head does not look uneasy, at least not yet. Theundefeated American Kickboxing Academy rep defends his BellatorMMA lightweight crown against a fellow Russian in his latestassignment at Pechanga Arena. Victories over PatrickyFreire and former UFC lightweight champion BensonHenderson marked the 26-year-old Nurmagomedov’s rise to the topof the 155-pound weight class. He boasts an exceptional 82% finishrate. On the other side of the equation, Shabliy steps into viewwith the wind of a nine-fight winning streak in his sails. ThePeresvet Fight Team ace last strapped on the gloves at Bellator301, where he took a unanimous decision from the aforementionedFreire on Nov. 17. Shabliy, 31, has not lost a fight in almosteight years.

Omarov has little left to accomplish at the regional level. The27-year-old Gorets Fight Club rep risks his Absolute Championship Akhmat featherweight title when he toesthe line against Taygibov at Basket Hall. Omarov, 27, has won all15 of his bouts as a pro, 10 of them via finish, and cementedhimself as one of the top talents in Europe. “T-34” last appearedat ACA 171, where he dismissed AlexeyPolpudnikov with a rear-naked choke in the second round oftheir Feb. 25 confrontation. Taygibov, meanwhile, has strungtogether four consecutive victories. The Sambo Piter product stakedhis claim as the company’s No. 1 contender at 145 pounds when hewaylaid LuisRafael Laurentino with punches in a shade more than threeminutes at ACA 160 in July 2023.

Archrivals are set to complete their trilogy when Grasso defendsher undisputed women’s flyweight championship against Shevchenko ina five-round co-main event at The Sphere. They have met twicepreviously. Grasso dethroned “Bullet” with a stunning face cranksubmission at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, then settled for a splitdraw with the former champion in their UFC Fight Night 227 rematchsix months later. Shevchenko completed four takedowns and piled upmore than eight minutes of control time in their contentious secondencounter, helping to counteract a knockdown and a 262-199 deficitin the significant strikes landed department. They spent theirensuing time and energy filming the recently completed Season 32 of“The Ultimate Fighter” reality series as opposing coaches.

Colgan looks like exactly the kind of high-floor, high-ceilingprospect MMA companies covet. The 29-year-old Denver nativewrestled collegiately at the University of Wyoming, where he was atwo-time NCAA qualifier and compiled an outstanding 111-41 recordfor the Cowboys. Colgan’s transition to mixed martial arts has goneswimmingly, as he enters his latest test having raced out to a 10-0start to his career—a run that includes victories over ThibaultGouti and EmmanuelSanchez. On the other side of the ledger, the unbeaten Sousahas finished 10 of his first 11 opponents, five of them in thefirst round. The Brazilian dazzled in his March 22 promotionaldebut, as he punched out Tim Wilde just4:48 into their Bellator Champions Series 1 clash. Sousa, 27,struck gold in the Standout Fighting Tournament promotion whilemaking his way through the regional scene in his native Brazil.

As the Professional Fighters League presses ever deeper into untappedmarkets in the Middle East and North Africa, more and more doorsfigure to open for someone of Alaqraa’s ilk. The undefeatedAmerican Kickboxing Academy welterweight became an immediate personof interest when he was signed for the inaugural PFL MENA seasonand moved to within two wins of a league championship when he tookout YoucefOuabbas with third-round punches in July. Diani stands in hispath in the semifinals. The Rebels Team-trained Moroccan securedhis spot in the Final Four at 170 pounds with a three-roundunanimous decision over Amir Fazliat PFL MENA 2.

Carneiro has his work cut out for him in his second headliningassignment for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as he venturesinto hostile territory to face one of France’s most revered mixedmartial artists. The 35-year-old American Top Team representative climbs into the cage with somemomentum on his side, as he has posted three straight wins since aMarch 2022 defeat to Rafael dosAnjos. Carneiro last competed at UFC 300, where he swept awayJalinTurner with elbows and punches in the second round of theirApril 13 affair. St. Denis, meanwhile, finds himself on the reboundfollowing a second-round knockout loss to DustinPoirier in a UFC 299 firefight on March 9. The setback snappeda five-fight winning streak for the former French Special Forcesoperator.

Dyer’s name holds a prominent place on most reputable prospectlists. A protégé of former Cage Rage champion BradPickett, the Great Britain Top Team standout can take another step toward aPFL Europe title when she matches wits and fists with Scatizzi inthe women’s flyweight semifinals. Dyer improved to 5-0 with fourfinishes on June 8, when she cut down MariamTorchinava with a head kick and authored the third first-roundstoppage of her career. SBG Ireland’s Scatizzi undoubtedly fancies herself a spoiler inthis situation. She last suited up at PFL Europe 2, where sherebounded from a technical knockout loss to DakotaDitcheva with a three-round unanimous decision over MarieLoiseau.

As a two-time Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championshipgold medalist, de Souza was expected to excel in his move to MMA.So far, so good. The decorated 34-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsublack belt puts his Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight title on the line for thefirst time when he dukes it out with Gustavo at the Saitama SuperArena. De Souza has alternated wins and losses in each of his pastfour outings. He last competed on March 29, when he prompted afirst-round corner stoppage against former Shooto,Sengokuand Deep championKeitaNakamura. On the other side of the docket, Gustavo takes aim athis most significant target to date and does so on a four-fightwinning streak. The Brazilian TKO stalwart boasts 12 finishes among his 14professional victories.