October MMA Fights: The Biggest Events Take Place Outside the USA

Can’t-Miss Matchups From UFC to Bellator

October 4, 2022 34 3 minutes readMMA News

October MMA Fights: The Biggest Events Take Place Outside America — Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP

What The UFC is Offering
UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev (Oct. 22)
A Pair of UFC Fight Nights Determine Top Contenders
Bellator Returns to Italy for Halloween Weekend
The Best of the Rest: LFA and ONE Championship

What The UFC is Offering

UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan just wrapped up. The private event thrilled Mark Zuckerberg and his team and it’s just the start for the UFC this October. Leading the October MMA fights will be the much-anticipated lightweight duel between former champion Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. This is set to take place in Abu Dhabi. The MMA betting odds favor the former as he looks to continue Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy.

Like this UFC 280 main event, fans can find the best October MMA fights outside of the United States. They will all still be widely available for streaming online.

UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev (Oct. 22)

It is not an exaggeration to say that Oliveira vs Makhachev may be the biggest MMA fight this year. This fight could determine more than the UFC Lightweight Championship. Should Oliveira defeat Makhachev, he has a strong claim as the greatest 155-pound fighter to ever live. His win could coax the great Nurmagomedov out of retirement, even if he is astute about staying on the sidelines.

But if Makhachev wins, it would be a celebration as he is fighting on home territory given his Muslim heritage. The win should also establish Makhachev as a star and the heir of Nurmagomedov. But he and Oliveira are not the only stars fighting on the card.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling defends his belt against two-time champion T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling turned back Petr Yan as a sizable underdog while Dillashaw eked by Cory Sandhagen in his return from a USADA suspension. The UFC betting lines favor the champ, Sterling, though Dillashaw has plenty of experience pulling upsets.

And speaking of Yan, he will fight Sean O’Malley in a featured bout just before the title fights. Yan is sizably favored on the online sportsbook though O’Malley is the bigger fighter. Those who bet on MMA fights may find some value in the lanky underdog.

A Pair of UFC Fight Nights Determine Top Contenders

Sandwiching UFC 280 is a pair of UFC Fight Nights, both of which have main events that could determine who fights for their respective titles next. This Saturday’s event will be headlined by flyweights Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo. The two are on the cusp of a title shot and if either can win definitively, they may be meeting Valentina Shevchenko sometime in 2023. Grasso is slightly favored by the book.

One week after UFC 280, featherweights Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen meet. Kattar looks to halt a two-fight skid and if he beats Allen, he should be right back in the title mix. As for Allen, the Briton has long been one of the UFC’s brightest prospects. He is 9-0 in the UFC and has not lost in eight years though he is the underdog in this matchup.

Bellator Returns to Italy for Halloween Weekend

Bellator 287 will air just before UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Allen on October 29. The promotion will be in Italy with a lightweight bout between Adam Piccolotti and Mansour Barnaoui. It is possible for Barnaoui to be favored here even if he is a newcomer.

Piccolotti is a longtime Bellator veteran and is 9-4 in the promotion. He has consistently lost against contenders like Benson Henderson and Goiti Yamauchi. One of Barnaoui’s losses came against Mateusz Gamrot, who is a contender fighting on UFC 280’s main card.

The Best of the Rest: LFA and ONE Championship

Wrapping up our preview of October MMA fights: Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) has two events scheduled this month. LFA 144 takes place the day before UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araujo on October 14. It is a championship main event with Muin Gafurov and Diego Silva fighting for the vacant 135-pound belt. Early MMA betting odds should favor the former, “Tajik.”

It is a championship main event with Muin Gafurov and Diego Silva fighting for the vacant 135-pound belt.

The next LFA event, LFA 145 is a day before UFC 280. Bruno Assis will fight Jesse Murray in a battle of top light heavyweight prospects. Murray looks to get back to the Contender Series where he lost to Caio Borralho. Both LFA events will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Heading to Asia, ONE Championship hosts its third event on Amazon Prime. Unbeaten Dutch fighter Reinier de Ridder puts his light heavyweight strap on the line against Shamil Abdulaev. The MMA odds should favor the champ as he keeps his belt and undefeated record intact.