UFC and Beyond: 5 Upcoming Fights You Must See

Every month I’ll be wading through the huge Mixed Martial Arts World and picking out the fights you simply cannot afford to miss...

By Stephen Rivers /

Every month I€™ll be wading through the huge Mixed Martial Arts World and picking out the fights you simply cannot afford to miss. With the Ultimate Fighting Championship off the radar until the 22nd September there is some rare breathing space and an opportunity to check out the pretenders to their promotional throne. That€™s not to say that the World€™s number one promotion won€™t be stealing the show before the month is out.

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1. Che Mills Vs Duane Ludwig €“ UFC on Fuel TV 5, 29th September 2012

The UFC€™s sole visit to the UK in 2012 might be lacking in star power but the card is absolutely jam-packed with hot British talent and fantastic match-ups. The preliminary bout between Gloucester€™s own Che Mills and Duane €œBang€ Ludwig really emphasises that point. Neither fighter is going to be headlining a Pay-Per-View any time soon but both are capable of explosive striking wars that are both technical and vicious. Mills is looking to bounce back from a defeat to Rory MacDonald at UFC 145 knowing that a second defeat here would put him under real pressure to stay relevant in the UFC€™s 170lb division. Ludwig comes into the fight off back to back losses with four defeats from his last six bouts. His career has never seen a three fight losing streak and at 34-years-old he€™ll be desperate to avoid an unwanted career first in Nottingham. With neither man wanting to take another step towards an unwanted p45 you can expect to see fight of the night aggression manifest itself in some wild bomb throwing. Just don€™t blink. Che Mills holds a 9 second knockout victory on his record while Ludwig€™s knockout of Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 3 is unofficially considered the fastest KO in UFC history, timed at just 6.06 seconds.