Don’t forget to check out our staff picks for the must see fights.

Bellator 27 (September 2nd) – Fox Sports Net
Joe Soto (c) vs. Joe Warren (for featherweight title)
Zach Makovsky vs. Nick Mamalis (bantamweight tourney bout)
Ulysses Gomez vs. Travis Reddinger (bantamweight tourney bout)
Bryan Goldsby vs. Ed West (bantamweight tourney bout)

Bellator 28 (September 9th) – Fox Sports Net
Rich Clementi vs. Carey Vanier
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Alvin Robinson

Shine Fights (September 10th) – PPV
Eight Man Single Elimination Light Heavyweight Tournament

Shark Fights 13 (September 11th) - PPV
Keith Jardine vs. Trevor Prangley
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Houston Alexander
Paul Daley vs. Jorge Masvidal
Joey Villasenor vs. Drew McFedries
Brock Larson vs. Tarec Saffiedin

UFC Fight Night 22 (September 15th) - Spike TV
Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares
Efrain Escudero vs. Charles Oliveira
Jim Miller vs. Gleison Tibau
Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson

Bellator 29 (16th September) – Fox Sports Net
Neil Grove vs. Alexey Oleinik (heavyweight tournament semifinal)
Damian Grabowski vs. Cole Konrad (heavyweight tournament semifinal)]

Bellator 30 (23rd September) – Fox Sports Net
No Matches Officially Announced

DREAM.16 (25th September) – HDNET
Tatsuya Mizuno vs. Gegard Mousasi (for vacant light heavyweight title)
Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Kazushi Sakuraba
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Joe Warren

UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop (25th September) - PPV
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Frank Mir
Ryan Bader vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra
Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk
Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan (September 30th) – Versus
Jose Aldo(c) vs. Manny Gamburyan (for World Featherweight Title)
Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia
Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner
Chan Sung Jung vs. George Roop
Leonard Garcia vs. Mark Hominick

Bellator 31 (September 30th) - Fox Sports Net
No Matches Announced

Staff Picks: Fight To Watch

Chris Roberts’ Pick: Joe Soto vs. Joe Warren

The dawn of autumn has given us an abundance of shows that are filled with less than intriguing fights. There are a total of three title bouts: Joe Soto vs. Joe Warren for the Bellator Featherweight strap, Tatsuya Mizuno vs. Gegard Mousasi for the vacated DREAM Light Heavyweight title, and Jose Aldo vs. Manny Gamburyan for the WEC Featherweight title. The most eye catching of the three is probably Aldo/Gamburyan but right now Aldo is such a dominant force of nature that we will really just be watching him put on a clinic as opposed to engaging in a competitive contest.

Rather I’m going with Soto/Warren which will headlined the first show of the month. In becoming the first Bellator Featherweight champion Soto looked very impressive racking up victories via TKO, submission and judge’s decision. Then back in May he won an easy one over Diego Saraiva in which the doctors had to stop the match after Soto nearly cracked his skull in half with a perfectly executed elbow. Warren, still new to the sport, comes in with a 5-1 record including the match he won in dramatic fashion over Patricio Pitbull to earn the title shot. They both bring wrestling backgrounds into the fight though Warren specializes in the Greco Roman. Soto would seem to be the favorite, he’s more polished and hits a hell of a lot harder, but Warren was never supposed to be here in the first place and escaped the grasp of Pitbull by the skin of his teeth so we know better than to count him out. I would hate to pick a winner and that is why this match excites me more than any other in September.

Scott Keith’s Pick: Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop

It’s kind of slim pickings for September, but realistically Frank Mir v. Mirko Cro Cop is the kind of fight I would have been jazzed to see even a few years ago, before UFC completely exposed Cro Cop.  Still, I think that Mir can talk enough trash to provoke some interest from me in that one, even if the buyrate is likely to be a write-off for Dana White.  Obviously it won’t be a ground battle, and Shane Carwin showed that a hard enough strike can put Mir out (as Ian Freeman did years ago as well), even if everyone pretty much knows it’s going to be a one-sided ass-kicking on Mir’s part.

Will Cooling’s Pick: Miguel Torres vs. Charlie Valencia

Life just hasn’t been the same since August last year when Brian Bowles shockingly defeated Miguel Torres, ending his seventeen fight winning streak and taking his title away from him. Torress then lost to Joseph Benavidez in his comeback fight in January. This is now his second attempt at a return to winning ways, having taken nine months off to recover from being defeated in back to back matches for the first time ever. A victory over Charlie Valencia will be the foundation for Torres to begin climbing his way up the ranks again, possibily setting up a dream fight with Urijiah Faber. A defeat to Valencia may well signal the end of the career of the sport’s greatest ever bantamweight. Not withstanding the title matches taking place this month, this is the fight for the highest stakes.
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/fights120_whattowatch.jpg

1. Georges St. Pierre

“George St. Pierre returns to the spotlight on September 15^th when the twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter premieres on Spike TV. With the announcement that his title defense against rival coach Josh Koscheck will take place in Montreal the stage is set for a blockbuster end of the year for the French Canadian.”

2. Anderson Silva

“While Anderson Silva’s come from behind submission victory at UFC 117 demonstrated his tenacity and improving ju-jitsu the doubts still remain about his defensive wrestling ability. He’ll get a chance to prove his critics wrong when he faces Chael Sonnen early next year in an instant rematch of their already legendary August 7^th fight.”

3. Jose Aldo

“Having leg-kicked Urijah Faber out of the division at WEC 48, Aldo will defend his title at the end of the month against Manny Gamburyan. Should he get past Gamburyan then the demand will grow for Aldo to test the waters at l55Ibs.”

4. Frankie Edgar

“If there were any doubts about who was the best lightweight in the world, then there can be none now with Frankie Edgar having dominated BJ Penn like no lightweight has ever done before at UFC 118. He now moves forward to defend his UFC lightweight title against the only man to ever defeat him in Gray Maynard.”

5. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

“Shogun’s recent career resurgence has stalled as soon as it started, with his knee problems once again requiring him to take a significant amount of time off. When he returns in 2011 he is expected to face Rashad Evans, with the number one contender determined to wait until the champion is healed”

6. Jon Fitch

“It was more of the same for Jon Fitch at UFC 117, with his decision victory over Thiago Alves being greet by widespread apathy. Despite that fight being billed as a ‘Final Eliminator’ for the welterweight title, Fitch now has to wait to see whether the winner of Shields-Kampmann emerges as a more credible champion in the eyes of Dana White.”

7. Jake Shields

“Having never lost his Strikeforce middleweight championship in the cage, the next phase in Jake Shields’ career begins in October when he makes his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann. With recent victories over Paul Daley, Yushin Okami and Dan Henderson, an impressive victory at UFC 121 should be enough to earn him a welterweight title shot”

8. Brock Lesnar

“Brock Lesnar won over most of his remaining critics at UFC 117 by submitting the previously undefeated Shane Carwin after withstanding an early onslaught. Once again the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, he now faces Cain Velasquez in a title defense that should prove a stern test for both his wrestling and cardio.”

9. Lyoto Machida

“His unbeatable aura may have been dented by Shogun at UFC 104 but it was thoroughly smashed at UFC 113 with Lyoto Machida unable to make it out of the first round. Machida will begin his comeback after a difficult twelve months against Quinton Jackson at UFC 123.”

10. Cain Velasquez

“With a perfect record of eight wins in eight fights, Cain Velasquez moved to a new level in his demolition of the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria at UFC 110, demonstrating the finishing power that along with his wrestling and overall conditioning should make him the sternest test yet for UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on October 23^rd.”

Also received votes: Dominick Cruz, Fedor Emelianenko, Rashad Evans, Gilbert Melendez
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Rankings.jpg

Inside Fights Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr
Last Month: 1
“Rumors have been running rampant about Mayweather working with Don King and possibly fighting again before the end of the year, though obviously the opponent won’t be Pacquiao. The only thing for sure, however, is nothing’s for sure.” – Corey Willinger

2. Manny Pacquiao
Last Month: 2
“Though the fight is being buried by countless boxing pundits as fraudulent and even unethical, Pacquiao will face the recently relicensed Antonio Margarito this November.” – Corey Willinger

3. Paul Williams
Last Month: 3
“Up next for Williams is a rematch of a 2009 thriller with Sergio Martinez. Another win over Martinez would confirm Paul’s place behind the two biggest stars in boxing.” – Trent Pusey

4. Juan Manuel Marquez
Last Month: 4
“After defeating Juan Diaz yet again in July, Juan Manuel Marquez is looking to continue his lightweight supremacy by locking up with all-action contender Michael Katsidis in his next fight.” – Trent Pusey

5. Bernard Hopkins
Last Month: 5
“Is it coincidence that B-Hop wants to come back to the light heavyweight division just weeks after Chad Dawson is dethroned? Regardless, the ageless Hopkins returns in December to take on Jean Pascal.” – Trent Pusey

6. Andre Ward
Last Month: 7
“Ward is one of the final four still standing in the Super Six World Boxing Classic and most people’s favorite to win it. Ward will have the opportunity to prove he’s the best American in the tournament and in the division whenever he faces Andre Dirrell.” – Corey Willinger

7. Wladimir Klitschko
Last Month: 8
“Wladimir Klitschko rematches Sam Peter this month. Peter knocked him down three times in 2005. Wladimir will certainly show how much he has improved since then in the rematch.” – Trent Pusey

8. Timothy Bradley
Last Month: 9
“Tim Bradley embodied pound-for-pound stature when he moved up to welterweight in July. Negotiations have now begun on a proposed January bout with Devon Alexander.” – Trent Pusey

9. Shane Mosley
Last Month: 10
“Mosley will only prove one thing when he steps into the ring against Sergio Mora: whether or not he’s a shot fighter. A win could show his critics he’s still a threat to anyone not named Floyd Mayweather.” – Corey Willinger

10. Sergio Martinez
Last Month: NR
“Martinez has certainly put in his time in the fight game, and a middleweight championship defense against Paul Williams looms in his future. A win would catapult the newcomer in the rankings.” – Corey Willinger

Dropped Out: Chad Dawson (6)
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Speaking about the bout, Hopkins said that “There is no issue. There is no problem with my side or Pascal’s side. The contracts have been drafted. It’s a done deal. All I gotta do is sign”. Both Hopkins and his promoter Richard Schaefer both said that they don’t anticipate any last-minute problems, with Hopkins expecting to sign the contract on Friday. A spokesman for Pascal confirmed this, saying that “Hopkins is one of the biggest stars in boxing and those are the kind of fights Pascal wants” . Both camps say they would like the fight to take place on Showtime, with Schaefer saying that HBO is not interested in broadcasting the fight.
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/hopkins.jpg

He revealed that the fight with Abraham would be for the WBC Title that Kessler vacated, so giving Froch an immediate chance to win his belt back. As requested by Sauerland, the WBC will give Kessler an opportunity to regain his title upon his return from injury by making him a ‘champion emertus’. However in comments of poor taste, Froch not only said that he doubted Kessler would ever come back to the ring but claimed credit for sending ”The Viking Warrior” into retirement.
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/carl-froch_1697014c1.jpg

Shaw and Slice go way back, with the boxing promoter being the 0ne that first brought Kimbo Slice to mainstream attention when he had him fighting in his short-lived EliteXC MMA organization. Slice had been a YouTube sensation due to clips of him fighting in backyard street fights, and his fights on CBS and Showtime drew very strong ratings. Despite his rudimentary skills, EliteXC presented Slice as a dominant fighter something that was exposed when he lost to Seth Petruzelli in 14seconds. However this loss and the controversy that surrounded it did nothing to dent his marketability with his televised fights in the UFC against Roy Nelson and Houston Alexander doing huge numbers. This was despite the organization going out of its way in its The Ultimate Fighterreality show to remind people of his inferior skillset. Shaw will be hoping that this marketability will translate to the boxing ring.

Hat Tip: Pound for Pound
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/slice.jpg

David Haye has posted the above video on his official YouTube channel in which he attempts to explain why the fight with Wladmir Klitschko wasn’t made. Focusing on the failure of the Klitshckos to break a legal contract they had with German TV network RTL and their refusal to allow him take all the money from the lucrative UK pay per view market the WBA Champion tried to lay the blame for the collapse of a fight that would have unified the WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring world titles on the Klitschko brothers.

He also makes some questionable comments about his own marketability, the quality of the Klitschkos winter opponents and how the Ukrainians had ‘ducked’ Nikolai Valuev (despite Vitali having spent the past year trying to make that fight).
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http://insidefights.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/David_Haye_682x400_449790a.jpg