With an entertaining Eternal 86 taking place on Saturday night, Fight News Australia looks at potential match-ups to make following the event. We concentrate on the fighters that participated in the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card.
We will put a disclaimer that while our best attempt is to obtain correct data, including gym and training status, information like the fighter’s current contract situation is unknown and thus certain match-ups may be more difficult to make than others. Some fighters may already have fights planned but not public.
Think of it as a ‘wish list’ of match-ups to make
Lachlan Stitt vs Aldin Bates
This one is easy and is already being signed and secured for fight fans. Stitt captured the welterweight title on Saturday night and Bates returns from Hex, looking to add the Eternal title to become a double promotion title holder.
The fighters squared off in the cage on Saturday, with Eternal looking at placing them on the Eternal 87 card in Perth on August 17.
Dimps Gillies vs. Sebastian Szalay
This is another one that is all but secured. Both fought on Saturday night and came out victorious in the four-man tournament. The ever-entertaining Gillies defeated Oliver Schmid with a third-round stoppage to earn him a position in the final while Szalay put on a clinical display to win a unanimous decision against Australian-based Brazilian Gabriel Schlupp.
They are set to face off for the vacant Eternal featherweight title on August 17.
Dom Mar Fan vs. Josh Kuhne
“The Street Buddha” Dom Mar Fan continues to impress as he secured a round two finish of Tim Rogers on Saturday. His only two pro losses have both come to Quillan Salkilld who has been called up to Dana White’s Contender Series. Dom Mar Fan could lay claim to another title shot with Salkilld’s promotion however with David Martinez and Harry Webb already scheduled, what about an entertaining bout against Josh Kuhne should he be available in the next few months?
Blair Bretag vs Christian Lapham
Two guys who scored victories on Saturday night. Youngster Christian Lapham on his professional debut, looked great against Joe Brown to win a unanimous decision while Blair Bretag moved to 2-0 with a stoppage of Nick Kepu.
Oden Muscat vs Troy Fumo
Muscat looked devastating as he knocked his way into the professional ranks with a stoppage over Moses Deng. The flyweight division is tough to match but a logical step could be a match-up against Troy Fumo. It would be an important fight for both early in their professional careers and both come in with good amateur experience.
Brogan Stewart-Ng vs Kevin Kophamel
Stewart-Ng’s 2-win, 2-loss, 1-draw record looks a bit deceiving for this NTG Fight Gym-trained fighter who has travelled the world competing. He needed a win on Saturday and delivered with a TKO stoppage over Mayson Nobetsu. A fighter that could be eager to fight on the Eternal Perth card in August may be Kevin Kophamel. A win over a 2-0 fighter for Stewart-Ng would present a clear picture of where both stand in the featherweight division.
