BTC 13 saw the quarterfinals of the BTC $10k bantamweight tournament play out, as well as the return of Sarah Kaufman to the cage. There were no shortage of impressive performances, paving the way for some fun, potential matchups down the road.
Keep in mind, in most cases, the matchups listed here are hypothetical and have not been announced or rumored to be taking place, unless otherwise noted.
Let us know your thoughts on who should be next for the big winners and the rest of the card, and who you think would win our hypothetical matchups.
Sarah Kaufman (22-5) vs. U.S.A opponent
Kaufman’s return to action went about as smoothly as it could, finishing Jessy Miele via TKO in the first round. Finding an opponent has been next to impossible of late for Kaufman, especially with no fighters on the Canadian scene fitting the bill to fight her. It appears she is slated to compete for a new Canadian all-women’s promotion, Pallas Athena WFC, and a fitting opponent would likely be a veteran from the U.S.A.
Xavier Nash (6-4) vs. Matt Speciale (4-0)
Nash continued his impressive recent run at BTC 13, taking a decision over a tough, undefeated prospect out of France in Thomas Glot. Nash has now won three straight and could be tougher and tougher for him to find opponents as his skillset is far superior to his record. A matchup with Speciale would be an opportunity for him to halt another prospect’s run, while providing Speciale with a step up in competition.
Gabe Sagman (7-4) vs. James Clarke (6-3)
Sagman utilized his strong wrestling base to cruise to victory over Matt Dawson. With James Clarke being the current BTC flyweight champion and the division being as shallow as it is, having Sagman be the next challenger for Clarke’s title makes sense here, provided Clarke isn’t under an exclusive contract with B2 Fighting Series.
Teshay Gouthro (4-1) vs. Mateo Vogel (5-2)
Outside of the one bump in the road in his LFA debut, Gouthro has looked unstoppable so far in his professional career, which continued in his third round TKO win over Kristian Bouchard. Gouthro will once again likely be looking at a step up in competition his next time out and a matchup with Vogel would be an awesome fight between two bantamweight prospects.
Izzudeen Atmeh (2-1) vs. Vinny Dias (2-0)
Known more for his slick and calculated striking, Atmeh showed off his jiu-jitsu instead in the BTC bantamweight tournament quarterfinals, submitting Nate Small in the first round. No speculation is required as Atmeh will now meet Dias in the semifinals in early 2022. If both Atmeh brothers get the job done in their respective semifinal bouts, we would be looking at an all-Atmeh finale.
Ariel Zuniga (2-1) vs. Albaraa Atmeh (2-0)
After dropping the first two rounds to Harley King, Zuniga needed a finish in the third round and found it, locking in the winning guillotine choke. He moves on in the BTC bantamweight tournament and will now face Atmeh in the semifinals.
Vinny Dias (2-0) vs. Izzudeen Atmeh (2-1)
Dias looked impressive in his second round submission victory over Mauricio Alejandro Sosa in the quarterfinals. Dias now faces the talented striker in Atmeh in the BTC $10k bantamweight tournament semifinals.
Albaraa Atmeh (2-0) vs. Ariel Zuniga (2-1)
The talented striker, Atmeh, secured the first round finish over Seth Connor, but was able to get it done on the mat with ground and pound, further displaying the work he’s been putting in on the ground. Atmeh now faces Zuniga in the BTC $10k bantamweight tournament semifinals.
Cody Chovancek (1-0) vs. Forrest Ayers (0-1)
Chovancek look flawless in his professional debut, finishing Josh Martiniuk via TKO in the second round. His work at Niagara Top Team is proving to make him a tough out for any fighter. A matchup with the jiu-jitsu specialist in Ayers would make for an entertaining bout.
Binaebi Otoru (1-2) vs. Matt Dawson (2-2)
Otoru looked much-improved this time out as he secured his first professional win. With Otoru looking to continue his winning ways and Dawson looking to get back on the winning track, let the pair collide next.
