Fresh off a thrilling debut edition with Samourai MMA 1, the organization came back for Samourai MMA 2 last weekend and put on another impressive showcase. This stacked card brimmed with rising prospects and gave fans a glimpse into the future of Canadian MMA.
A quick note: most of the pairings discussed here are purely speculative and haven't been officially announced or linked to any confirmed talks, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
We'd love to hear your picks for who deserves the next shot and how you'd play out these hypothetical bouts.
Frederik Dupras (4-1) vs. Terry Lemaire (5-3)
Dupras extended his streak of first-round finishes with a submission victory over Quentin Arola, bringing his total of professional wins in the opening stanza to four. He's been steadily climbing the competitive ladder, and he could be ready for the next rung on the ladder. Lemaire represents that exact kind of step up, setting up a genuinely compelling matchup.
Craig Shintani (10-4) vs. Mateo Vogel (6-2)
Shintani bounced back into the win column with a standout submission performance against Maxime Poulin. Where Shintani lands his next fight remains unclear given that his last five bouts spanned five separate promotions. On paper, a return to the BFL cage to face newly minted featherweight champion Vogel makes logical sense.
Tommy Morrisson (1-0) vs. Adam Sako (5-0 amateur)
In a grueling three-round duel, Morrisson captured his professional debut with a split decision victory over Binaebi Otoru. His next opponent should be relatively straightforward to arrange, especially since he and Sako have been publicly trading barbs on social media since the result went down. Let's see them settle things inside the cage.
Jo Maisonneuve (1-2) vs. Megan Owen (1-1)
Maisonneuve stunned spectators by landing a devastating knee that knocked out Ekaterina Voronova, earning her maiden professional victory. Canada doesn't have a ton of readily available opponents for Maisonneuve at the moment, but an outing against Owen could work nicely for both fighters involved.
