Your weekly look at what big-show veterans are up to in the world's regional shows.
Another weekend sees another batch of alumni from MMA's biggest shows fighting their way back into the limelight, with former talent from UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator generally faring quite well.
We start things off with Battle in Grozny 5. The card, headlined by a kickboxing bout between Badr Hari and Ismael Londt, featured Hermes Franca (23-14-1NC, 6-5 UFC) in a mixed martial arts contest with local prospect Khasan Askhabov (10-2-0).
At his peak, Franca claimed victories over Gabe Ruediger, Ryan Schultz, Toby Imada, Jamie Varner, Nate Diaz, and Spencer Fisher--all within twelve months--to land himself a title shot against newly minted UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, against whom the former fan-favorite put up a spirited but ultimately losing performance.