Super-Lightweight Gold at Stake Friday in Montreal

It’s one of the lightest weekends in MMA we’ve had all year. With the PFL Championship show set for this November and the UFC on a rare bye week this coming weekend, there isn’t too much in the way of competitive violence to speak of.

If, however, you have a UFC Fight Pass subscription, your plans are set for the Friday night of Labor Day weekend. The MMA world tour stops in the Canadian province of Quebec. Montreal’s La Tohu serves as the host venue for Samourai MMA’s third show of 2024, Samourai MMA Chapter 11.

Live coverage of Samourai MMA Chapter 11 begins Friday at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on the UFC’s subscription-based streaming video service. All told, barring any late postponements or cancellations, the final version of the card features eight fights for your viewing pleasure, along with two title fights to cap off the night.

Super-Lightweight Championship Focus of Samourai MMA Chapter 11 Co-Main Event

Your first of two championship confrontations takes place at super-lightweight (165 lbs.) The Vacant Samourai MMA Super-Lightweight Championship is at stake in the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event when Mandel Nallo (12-3, 1 NC MMA), Samourai promotional debut), a veteran of Bellator MMA,  takes on Robert Seres (8-4 MMA, 4-1 Samourai), an alumnus of TKO MMA.

And the hits (and kicks) keep on coming. @NoTweetMandel! #Bellator189 Prelims are 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CK25l4K98E

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 2, 2017

As per the terms of the fight contract, the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.

Samourai MMA Chapter 11 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event on Friday night, Mandel Nallo stands as the taller man at 5-foot-11, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Robert Seres. Nallo owns a 75-inch reach, with no such information for Seres available at press time.

Currently, no betting odds are available from the sportsbooks for Samourai MMA Chapter 11 on Friday night. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend in MMA or combat sports, please wager responsibly.

Bellator Vet Mandel Nallo Makes Samourai Promotional Debut Friday Night

Mandel Nallo enters the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event on Friday night having gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a three-fight winning streak and faces a quick turnaround for this upcoming title fight.

Last time out, he scored a first-round knockout from a leg kick against Deiveson Ribeiro (27-13, 1 NC MMA) in the latter’s 41st career fight on June 8 during BTC 24: Apex from Burlington, ON in an Internet pay-per-view. This was Ribeiro’s first appearance in an MMA fight since October of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Much like Jared Cannonier last weekend during UFC on ESPN 62, Mandel Nallo has had a short time to prepare for Samourai MMA Chapter 11 this coming Friday. By the time the cage door closes for the co-main event of the evening, just 82 days will have elapsed between contests for Nallo and his camp.

Cannonier wasn’t lucky with his quick turnaround a week ago inside the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. Will Mandel Nallo get his fourth straight win in his current streak and second in under three months’ time? Tune in on Friday night and find out.

Seres Readies for First Fight in More Than a Year

In the other corner, Robert Seres has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights dating back to the spring of 2022. Last August, he scored a first-round knockout victory over Xavier Nash (9-8 MMA, 0-1 Samourai) during Samourai MMA 7 in Sherbrooke on FITE TV.

After that, Seres had been booked to return for Samourai MMA Chapter 9 on Feb. 2 versus Kyle Prepolec to defend his Samourai MMA Lightweight Championship in the promotion’s Fight Pass debut, but that bout was withdrawn prior to the event after Seres encountered a medical issue.

In the interim, he’s moved up to the 165-lb. class for a return that’s been nearly 13 months in the making. Will this return yield to another championship in Samourai MMA?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Expect another strength versus strength affair in the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event on Friday night. Both guys can bring the pain.

Watch Mandel Nallo’s Kicks

Sometimes in MMA, a well-placed kick spells the end of the night for a fighter’s opponent. Mandel Nallo delivered such a kick a few months ago in BTC 24: Apex vs. Deiveson Ribeiro.

During the opening round of the fight, he opened things up with a front kick to the face, along with a calf kick. While Ribeiro attempted to take the contest to the mat, Nallo did well to fight off his opponent’s effort.

Once Ribeiro got back up to his feet thanks to a pause by the referee, he landed a right-hand to knock Nallo down, momentarily, at least. Upon Nallo returning to calf kicks, he and Ribeiro went to the clinch, where the former landed knees to the body, setting up another calf kick to cause Ribeiro to crumple up like a piece of paper.

If Mandel Nallo can land vicious kicks early on, the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event will be over before the viewers at home can put mustard on a submarine sandwich.

Robert Seres Can Go to Work Quickly

In the other corner, don’t look away from the screen when Robert Seres enters the cage for the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event. You might miss the end of the fight.

One need look no further than his 2022 fight vs. Guillaume DeLorenzi. Round one of the contest saw Seres put DeLorenzi in the clinch right away before the latter scored with punches upon breaking free from the clinch.

Seres, however, returned fire with a punch to the head, followed by a burst of ground and pound shots forcing the referee to step in and wave off the bout. Although DeLorenzi protested the stoppage, the result stood without an appeal.

If Robert Seres can beat Mandel Nallo to the punch, this is going to be a short bout.

Final Thoughts

Expect an amazing contest on Friday in the Samourai MMA Chapter 11 co-main event. Consider it an appetizer to what looks like an equally-awesome main event.

Prediction: Robert Seres by First-Round TKO.