Out of Obscurity: The Week in Review (March 23 – March 31)

Every Friday, MMA DieHards will take a look – with video footage when possible – at the previous week’s action at small regional and international shows with a focus on UFC and Pride veterans, consensus-ranked fighters and up-and-coming prospects. Here’s what went down between March 23 and March 31:

M-1 Challenge 24: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa (Norfolk, Va.; March 25)

2010 M-1 Selection Americas tournament winner Jose Figueroa (10-4) scored a second-round TKO of Artiom Damkovsky (8-5) to capture the M-1 lightweight crown…Dream veteran Magomed Sultanakhmedov (16-5) claimed the vacant M-1 middleweight title with a second-round TKO of Tyson Jeffries (7-5)…Lightweight prospect Alexander Sarnavskiy (13-0) remained undefeated with a second-round rear naked choke submission of late replacement Beau Baker (8-4)…TUF 8 alum and UFC veteran Vinny Magalhaes (7-5) needed less than two minutes to score a TKO of Jake Doerr (6-1)…Bellator veteran Jason Norwood (11-2) used his wrestling to control Mojo Horne (8-3) en route to a unanimous decision victory…Jessie Riggleman (10-2) locked in a guillotine choke to submit Jason Hilliker (2-2) in the first round.

Alaska Fighting Championship 81 (Anchorage, Ala.; March 23)
Nic Herron-Webb (10-2) submitted Rolando Dominique (3-4) via a second-round armbar.

Pacific X-Treme Combat 22: Battle for the Belts (Mangilao, Guam; March 23)
Joe Taimanglo (14-4-1) submitted Travis Beyer (2-1) by way of a second-round kneebar.

Heroes Gate 3 (Prague, Czech Republic; March 24)
Ivan Buchinger (16-2) earned a unanimous decision over Maratbek Kalabekov (12-4)…Attila Vegh (21-4-2) scored a third-round TKO of Baga Agaev (20-11).

Ultimate Cage Championships 8: Double Trouble (Manchester, England; March 24)
Ali Arish (11-0) maintained his spotless record with a first-round TKO of Edvardas Norkeliunas (13-9-1).

Cage Fighting Championships 16 (Sydney, Australia; March 25)
No. 14-ranked middleweight and current Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard (28-2-1) opened a large cut on the head of UFC and Sengoku veteran Joe Doerksen (46-15) to force a first-round doctor’s stoppage for the TKO win. Lombard retained his CFC middleweight strap with the victory…Manuel Rodriguez (8-1) earned a unanimous decision over Rodney MacSwain (12-3) to become the No. 1 contender for the CFC welterweight crown.

Cornhusker Fight Club 4: Fighting Irish (Lincoln, Neb.; March 25)
Amateur fighter Miles Marshall (10-0) remained undefeated with a first-round TKO of Matthew Osterkamp (4-1 amateur).

Real Fight-FC (Minsk, Belarus; March 25)
Igor Araujo (20-6) secured a rear naked choke to submit Vitaliy Ostrovskiy (3-6) in the third round.

Titan Fighting Championships 17 (Kansas City, Kan.; March 25)

Former WWE superstar and Strikeforce veteran Bobby Lashley (6-1) earned a unanimous decision over Bellator vet John Ott (8-8)…Strikeforce and Bellator veteran Aaron Rosa (16-3) secured a rear naked choke in the second round to submit TUF 10 alum Abe Wagner (8-4)…UFC and Strikeforce veteran Phil Baroni (14-13) took the unanimous nod over Strikeforce and Bellator vet Nick Nolte (3-3)…WEC and Bellator veteran James Krause (12-3) needed just 41 seconds to score a TKO of Nathan Schut (11-6)…Bellator veteran Eric Marriott (20-5) earned a unanimous decision over Willian de Souza (1-1).

Battlefield Fight League 7 (Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada; March 26)
UFC and Strikeforce veteran Jesse Taylor (18-6) earned a unanimous decision over Clay Davidson (5-3).

Caged Madness MMA (Glen Carbon, Ill.; March 26)

Chris Tickle (6-3) scored a second-round TKO of UFC and Strikeforce veteran Steve Berger (21-22-2).

Fighters Arena Lodz 2 (Lodz, Poland; March 26)

UFC veteran Tomasz Drwal (18-4-1) knocked out Leonardo “Chocolate” Nascimento (8-8-2) in the second round…Bodog veteran Konstantin Gluhov (15-6) scored a second-round TKO of Bellator and M-1 Challenge vet Michal Kita (10-6).

Ultimate Challenge MMA: Lights Out (London; March 26)
Cage Rage veteran Giorgio Andrews (8-0) kept his unblemished record intact with a first-round TKO of James Lutman (4-6).

King of the Cage: Turning Point (Tarzana, Calif.; March 27)
UFC veteran Alberto Crane (14-5) snagged IFL vet Gabe Rivas (13-18-1) in an armbar for the first-round submission victory…2008 Olympic bronze medalist judoka Ronda Rousey (1-0) made a successful pro MMA debut, needing only 25 seconds to submit Ediane Gomes (6-2) via armbar.