The championship fight. The pinnacle of achievement across combat sports for centuries. A premiere attraction that draws millions every year. But not all title bouts are created equally.
So which title matches every week are the ones to watch? We’ll look over every title fight from across the combat sports landscape and give you the five best based on five criteria:
- Competitiveness: Is this an even matchup? Or just a warm body to throw at a champion? It’s a title fight, so we want the best possible at that division in that promotion.
- Excitement: How exciting will this fight be? A clash of two elite talents throwing everything they have at each other in an attempt to win the gold? Or a half-dead plod-fest devoid of action or risk?
- Juice: A sort of catch-all term for all the factors behind the matchup. Is there a story leading up to the match? A true rivalry? Do the fighters dislike each other? Were the circumstances leading to the fight extraordinary, or was it just a promoter putting two names against each other? Is there a lot of excitement or hype going into it?
- Prestige: Applies to the belt itself, but also to the fighter wearing it. Is this a long-tenured champion defending? Is this an interim title or one that was vacated? Has the champion increased the prestige of the title or is this a fight that will increase the prestige of it?
- Viewing Ease: We all don’t mind suffering for our art (or hobbies), but sometimes paying twenty dollars for a choppy stream, or searching your cable plan for a channel you’re pretty sure was just invented three days ago in the 6000s isn’t the best of times. How easy, affordable, and stress-free is this bout to watch?
1. UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Unification: Daniel Cormier (c) (17-1) vs. Jon Jones (ic) (22-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 4: Cormier says he’s got something new for Jones, but he just can’t replicate the Gustafsson gameplan, he’s not built for it.
Excitement: 5
Juice: 5: Not sure if you’d heard, but these two gentlemen aren’t terribly fond of one another.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 23
2. UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (c) (11-0) vs. Claudia Gadelha (13-1)
When/Where: Friday, 10:00, Fox Sports 1
Competitiveness: 5: Gadelha’s only loss and the closest JJ has come to defeat.
Excitement: 3: Little low, I realize, but JJ’s last bout against Valerie Letourneau was uncharacteristically boring as all hell, combined with her not wanting to make a mistake against someone as good as Gadelha, combined with Gadelha knowing she has to stay nice and snug against JJ to neutralize the reach/muay thai advantage, and it could get real ugly.
Juice: 5: Ultimate Fighter coaches, hated rivals, and a really unfortunate look at formerly beloved Joanna Violence, who showed some disturbing actions and words towards Gadelha.
Prestige: 4: JJ is doing her damndest, but as the UFC and Dana White would have it, if you’re a female fighter, you’re either Ronda, someone who Ronda hates, or someone who beat Ronda. That’s it. Most casuals don’t even know there’s another division in the company, just “Ronda’s division”.
Viewing Ease: 5
Total: 22
3. UFC Lightweight Championship: Rafael dos Anjos (c) (25-7) vs. Eddie Alvarez (27-4)
When/Where: Thursday, 10:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 5: This right here is my pick for the best fight of the entire long weekend. Two well-rounded sluggers that are going to the body until someone keels over.
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 21
4. Interim UFC Featherweight Championship: Frankie Edgar (20-4-1) vs. Jose Aldo (25-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 5
Juice: 4: The juice doesn’t come from Aldo and Edgar, who are so polite and respectful to each other, it’s almost sad to see them fight, but what it means for the winner. McGregor, maybe, is waiting, and we all know the story between he and Aldo, but it’s Edgar that’s more curious to me. The fact that McGregor has called out half the roster, but has repeatedly neglected to even bring up Edgar is strange, and as an Edgar fan, I find it pretty fun.
Prestige: 2: It’s an interim title because McGregor is busy fighting two weight classes above him and losing and calling a retired boxer. Whatever.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 20
5. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: Miesha Tate (c) (18-5) vs. Amanda Nunes (12-4)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 3: Nunes is a fine fighter, but her entire skillset is Tate-lite. Everything Nunes does, Tate does better.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5: Say what you want about Ronda Rousey, and I personally find her slightly less tolerable and enjoyable than shingles, she did do a shitload for this belt.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 18
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