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 bouts 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? Anticipated rematch? 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. Vacant IBF/WBA World Female Middleweight Championship: Claressa Shields (5-0) vs. Hanna Gabriels (18-1-1)
When/Where: Friday, 10:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 4: Gabriels is certainly no can. She was the best junior middleweight in women’s boxing, and now is moving up, despite clearly being outsized for a huge opportunity.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 5: See below
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 19
t2. WBC/WBO World Female Middleweight Championship: Christina Hammer (c) (22-0) vs. Tori Nelson (17-1-3)
When/Where: Friday, 10:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 2: Tori Nelson is a game challenger, as she showed against Claressa Shields, but Christina Hammer is arguably the best boxer in the world.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 5: There’s no juice for this fight, per se, but there certainly is for what they’re setting up. Hammer has been following Shields and has been angling for this fight. Shields dropped a weight class and now Showtime is setting it up.
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 16
t2. OneFC Flyweight Championship: Adriano Moraes (c) (17-2) vs. Geje Eustaquio (ic) (10-6)
When/Where: Saturday, 8:30am, OneFC App
Competitiveness: 3
Excitement: 3
Juice: 2
Prestige: 4: These are the undisputed two top-dogs in OneFC’s marquee division these days.
Viewing Ease: 4: Get the OneFC app! It’s free, dammit!
Total: 16
4. EBI Female Bantamweight Championship
When/Where: Sunday, 8:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 4: Well, it’s a sixteen-woman tournament, so in theory it’s anyone’s game, but then you realize that Bia Mesquita is in the tournament AND YOUR CHANCES DRASTIC GO DOWN!
Excitement: 4:
Juice: 1
Prestige: 2
Viewing Ease: 4: One of the many reasons to get Fight Pass.
Total: 15
5. WBC World Junior Lightweight Championship: Miguel Berchelt (c) (33-1) vs. Jonathan Victor Barros (41-5-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 11:00pm, ESPN+
Competitiveness: 2: Oof, this isn’t good at all for Berchelt. Miguel Roman was his mandatory, but instead he’s fighting Barros, who hasn’t won a bout since October of 2016.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 3: Subscribed to ESPN+ yet? Only the start of big fights to come.
Total: 14
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