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?
So here are your five best gold options for the weekend.
5. Glory Women’s Super Bantamweight Championship: Anissa Meksen (c) (98-4) vs. Sofia Olofsson (49-8)
When/Where: Saturday, 3:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 3: It’s nice to get a fresh face into the usual trilogy of Meksen, Tiffany van Soest, and Jady Menezes. That being said, Olofsson is a step below that triad, and we’re probably getting back on the merry-go-round after this bout.
Excitement: 3: Meksen is a decision-machine, although she’s not boring to watch, but if you’re looking for fireworks, this won’t deliver that.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 15
4. WBO World Junior Flyweight Championship: Angel Acosta (c) (20-1) vs. Elwin Soto (14-1)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 2: This is bizarre. Soto is only 22 and could very well be world champion, but he’s nowhere near ready for a fighter like Acosta, and his last two wins came over a 3-13 fighter and an 0-14 fighter. Bizarre matchmaking and booking of Soto.
Excitement: 5: You don’t think of the lighter-weights as bombers, especially at 108lbs, but Acosta can goddamned throw. All four of his title fights have ended in stoppage, including his last one over former world champion Ganigan Lopez.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
3. Bellator Middleweight Championship: Gegard Mousasi (c) (45-6-2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00pm, Paramount Network/DAZN
Competitiveness: 3: Since losing in September of 2015, in one of the bi-yearly times that Uriah Hall felt like fighting to his potential, Mousasi has rattled off eight wins in a row, six by stoppage. Out of those eight, FIVE were UFC champions or title challengers. That’s insane. It’s hard to believe that a man 53 professional fights into his career can be hitting his prime, but it appears so. Lovato is one of the best grapplers of all-time, but Gegard has seen it all. Lovato is threatening enough on his feet to keep fighters honest. It should be fun, but I think it’s Mousasi’s time right now.
Excitement: 5
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 5: It’s a five because you can watch it either on cable or DAZN, and because it’s TAPE DELAYED IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2019, JUST READ THE SPOILERS. Yuck.
Total: 18
2. Glory Welterweight Championship: Cedric Doumbe (c) (70-7-1) vs. Alim Nabiev (49-7)
When/Where: Saturday, 3:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: Simple story, here, as Nabiev handed Doumbe his last loss, March of last year at Glory 51. Doumced gets his chance to right that wrong in his first defense in his second reign.
Prestige: 5: The welterweight title, maybe aside from the heavyweight title, has been Glory’s best and most revered.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 20
1. WBA World Junior Lightweight Championship: Andrew Cancio (c) (20-4-2) vs. Alberto Machado (21-1)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 5
Juice: 5: On February 9th of this year, Andrew Cancio was a 30-year-old journeyman fighter who was 5-3 in his last eight fights with no real prospects brought in to showcase the defending champion Alberto Machado, who was a -5000 favorite. As expected, in the first round, Machado puts Cancio on his wallet, just as was probably the plan. Nine minutes later of ring time, Machado is down three times, the last one for good, and Andrew Cancio is the junior lightweight champion of the world. It remains one of the biggest upsets of the year, and four months later, they do it again.
Prestige: 4: As always, the WBA and their “regular” world titles can drink my ass.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 23
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