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?
5. Titan Fighting Championship Featherweight Championship: Jason Soares (c) (13-0) vs. Andrew Whitney (16-7)
When/Where: Friday, 8:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 2: Soares is a star, and I don’t know what the goddamned holdup is. He’s 29, he’s 13-0, he’s a defending champ from the second-biggest regional MMA outft, and after being a submission artist for most of his career, he’s finished his last two fights by strikes, as he’s introducing a striking game to his arsenal. Somebody sign this guy.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 2: Whitney, at 35, is looking for maybe his last real chance to earn a ticket to the bigs with a title win. Soares should have been signed two years ago, and I have to imagine losing would defeat his will.
Prestige: 2
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 14
4. Titan Fighting Championship Lightweight Championship: Martin Brown (c) (13-5) vs. Beibit Nazarov (15-4)
When/Where: Friday, 8:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 4: They already tangled for five close rounds. Now they’re running it back.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: The ever-rare regional rivalry! These two tangled in Kazakhstan at Titan 51 (you read that right), where Brown was just able to get by, despite being penalized a point, in a bit of a shock, seeing as how the contest took place in Nazarov’s home country. Now they tangle again for five more rounds.
Prestige: 2
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 15
t2. WBC World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Juan Francisco Estrada (c) (39-3) vs. Dewayne Beamon (16-1-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 7:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 2: Estrada is the best junior bantamweight in the world. Beamon is coming off of (checks notes) sixteen back and forth rounds with a “Martin Tecuapetla”.
Excitement: 4: Estrada isn’t in many snoozers, but there isn’t exactly a ton of tape to watch on Beamon.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 16
t2. Interim WBA World Junior Featherweight Championship: Brandon Figueroa (c) (19-0) vs. Javier Nicolas Chacon (29-4-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00pm, Fox Sports 1
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 2
Juice: 2: The 22 year-old super-prospect against the 38-year old battle-tested veteran, looking at one last shot at glory. A tale as old as time, and it still works.
Prestige: 4: Death to interim titles.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 16
1. WBO World Light Heavyweight Championship: Sergey Kovalev (c) (33-3-1) vs. Anthony Yarde (18-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 12:30pm, ESPN+
Competitiveness: 5: I’m giving Yarde a puncher’s chance with Kovy, and I’m picking him to win. He’s 36 and I’m taking that Eleider Alvarez as a pasting instead of a fluke, and Yarde is a bruiser.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4: Get used to noon on ESPN+ before college ball starts soon.
Total: 19
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