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. Vacant WBA “Regular” World Junior Middleweight Championship: Erislandy Lara (25-3-3) vs. Ramon Alvarez (28-7-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 8:00pm, FOX
Competitiveness: 2: Alvarez is only one fight removed from losing to Brandon Rios at junior middleweight in the year of our Lord 2018. Brutal.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3: Vacant. Regular. There is no, NOOOO goddamned reason for the WBA to put their “Regular” world championship on the line, here. Julian Williams is the “Super” champ and a fine one. THERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS ON MY TV.
Viewing Ease: 5
Total: 13
4. Fight To Win Black Belt Featherweight Championship: Jose Carlos Lima vs. Samir Chantre
When/Where: Friday, 8:30pm
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3: F2W’s titles would mean more if there weren’t a few thousand of them and if they weren’t being vacated weekly.
Viewing Ease: 4: Gotta say, I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with Flo’s streaming coverage, unlike many other services.
Total: 16
3. UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship: Jessica Andrade (c) (20-6) vs. Weili Zhang (c) (19-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 6:00am, ESPN+
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 5
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5: If Strawweight hasn’t become the pearl of the women’s division, it’s easily the most interesting and most fun. The lineages are young and unique. Joanna’s reign of dominance, Rose’s stunning win and transformation into a kingpin (queenpin?) reigning atop the division, to Andrade delivering one of the scariest knockouts I’ve ever seen and literally flipping the division on its head. UFC’s Female strawweight division is awesome.
Viewing Ease: 3: Six on a Saturday morning is tough-sledding. Prelims start at freaking three.
Total: 18
2. WBC World Flyweight Championship: Charlie Edwards (c) (15-1) vs. Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar (14-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 1:00pm, ESPN+
Competitiveness: 5: Aguilar opened a lot of eyes after knocking out Andrew Selby in March, and while this is his first fight out of Mexico, and the lights might be too bright, the hombre can throw.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4: For the better part of near ten straight hours, ESPN+ is going to be entertaining the hell out of me.
Total: 19
1. WBA Super/WBO/Vacant WBC World Lightweight Championships: Vasyl Lomachenko (c) (13-1) vs. Luke Campbell (20-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 1:00pm, ESPN+
Competitiveness: 5: This is Campbell’s second crack at the world title. His first was a razor-thin split-decision against Jorge Linares nearly two years ago. Linares, as you may remember, gave Loma everything he could handle. Campbell’s never been a world-champion, but he’s championship level.
Excitement: 5
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5: This is for three of the four lightweight titles, with only Richard Commey remaining, holding the IBF belt.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 21
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