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. Invicta Fighting Championship Flyweight Championship: Vanessa Porto (c) (21-8) vs. Karina Rodriguez (8-3)
When/Where: Friday, 8:00pm, UFC Fight Pass
Competitiveness: 4: Rodriguez has amassed a 4-1 record in Invicta and is a rightful and worthy challenger, but she doesn’t excel in any one area, nor is she dynamic enough to flummox Porto. Porto was already eighteen professional fights in before she made her Invicta debut at Invicta 2. She’s mighty experienced, is what I’m saying.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4: This is actually a defended title, unlike most Invicta titles that are vacated once they get the call from the UFC.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 15
t3. WBO World Female Junior Welterweight Championship: Christina Linardatou (c) (12-1) vs. Katie Taylor (14-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 2:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 4: Linardatou was a solid lightweight until Delfine Persoon wiped her out. Since then, she’s gone 4-0 since moving up in weight, three of her wins against undefeated opponents.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 2: Taylor conquered and cleared out lightweight, now she’s moving up to 140 to raid another division and work towards some more money fights.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
t3. IBF World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Jerwin Ancajas (c) (31-1-2) vs. Jonathan Javier Rodriguez (21-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:30pm, ESPN
Competitiveness: 3: Little too much, too soon, for the young and inexperienced Rodriguez. Three fights ago, he was fighting a 3-7-1 fighter, and has never fought outside of the Mexican club scene.
Excitement: 4: Hot DAMN, can these super flies throw some heat.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
2. WBC World Junior Lightweight Championship: Miguel Berchelt (c) (36-1) vs. Jason Sosa (23-3-4)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:30pm, ESPN
Competitiveness: 3: Sosa, YOU WANT TO GO TO WAR?!
Excitement: 4
Juice: 2: This is Sosa’s last chance. At 31, the former world champion lost to Loma and Gamboa to lose his world title and keep him away from it. He’s won three in a row against cans, but now he’s facing the best 130lb fighter in the world. If he can somehow pull a rabbit out of his hat, he’ll be immortalized. But this feels like Berchelt waxing a former champ for credibility.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 18
1. WBO World Light Heavyweight Championship: Sergey Kovalev (c) (34-3-1) vs. Saul Alvarez (52-1-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 3: No, this isn’t the matchup we wanted. It isn’t the long-awaited matchup with Billie Joe Saunders to finally unify the middleweight division. It’s not a third tilt against Gennady Golovkin, or a fresh matchup with Danny Jacobs. It’s Kovalev five years past his prime so Alvarez can become a four-division champ. Egh.
Juice: 3: Canelo attempts to become a world champion in his fourth weight-class, going up against arguably the best light heavyweight of the decade.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 19
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