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.
1. Lion Fight Super Middleweight Championship: Regian Eersel (c) (44-4) vs. Samy Sana (86-3)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, AXS
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 4
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3: Lion Fight doesn’t have the prestige of K-1 or Glory have for kickboxing, but as far as Muay Thai, they’re still the biggest name in the States, even if it doesn’t carry the same cache worldwide.
Viewing Ease: 4: I’ve got five QVC channels, but I can’t get goddamned, AXS, TIME WARNER?!
Total: 17
2. Fight To Win Pro Female Black Belt Bantamweight Championship: Mackenzie Dern (c) vs. Pati Fontes
When/Where: Saturday, 4:00pm, FloGrappling
Competitiveness: 2: I mean, it’s Mackenzie Dern. Unless you’re Beatriz Mesquita, Dominyka Obelenyte, or an actual grizzly bear, there’s nobody in women’s grappling at her level.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 3: It’s becoming less and less reasonable to not have a FloSports account.
Total: 13
3. Lion Fight Super Bantamweight Championship: Imam Barlow (c) (84-5-3) vs. Meryum Uslu (39-9-1)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, AXS
Competitiveness: 2: Barlow is on another level, entirely.
Excitement: 2: Barlow is so brilliant technically that she’s three steps ahead of her competition and doesn’t need to slug it out because her opponents can’t catch her.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3:
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 12
4. WBC Muaythai World Super Cruiserweight Championship: Budimir Bujbic vs. Zinedine Hameur-Lain (56-26-2)
When/Where: Saturday, Untelevised
Competitiveness: 2: Hameur-Lain’s career is on a great trajectory right now, he’s hitting his prime and is about to become a player in Glory.
Excitement: 4: For better or worse for him, Hameur-Lain’s fights don’t last very long.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 1
Total: 11
5. IBO World Super Middleweight Championship: Renold Quinlan (c) (11-1) vs. Chris Eubank Jr. (23-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 12:30pm, ITV Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 1: Eubank is such a talk-hard, do-nothing zilch when it comes to big fights. This is embarrassing.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 2
Prestige: 2: The IBO is the biggest governing body that isn’t recognized world championship-level. The true Intercontinental Championship of the boxing world.
Viewing Ease: 2
Total: 10
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