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. UFC Welterweight Championship: Tyron Woodley (c) (16-3-1) vs. Stephen Thompson (13-1-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00pm, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 5: I mean, the last one was bonkers, LET’S RUN IT BACK, BOYS!
Juice: 5: Hotly-contested title rematch with some racial overtones mixed into the sausage? That’s a fiver.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 24
2. WBA Super/WBC World Welterweight Championship: Danny Garcia (33-0) vs. Keith Thurman (27-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00pm, CBS
Competitiveness: 4: Only because it’s so hard to get a read on Garcia’s true ability because he’s fought SUCH cans for nearly four straight years.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5: UNIFICATION!! (posts 50 hearteyes emojis)
Viewing Ease: 5
Total: 20
3. Interim UFC Lightweight Championship: Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (22-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00pm, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3: I find Khabib grinding a man into particles very entertaining, but it’s not for everyone, and it’s not really in Ferguson’s DNA to have a bad fight.
Juice: 3: Lotta callouts, lotta challenging, lotta posturing, and we’re finally here.
Prestige: 3: Goddammit, McGregor.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 18
4. Inaugural Bellator Women’s Featherweight Championship: Julia Budd (9-2) vs. Marloes Coenen (23-7)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, Spike
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: Somehow, these two pioneers of WMMA, specifically the women’s featherweight division, which was the first big division in women’s MMA, have never faced each other, and these two have fought EVERYBODY.
Prestige: 3: Well it’s a brand new title in a very shallow division, but let’s see what they can do with it over time.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
5. Lion Fight Super Welterweight Championship: Jo Nattawut (c) (55-5-2) vs. Kengsiam Nor Sripueng (65-12-5)
When/Where: Friday, 9:00pm, AXS
Competitiveness: 4: Kengsiam is a well-traveled Thai that’s fought everywhere and everyone, and am intrigued to watch him live for the first time.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4: Nattawut is doing his damndest to elevate every Lion Fight strap they want to throw at him.
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 16
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