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 matches 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. RFA Featherweight Championship: Raoni Barcelos (c) (10-1) vs. Dan Moret (11-2)
Friday, 10:00pm. AXS TV
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 4: Barcelos is a striker who made his name in Shooto Brazil slugfests, whose only loss has come via guilotine. Dan Moret is a submission fighter who specializes in chokes. This is a cat-and-mouse game and it’s fascinating who becomes whom.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4: No it isn’t a legit top-flight title. but RFA is a strong promotion and it’s an active title being defended, which is rare in indies.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 18
2. RFA Middleweight Championship: Chase Waldon (10-1) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (23-8)
Friday, 10:00pm. AXS TV
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 4
Juice: 3: Decent enough story, Meerschaert is the textbook definition of a journeyman, fighting for regionals and indies all his career and this title shot might give him the break he’s looking for. Meanwhile, you have Waldon, who has won his last nine fights, his last four by stoppage, and is looking to take his career to its next logical point. That story, in any combat sport, draws eyes and dollars.
Prestige: 2: Repeatedly vacated titles tend to lose shine every time they’re dropped in a garbage can.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
3. Z Promotions Bantamweight Championship: Jesse Arnett (11-4) vs. Johnny Bedford (20-12-1)
Friday, 9:00pm, GoFightLive
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 3
Juice: 1
Prestige: 1: I certainly appreciate the loaded card Z Promotions has put on, and hopefully they continue to thrive to give fighters more places to get paid, but for now, this is nothing.
Viewing Ease: 3: This is the rare GoFightLive card that is worth the money. Outstanding indy card.
Total: 12
4. WBC Silver Featherweight Championship: Cristian Mijares (c) (54-8-2) vs. Shohei Kawashima (14-0-2)
Saturday, Untelevised
Competitiveness: 3
Excitement: 2
Juice: 2: Mijares is the definition of a crusty old veteran. 64 fights, a former world champion who’s thirty-five years old and still down for a fight. Shohei is 24, protected, and has never fought outside of Asia.
Prestige: 2: Boxing has no world titles on the line this weekend, so the best we can do is WBC’s version of the Intercontinental Championship.
Viewing Ease: 1
Total: 10
5. Smash Fight Featherweight Championship: Bruno Lobato (32-19-2) vs. Nazareno Malegarie (32-4)
Friday, Untelevised
Competitiveness: 2: Malegarie is clearly a better fighter, but Lobatois a kill-or-get-killed fighter, but it’s clear they want Nazareno to hold their title.
Excitement: 3: If you get Malegarie away from major league promotions, he’s a hell of a fun fighter.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 1
Viewing Ease: 1
Total: 8
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
