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. WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO World Heavyweight Championships: Anthony Joshua (c) (20-0) vs. Joseph Parker (24-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 5:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 4: AJ fights are always entertainment, and Parker can throw some bombs, but I think this will be Joshua washing him.
Juice: 3
Prestige: 5: It’s for 3/4 world championships and the highest secondary title. We’re one step closer to a true unified heavyweight champion once again.
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 19
2. Unified Glory Featherweight Championship: Kevin VanNostrand (ic) (17-1) vs. Robin van Roosmalen (c) (50-16-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 11:00pm, ESPN3
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 3: These are two of the most methodical fighters, so expect a few rounds of nothing before they decide to turn it on.
Juice: 2: Glory is usually good about not overdoing interim champs like UFC or boxing, so when they do it, it’s for a good reason. Now they’re hustling to get them unified, unlike many sanctioning bodies.
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 18
3. M-1 Welterweight Championship: Alexei Kunchenko (c) (17-0) vs. Alexander Butenko (45-12-3)
When/Where: Friday, 1:00pm, Fite.tv
Competitiveness: 3
Excitement: 4: Kunchenko is an interesting case. He’s absolutely a hell of a fighter, but it’s a shame he started his pro career at 28. He’s only 33 now, and he’s due for a step up, as this will be his third title defense, but he’s gotta make hay while the sun’s shining to make some big fights and paydays.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 2
Viewing Ease: 4: Fite.tv has been invaluable to fight fans all over the world and it’s must-have at this point. Plus, this weekend is absolutely bereft of anything MMA, so $7.99 to get your fix is tolerable.
Total: 14
t4. WBA Super World Bantamweight Championship: Ryan Burnett (c) (18-0) vs. Yonfrez Parejo (21-2-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 5:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 2
Excitement: 2
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5: Burnett’s reign as two-bodied bantamweight king is over because he’s fighting his WBA mandatory in Parejo, but there’s no doubt he’s still the kingpin at 118lbs.
Viewing Ease: 3: This could get bumped to a 1/2 if Showtime doesn’t show it, but they’re alloting an hour and fourty-five for AJ and Parker, so you’ve gotta think they’re gonna slide at least one more bout in.
Total: 13
t4. Fight To Win Black Belt No-Gi Lightweight Championship: Bill Cooper vs. Vagner Rocha
When/Where: Friday, 6:00pm, FloGrappling
Competitiveness: 4: This is great example of BJJ in its MMA usage and in its competition usage. Both men are very accomplished, but Rocha has put it in practice in MMA much more, while Cooper stays in the grappling realm.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 1
Prestige: 2: It’s a vacant title, otherwise it gets bumped up a point or two.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 13
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