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. Vacant WBC World Welterweight Championship: Danny Garcia (34-1) vs. Shawn Porter (28-2-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 5: Finally! Garcia gets an actual live opponent! The day has come!
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: Looooooong time coming, and it finally is this weekend. We know Porter, at least, is absolutely chomping at the bit.
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 18
2. Vacant WBO World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Aston Palicte (24-2) vs. Donnie Nietes (41-1-4)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:45pm, HBO
Competitiveness: 3: Palicte is the NABF Junior Bantamweight champion so he earned the shot, but Nietes, even moving up a class, is just too much.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: Nietes did everything there is to do at flyweight and junior flyweight. Now he moves to 115 at the age of 36 to conquer one more division, and 115 is an absolute shark tank right now. A WBSS at 115lbs would make purists weep with joy.
Prestige: 4
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 16
3. UFC Welterweight Championship: Tyron Woodley (c) (18-3-1) vs. Darren Till (17-0-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00pm, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 4: Till has as good a case as any for a title shot, and it’s refreshing to get some new blood into the welterweight title picture. The same five or six names have dominated the scene for the better part of a half-decade.
Excitement: 2: After Woodley’s last couple of performances, he’s not getting the benefit of the doubt, but as always with Tyron, you never know what fight you’re going to get.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 15
4. Vacant WBO World Female Junior Welterweight Championship: Amanda Serrano (34-1-1) vs. Yamila Esther Reynoso (11-4-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00pm, Showtime
Competitiveness: 2
Excitement: 3
Juice: 3: Serrano is going for her gosh-darned SIXTH division world title, and this one will be at her heaviest weight yet. Maybe trying to bulk up for the bigger money fights? Regardless, awesome feat.
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 3: This is dependent on if this makes the broadcast. I hope it does. More female boxing opens up new doors and fresh fighters.
Total: 14
5. UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship: Nicco Montano (c) (4-2) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (15-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00pm, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 2: Bullet instantly becomes the best fighter and biggest name in the flyweight division instantly.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 1
Prestige: 3: By far the weakest title in the UFC. Nevermind that it was made through the Ultimate Fighter, strawweight was decided through TUF, but 115 were a pack of killers plying their trade and winning strawweight titles and tournaments all over the world. Flyweight were a mix of mid-level or startup fighters who were getting bulled at bantamweight or lit up at strawweight.
Viewing Ease: 3
Total: 12
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