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.
t1. Vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship: Fedor Emelianenko (38-5) vs. Ryan Bader (26-5)
When/Where: 9:00pm, Paramount Network/DAZN
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3
Juice: 5: I do love a goddamned tournament, and this is the end result. The greatest heavyweight of all-time against a monster wrestler who’s been unleashed at heavyweight who has no intentions of letting Fedor see anything except the lights.
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 5: Between basic cable and a broad streaming service, I’m putting this as a 5 because someone you know has either one of the two.
Total: 21
t1. OneFC Flyweight Championship: Geje Eustaquio (c) (11-6) vs. Adriano Moraes (17-3)
When/Where: Friday, 6:00am, OneFC App
Competitiveness: 5: Moraes is the better fighter, but Eustaquio has the title that he took from him, despite Moraes tapping him out previously. Rubber match for all the marbles.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 4: Moraes is the best flyweight in OneFC history. He defended twice against Eustaquio, winning one by submission, and Geje got by him on the second by submission. Now it’s the rubber match, and terrifyingly enough for these two, the greatest flyweight of all-time awaits.
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 5
Total: 21
t3. WBO World Junior Middleweight Championship: Jaime Munguia (c) (31-0) vs. Takeshi Inoue (13-0-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 7:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 3: Inoue might become a world champion, and lord knows the boxing world needs fresh blood at 154, but he isn’t there yet. Not even close. This is his first trip to North America for a fight.
Excitement: 3
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4: I told you DAZN would bounce back after last week.
Total: 16
t3. WBA “Regular” World Featherweight Championship: Jesus M. Rojas (c) (26-2-2) vs. Can Xu (15-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 7:00pm, DAZN
Competitiveness: 4
Excitement: 3: Rojas’s last five wins have been by stoppage, but Xu isn’t exactly a fireball of offense. He’s technically sound and probably won’t be dragged into a firefight, but we shall see!
Juice: 1
Prestige: 4: Don’t even have to say it about the WBA anymore, do I?
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 16
5. WBA “Super” World Welterweight Championship: Keith Thurman (c) (28-0) vs. Josesito Lopez (36-7)
When/Where: Saturday, 8:00pm, FOX
Competitiveness: 2: You’ve gotta be kidding me. This is a fucking joke. Josesito Lopez?! On national TV?! This is absurd, even for Thurman and PBC.
Excitement: 2
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 5: Break out the antennas, cord cutters, we have championship fights on network TV!
Total: 15
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