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?
1. UFC Welterweight Championship: Robbie Lawler (c) (27-10) vs. Tyron Woodley (15-3)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:00, Pay-Per-View
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 5: It’s Robbie Lawler. He’s physically unable to not be exciting.
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5: The welterweight title long ago took over the mantle as the most prestigous UFC title from the light heavyweight division.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 21
2. WBA Super World Featherweight Championship: Leo Santa Cruz (c) (32-0-1) vs. Carl Frampton (22-0)
When/Where: Saturday, 9:00, Showtime
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3: No idea how this will go. Santa Cruz and Frampton are both capable of fantastic bouts, and both capable of snoozers.
Juice: 2
Prestige: 5: For the WBA’s super-dee-duper SUPER WORLD TITLE 5000!
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 19
3. WSOF Featherweight Championship: Alexandre Almeida (c) (18-5) vs. Lance Palmer (10-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:30, NBC Sports
Competitiveness: 5
Excitement: 3: The thing about two dominant submission fighters, is that when they face each other, more than not, they don’t take as many chances and it devolves into bad kickboxing. Their first bout went the distance, so this could go either way.
Juice: 3: Title fight rematch stories where the challenger is trying to win his title back are always good watching.
Prestige: 3
Viewing Ease: 4: NBC Sports is an easy enough channel to watch, and they have a good online app if you’re not near your TV.
Total: 18
4. WSOF Bantamweight Championship: Marlon Moraes (c) (16-4-1) vs. Josh Hill (14-1)
When/Where: Saturday, 10:30, NBC Sports
Competitiveness: 3: Depending on your views on David Branch, Moraes is either the best or second-best fighter in WSOF, and while Hill took him the distance in their title fight, Moraes is still on another level.
Excitement: 4
Juice: 2
Prestige: 4: Moraes’s dominance in WSOF has made whomever might topple him a big deal.
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 17
5. WBC World Light Heavyweight Championship: Adonis Stevenson (c) (27-1) vs. Thomas Williams Jr. (20-1)
Friday, 9:00, Spike
Competitiveness: 2: Until Kovalev comes along, every fight either of them has is going to be 3 or under.
Excitement: 4: Good chance Superman flattens Williams but good.
Juice: 1
Prestige: 5
Viewing Ease: 4
Total: 16
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