All articles tagged with #title fights
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev says he may have three fights left in his career, signaling a possible life after fighting as he contemplates upcoming title challenges and how much more he wants to chase.
On the undercard of the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua event, four women’s world title fights took place, with Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois, Cherneka Johnson, and Yokasta Valle all successfully defending their titles, highlighting the growing prominence of women’s boxing on major global stages.
At UFC 321 weigh-ins, all main card fighters made weight for their title fights, but two undercard fighters, Jose Delgado and Azat Maksum, missed weight, resulting in fines and potential bout adjustments. The event features heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane and a women's strawweight title fight between Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern.
UFC 323 scheduled for December 6 in Las Vegas features 14 fights, including two title bouts with Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight title against Petr Yan and Alexandre Pantoja facing Joshua Van. The event also marks the return of lightweight fighter Jalin Turner from retirement and the comeback of Maycee Barber after medical emergencies, aiming to re-establish her title contention.
Bo Nickal returns to UFC at UFC 322 in New York on Nov. 15, facing Rodolfo Vieira, as part of a card featuring seven fights including title defenses by Jack Della Maddalena and Valentina Shevchenko.
WWE SummerSlam Night 2 at MetLife Stadium featured a stacked card with six title matches, including a main event Street Fight between John Cena and Cody Rhodes, along with other high-stakes bouts such as the Women's World title triple-threat and the TLC tag team match, concluding the two-night wrestling extravaganza.
UFC 300 is set to feature a stacked lineup, including former champs facing off, title fights, and a BMF title defense. Notable matchups include Alex Pereira defending his light heavyweight title, Charles Oliveira aiming to surpass $1 million in UFC bonus money, and Kayla Harrison making her UFC debut. The event will also see several firsts, such as two former UFC champions fighting in the opening bout and two Chinese fighters competing for a UFC title. With 12 of the 26 fighters on the card currently holding or having previously held UFC gold, UFC 300 promises to be a showcase of championship-level talent.
Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will weigh in for their heavyweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the pay-per-view event featuring three title fights. The main card will also include matchups between Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker, Rey Vargas and Nick Ball, Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov, and Gavin Gwynne and Mark Chamberlain.
Jaime Munguia defeated John Ryder in the 9th round with a brutal finish, dropping Ryder four times and seeking a high-profile bout with Canelo Alvarez. Munguia's impressive performance, including four knockdowns and a dominant display, may have earned him a shot at Alvarez. The fight card also featured Oscar Collazo defending his WBO strawweight championship with a third-round TKO and Gabriela Fundora remaining unbeaten after scoring a 10th-round TKO in her first title defense.
UFC CEO Dana White has announced three title fights that will headline three separate pay-per-view events in the first quarter of 2024. The matchups include Sean Strickland defending his middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis in January, Alexander Volkanovski defending his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria in February, and Sean O'Malley facing Marlon Vera in a bantamweight championship rematch in March. Specific dates and locations for the latter two fights have not been disclosed yet.
UFC President Dana White has announced three title fights scheduled for 2024, featuring Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira, and Jiří Procházka. Aspinall's greatest hits inside the UFC Octagon are being relived, while Pereira's journey to the belt is highlighted, as he became the Middleweight Champion after just three UFC fights. Procházka, the Light Heavyweight Title winner, returns rejuvenated and refocused for his upcoming title fight against Pereira at UFC 295.
Bellator 300, set for October 7th in San Diego, will feature four title fights, including Ryan Bader defending his Bellator heavyweight title against Linton Vassell, and Cris Cyborg defending her Bellator women's featherweight title against Cat Zingano. Usman Nurmagomedov will also defend his Bellator lightweight title against Brent Primus, and Liz Carmouche will defend her Bellator women's flyweight belt against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.
Three dominant UFC champions, Usman, Adesanya, and Shevchenko, were dethroned in the championship rounds in the past seven months, a rare occurrence in the sport. Fighters and coaches are split on whether this is indicative of a trend and what it means. Some believe it's the ushering in of a new generation of MMA, while others think it's merely a coincidence. However, most agree that the era of dominant, yearslong championship reigns and lengthy winning streaks is likely over. The sport has evolved, and fighters are now more well-rounded, with more access to fight video and instructional videos online.
Tony Khan announced several championship contests for AEW and ROH, including ROH TV's Athena defending the Women's World Championship against Emi Sakura, and Wheeler Yuta defending the ROH Pure Championship against Katsuyori Shibata at Supercard of Honor. The event will also feature several other title fights, including the ROH World Championship, World Tag Team Championship, World Television Championship, and World Six-Man Championship. Additionally, Riho will challenge Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women's World Championship on next week's Dynamite.