Boxing and MMA Deliver Knockouts and Upsets in Action-Packed Week

Professional boxing and mixed martial arts delivered a thrilling week of action from July 13th to July 19th, 2026, featuring significant knockouts, surprising upsets, and major title defenses across the globe.

In boxing, the super middleweight division saw Diego Pacheco secure an emphatic knockout victory over Immanuwel Aleem on Saturday, July 18th, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, United States. Pacheco dominated the bout, ultimately stopping Aleem in the 11th round. On the same card, Andy Cruz defeated Abraham Montoya by TKO in the third round, and Albert Gonzalez knocked out Aaron Alameda in the second.

Across the Atlantic, London's Copper Box Arena witnessed a major upset as David Papot dropped Harlem Eubank three times en route to a unanimous decision victory, claiming the vacant IBF International welterweight title on July 18th. Papot's relentless pressure and southpaw style proved decisive, derailing Eubank's path towards a world title shot.

Other notable boxing results included Alberto Puello's fourth-round technical knockout of Miguel Angel Bolano in Santo Domingo on July 18th, and Hayato Tsutsumi's second-round TKO against Felix Batista San Juan in Tokyo on July 14th. Earlier in the week, Murat Gassiev successfully defended his WBA World Heavyweight Championship with a sixth-round technical knockout over Peter Kadiru in Moscow on July 11th.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) also brought high drama with UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 taking place on Saturday, July 11th, in Las Vegas. Max Holloway emerged victorious against Conor McGregor due to a knee injury suffered by McGregor at 1:09 of the first round. In other main card action at UFC 329, Mario Bautista secured a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen, and King Green defeated Terrance McKinney by TKO with strikes in the first round.

Additionally, UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman took place on July 18th in Oklahoma City, adding to the week's mixed martial arts events.