Combat Sports Deliver Thrilling Week of Fights: Holloway Stops McGregor, Gassiev Defends Title

The world of professional combat sports saw an action-packed week from July 6th to July 12th, 2026, highlighted by a highly anticipated UFC rematch and several significant boxing showdowns. Fans witnessed dramatic finishes, title defenses, and unexpected upsets across the globe.

In mixed martial arts, all eyes were on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 329 on July 11th, where Max "Blessed" Holloway delivered a stunning first-round TKO victory over Conor "The Notorious" McGregor in their welterweight main event. Holloway secured the win after McGregor suffered a knee injury just over a minute into the fight, bringing an abrupt end to the highly anticipated rematch. The co-main event also provided a quick finish, with Paddy Pimblett defeating Benoit Saint Denis via technical submission with a d'arce choke in the first round. Earlier on the main card, Brandon Royval secured a submission victory over Lone'er Kavanagh in the third round. Preliminary bouts also saw notable performances, including Damian Pinas’ first-round knockout of Cesar Almeida and Ryan Gandra’s TKO win over Zachary Reese.

Professional boxing also delivered a series of compelling contests. In a major heavyweight clash on July 11th, Murat Gassiev successfully defended his WBA Heavyweight Title, stopping Peter Kadiru by technical knockout in the sixth round in Moscow. Meanwhile, in a surprising turn of events, veteran Joe Joyce was stopped by Artem Suslenkov on the same card. Adding to the weekend's boxing headlines, former IBF super middleweight champion Felix Sturm announced his retirement after a split decision loss to Granit Stein.

Earlier in the week, on July 4th, Abdullah Mason successfully defended his WBO lightweight title, overcoming a tough challenge from Albert Bell to secure a twelfth-round TKO victory in Cleveland, Ohio. On the same card, Bruce Carrington retained his WBC featherweight title by outpointing Rene Palacios over 12 rounds, and Delante Johnson earned a decision win against Christopher Guerrero in a welterweight bout.

International boxing action also saw William Scull secure a kayo win in Germany, while Italy hosted a card featuring victories for Mauro Forte, Angelo Morejon, Pamela Noutcho, and Giovani Rossetti. In Japan, Yamato Hata retained his OPBF title with a majority decision, and Blake Caparello returned to action with a win in Australia.