Combat Sports Deliver Thrills: Rosas Jr. Dominates, Inoue Retains, and Historic MMA Medal at Asian Games

The world of professional boxing and mixed martial arts delivered a captivating week of action from September 21st to September 27th, highlighted by a dominant UFC main event victory, a trio of championship boxing bouts in Japan, and a historic medal for India in MMA at the Asian Games.

In mixed martial arts, UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos headlined the events on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Rising star Raul Rosas Jr. secured a TKO victory over Raoni Barcelos in the fifth round of their bantamweight main event. The intense back-and-forth battle also earned both fighters the "Fight of the Night" bonus. Other notable results from the card included Luis Hernandez defeating Sedriques Dumas by submission in the first round and Norma Dumont winning a unanimous decision over Ailin Perez.

Further making headlines in MMA, Suchika Tariyal made history for India at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday, September 21. Tariyal secured India's first-ever bronze medal in Mixed Martial Arts in the women's 60kg category, despite a tied semifinal bout that was ultimately decided by morning weigh-ins.

On the boxing front, a significant tripleheader unfolded in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, September 27. Takuma Inoue successfully defended his WBC Bantamweight Championship against Tenshin Nasukawa, winning by unanimous decision. On the same card, Sam Goodman claimed the vacant interim IBF Junior Featherweight Title with a unanimous decision victory over Ryosuke Nishida. Additionally, Ricardo Malajika secured the vacant WBC Junior Bantamweight Title, defeating Tomoya Tsuboi by split decision.

Across the globe in London, England, Saturday, September 26, saw Johnny Fisher defeat Michael Pirotton by majority decision in a heavyweight contest at the Copper Box Arena. Also in the UK, Liam Davies stopped Nathaniel Collins in seven rounds to secure a victory in Birmingham. Radivoje Kalajdzic also defeated Craig Richards by unanimous decision on the London card.

Earlier in the week, on September 19, professional boxing action included Isaac Cruz knocking out Nestor Bravo in the sixth round to retain his interim WBC super-lightweight title in San Diego, California. Pat Brown also delivered a sixth-round knockout against John Hedges, securing the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles in Manchester. Other notable boxing outcomes from the past week included Diana Fernandez outpointing Clothilde Del Ben for the vacant interim WBC super-fly title, Cristian Zarza retaining the European bantam title with a stoppage of Salvatore Contino, and Jonathan Kogasso winning the vacant WBC International Bridgerweight title against Kevin Ramirez. Japanese boxer Jin Sasaki also secured a knockout victory over David Ssemujju in Tokyo on September 21.