Recent events in both the boxing and mixed martial arts worlds delivered thrilling finishes and significant shifts in championship pictures and rankings. A highly anticipated boxing rematch saw a champion reclaim his throne, while a dominant knockout propelled an MMA contender squarely into title contention.
Mikaelian Reclaims Cruiserweight Title in Rematch Thriller Against Jack
Noel Mikaelian (28-3, 12 KOs) has once again captured the WBC cruiserweight championship, securing a unanimous decision victory over Badou Jack (29-4-3, 17 KOs) at Ace Studios in Los Angeles on Saturday. This win marks a sweet revenge for Mikaelian, who had previously lost to Jack via majority decision seven months prior in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The rematch was a hard-fought affair, characterized by numerous fouls and point deductions for rabbit punching from both fighters. Despite the chaotic moments, including a near brawl at the end of Round 8, Mikaelian maintained his composure. While Jack, 42, started strong, Mikaelian outworked him in the later rounds, landing cleaner punches and ultimately swaying the judges with scores of 116-110, 116-110, and 115-111.
With his impressive victory, Mikaelian has already set his sights on future challenges, expressing interest in a unification title fight with IBF champion Jai Opetaia, or facing the winner of the proposed May 2 showdown between unified champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez and David Benavidez. The win also saw a swap in ESPN's cruiserweight rankings, with Mikaelian ascending to No. 4 and Jack moving to No. 5.
Kape's Knockout Ascent and PFL Championship Shift Highlight Year-End MMA
The final UFC event of the year concluded with a spectacular first-round knockout by Manel Kape against former title challenger Brandon Royval. This decisive victory has significantly boosted Kape’s standing, propelling him up the flyweight rankings and positioning him firmly in the championship picture.
In other notable combat sports action this past weekend, Renan Ferreira suffered a significant setback in the PFL. He lost his PFL heavyweight championship opportunity and his spot in the rankings to Vadim Nemkov, who secured a first-round arm triangle submission in the PFL Lyon main event.
These recent results will undoubtedly influence the comprehensive ESPN pound-for-pound MMA rankings and the list of current UFC champions across all weight classes, with rankings updated as of December 16th to reflect the latest performances.