The combat sports world witnessed a mix of contentious decisions and significant title changes this past weekend, with major developments in both professional boxing and mixed martial arts. From a light heavyweight clash in Manchester to a title fight in Abu Dhabi, fighters battled for supremacy and rankings were shaken up.
Boxing: Buatsi Secures Controversial Majority Decision in Ugly Fight
In a highly anticipated light heavyweight bout in Manchester, England, Joshua Buatsi emerged victorious over Zach Parker via a controversial majority decision on Saturday. The fight itself was widely criticized for its lack of action and excessive clinching, leading to a performance that left fans and pundits questioning the outcome.
Two judges scored the fight 96-94 in favor of Buatsi, while a third saw it as an even 95-95 draw. Social media quickly erupted with dismay, many believing that Parker's early work should have secured him the win against the betting favorite. Despite the public backlash, Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) acknowledged his performance was not his best, stating, "I must admit it wasn't my best performance. But what do champions do? They win at all costs." The victory prevented Buatsi from suffering his second consecutive loss, though his underwhelming showing led to a drop from ESPN's No. 7 to No. 10 ranked light heavyweight.
MMA: UFC 321 Crowns New Champion, Shuffles Divisional Rankings
UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, while largely anticlimactic with few memorable highlights, had a profound impact on the ESPN divisional rankings. The biggest mover of the event was Mackenzie Dern, who claimed the vacant strawweight title by defeating Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision. This win propels Dern up four spots to No. 2 in the strawweight division, positioning her directly behind Zhang Weili, who vacated the belt and is now eyeing the women's flyweight championship.
Elsewhere on the card, the heavyweight division saw no changes at the top despite two significant bouts. Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane remain at Nos. 1 and 2 after their eye-poke no contest, while Alexander Volkov held onto his No. 4 spot after a split-decision victory over Jailton Almeida, who remains No. 6. In the light heavyweight category, Azamat Murzakanov made a significant entry at No. 6 following a first-round knockout of Aleksandar Rakic, causing Rakic to drop two spots to No. 8. Lastly, Umar Nurmagomedov climbed a spot to No. 3 in the men's bantamweight rankings after securing a unanimous decision win against Mario Bautista, who was ranked No. 6.
These ranking adjustments reflect the latest results from UFC 321, with eligibility requiring fighters to have competed within the last 12 months or have an upcoming fight booked, ensuring the rankings remain current as of October 28th.