Fight Fans Witness Thrilling Action in Boxing and MMA Rings Last Week

The past week in professional combat sports delivered a flurry of exciting bouts across the globe, with major headlines emerging from both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and various boxing promotions.

UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Crowns Interim Champion in Las Vegas UFC 324, held on January 24, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was a major highlight, culminating in Justin Gaethje claiming the interim lightweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Paddy Pimblett. The highly anticipated co-main event, a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes, was unfortunately postponed.

The event was packed with notable performances, including Sean O'Malley securing a unanimous decision win against Song Yadong in a bantamweight clash. Natalia Silva also earned a unanimous decision over Rose Namajunas in their women's flyweight encounter. Heavyweight action saw Waldo Cortes Acosta defeat Derrick Lewis via TKO, while Jean Silva bested Arnold Allen by unanimous decision. The card notably began with two early preliminary bouts ending in first-round finishes at the very last second, a historic first for the promotion. In a late development, a scheduled lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez was canceled on the day of the event due to betting concerns. Adding to the excitement, the UFC announced a doubling of post-fight bonuses from $50,000 to $100,000, alongside the introduction of a new finish bonus.

Boxing Rings See Controversies and Title Wins In boxing, the week was marked by a mix of decisive victories and an unexpected no-contest. On January 16 in Boondall, Australia, a significant middleweight clash between Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa was declared a No Contest after Zerafa reported vision difficulties before the third round. The same card featured Liam Wilson securing a knockout victory over Rodex Piala, and Demsey McKean achieving a TKO win against Toese Vousiutu.

Across the Pacific in Palm Springs on January 16, Raul Curiel secured a points victory over Jordan Panthen. Other winners on that card included Jorge Chavez, John Ramirez, and Ruslan Abdullaev.

Later in the week, on January 23, Callum Walsh defeated Carlos Ocampo by unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That same day, Jose Tito Sanchez stopped Jesus Ramirez Rubio with a technical knockout in Long Beach. Capping off the boxing action, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. delivered a fourth-round knockout victory over Angel Julian Sacco in San Luis Potosi on January 24. International bouts also saw Lee win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title and Cruzat claim the vacant WBO Youth title via points decisions. Vincenzo Gualtieri achieved a first-round knockout in Germany, while Freddy Kiwitt successfully defended his WBF world title.