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Roselle, Park, NJ (March 7th, 2026)– Welcome to the Real Combat Media Boxing & MMA Fights of the Week, where we discuss the week’s most significant news and the most notable fights in the sports of boxing and MMA, so you can save time by getting your best combat sports news expeditiously.
In boxing news, this past weekend, in Eduardo’ Sugar’ Nunez, 28, (29-2, 27 Kos), from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, lost an upset and his IBF title to Emanuel Navarette, 31, (40-2-1, 33 Kos) from San Juan Zitlaltepec, Mexico, via 11th-round TKO to become the unified WBO and IBF junior lightweight champion in Glendale, Arizona. Navarette dominated most of the fight and did a good job using his reach advantage. You can view the full card results and video highlights here.
Australia’s IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, 30, (29-0, 23 Kos), headlines the inaugural Zuffa world title card against Brandon Glanton, 34, (21-3, 18 Kos). The status of Opetaia’s IBF belt for this specific bout remains under deliberation by the sanctioning body. Glanton lost to Chris Billam-Smith in April of 2025 by unanimous decision; however, he rebounded in October of 2025, stopping Marcus Browne on his stool. You can watch the Zuffa 4 press conference, weigh-in, video preview, and betting odds here. You can sign up for this event here.
Boxing Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, 39, is set to face kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, 36, in a highly unique matchup in Egypt. Verhoeven is (1-0) as a professional boxer and (66-10) during his illustrious kickboxing career. You can read Robert Brizel’s article about this fight here.
Negotiations for a unification bout between Devin Haney and Rolly Romero are reportedly in talks for a possible May date.
A Nevada judge’s ruling in favor of Golden Boy Promotions has stalled the highly anticipated clash between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis, leaving the fight in limbo as mediation continues. Vergil Ortiz Jr. still says he will never fight for Golden Boy Promotions again, and this will delay his future fights until this contract situation gets worked out. You can watch Oscar De La Hoya’s response to the situation here.
British boxing promoter Frank Warren (Queensberry Promotions) is reportedly taking legal action against Sela (a Saudi Arabian entertainment company), Turki Alalshikh, and TKO Group Holdings (the parent company of UFC and WWE) for $1 billion (£740 million Warren claims he had an exclusivity agreement with Sela which was signed in September 2023 to provide his promotion’s boxing expertise for their expansion into the sport.
Warren alleges that a separate data-sharing agreement with TKO allowed them to access his Sela contract. Warren contends that Sela and TKO used this “privileged information” to go behind his back and form Zuffa Boxing without his involvement, thereby breaching the terms of his existing deals. The $1 billion figure represents the projected income Warren argues Queensberry would have earned if its contractual agreements had been honored.
Sela has publicly rejected the claims, calling them “unfounded” and expressing confidence that they will be vindicated. Dana White has also dismissed the suit, questioning what he did other than compete to justify legal action. Real Combat Media will provide updates if this legal matter escalates in the courts.
Floyd Mayweather, 48, has a hectic schedule for 2026. Floyd Mayweather has scheduled 2 exhibition fights for 2026, targeting a busy year amid speculation regarding his financial situation, which was originally reported by Business Insider. The lineup includes a match against Mike Tyson in April in Congo, a kickboxing bout against Mike Zambidis in June in Greece, and a bout with Manny Pacquiao on Netflix in September in Las Vegas, in a real professional fight. You can watch some of Floyd Mayweather’s recent training footage, which he just released here.
A week after Conor Benn signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has signed a major business deal with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, joining the newly launched Matchroom Talent Agency. Announced on March 5, 2026, the partnership is a “commercial and advisory” agreement designed to manage Aspinall’s brand and business interests both inside and outside the Octagon. Dana White stated he has “no issues” with the signing, noting that fighters are free to choose their own representation. Aspinall is currently recovering from double eye surgery following a first-round no-contest against Ciryl Gane in October 2025. While he intends to return to the cage as soon as possible, no official timeline for his next fight has been set.
Jake Paul signed a multi-year deal this week with ESPN through his company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), to launch a global women’s boxing platform called MVPW. You can watch the press conference video here.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA News, UFC Fight Night Mexico took place last Saturday on Paramount+. Hometown hero and former UFC Flyweight Champion #6 Brandon Moreno, 32, (23-10-2), lost to a rising prospect #15 Lone’er Kavanagh, 26, (10-1). This was probably Brandon Moreno’s last chance to climb back into a title shot opportunity, and he has now lost 4 of his last 6 fights. You can view the full card results and video highlights here.
UFC 326 takes place Saturday with the BMF Championship between current BMF holder Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. This marks the second time the two have met; their first encounter in 2015 ended prematurely due to an injury suffered by Oliveira. You can view the entire UFC 326 card, preview, betting odds, countdown show, presser, and weigh-in here. You can sign up to watch the card here.
On March 6, 2026, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) officially parted ways with the former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. Ngannou is now a free agent again after making only one appearance for the promotion.
PFL Brussels announced the return of former UFC Lightweight Champion, Benson Henderson, 42, (30-12), who will face the undefeated Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora, 24, (8-0). You can read about this card here.
PFL MMA, the world’s #2 MMA promotion, introduced an updated rankings system last week. Check out the full rankings here.
The official UFC White House Fight Card is finalized and is scheduled to be announced this Saturday, March 7, 2026, during the UFC 326: Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 broadcast.
Jiří Procházka vs. Carlos Ulberg is official. This matchup was officially announced as the main event for UFC 327 in Miami on April 11, 2026. The fight will be for the undisputed light heavyweight title after Alex Pereira vacated the belt.
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates is confirmed as the main event for a UFC Fight Night in Perth, Australia, scheduled for May 2, 2026.
Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley is set to headline a Fight Night on April 25.
Jasmine Jasudavicius faces Karine Silva at UFC Winnipeg on April 18.
Joshua Van will make his first flyweight title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 10th.
Get prepared for the UFC in 2026 and sign up to Paramount+ here.
For the most current news from the #2 MMA Promotion PFL, click here.
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