*For Immediate Release to Publish
Roselle, Park, NJ (March 14th, 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.
Australia’s IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, 30, (30-0, 23 Kos), dominated inaugural Zuffa world title card against Brandon Glanton, 34, (21-4, 18 Kos). The bout was a one-sided boxing clinic by the Australian southpaw, who dominated nearly every round with superior footwork and hand speed. While Glanton showed remarkable durability, he was unable to counter Opetaia’s consistent volume and sharp uppercuts. All three judges scored the fight 119–106 in favor of Opetaia. You can view the video highlights and the explosive Dana White Post Press conference where he discusses his feud with Eddie Hearn and the IBF here.
Eddie Hearn had a response interview on the Ariel Helwani Show from Yahoo Sports. Eddie even spoke about being open to actually boxing Dana White, who is 56 years old. Eddie also spoke about managing his new client, UFC Heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. You can watch this interesting interview here.
This week’s featured bout is Kenneth Sims, 32, (22-3-1, 8 KO), who will face Arnold Barboza, 34, (32-1, 11 KOs), who suffered his first-ever defeat at the hands of Teofimo Lopez in May 2025. Kenneth Sims lost to Oscar Duarte in his last fight. This is a must-win fight for both fighters to remain relevant. You can view the betting odds, full card, presser, and weigh-in here. You can sign up to watch this fight here.
Other notable fights on this card are Oscar Collazo, 29, (13-0, 10 Kos) vs. Jesus Haro, 23, (13-3, 2 Kos) in a 12-round fight for Collazo’s WBO and WBO strawweight titles.
Gabriela Fundora, 23, (17-0, 9 Kos) vs. Viviana Ruiz Corredor, 43, (10-2, 5 Kos) is also on this card for Fundora’s undisputed women’s flyweight championship, and this bout is scheduled for 10 rounds.
In Dublin, Ireland, James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, 34, (36-5, 15 Kos) is set to defend his WBA super-featherweight world title against Anthony “The Apache” Cacace, 37, (24-1, 9 Kos) this Saturday, March 14, 2026. The fight headlines a Queensberry Promotions event at the 3Arena as part of the St. Patrick’s Day weekend festivities. You can sign up to watch this fight here. You can watch the weigh-in, press conference, look at the full card matchups, and view the betting odds here.
On Sunday, Knockout CP Freshmart, 35, (29-1, 11 KOs), defends his WBC junior flyweight title against Shokichi Iwata, 30, (15-2, 12 KOs) in a 12-round bout on March 15, 2026, at the Yokohama Budokan in Kanagawa, Japan. Boxing legend, Nonito Donaire, 43, (43-9, 28 Kos) is also on that card and will be in a WBA bantamweight world title eliminator against Japanese contender Riku Masuda, 28, (9-1, 8 Kos). Nonito has been competitive in his 40s and still hopes to win the World Title again. He lost a close decision to undefeated Seiya Tsutsumi in his last fight. Anthony Olascuaga, 27, (11-1, 8 Kos) will face Jukiya Iimura (9-1, 2 Kos) for Olascuaga’s WBO flyweight title as the co-main event.
Mikaela Mayer joins MVP. Mayer was previously promoted by Top Rank. The women’s boxing star officially signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, a move that includes a new broadcast deal with ESPN to develop women’s boxing.
Jake Paul is expected to be sidelined until late 2026 or early 2027 following a second jaw operation after his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. Jake Paul has reached out to Tommy Fury again for a possible rematch.
Janibek Alimkhanuly was stripped of his IBF middleweight title for a previous doping violation that was reported last month in the Real Combat Media newsletter.
Bill Haney has stated that talks have started for a ‘possible’ September rematch for Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.
USA’s Youth High Performance Team is currently competing at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, where they have secured multiple wins to advance toward the medal rounds.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA News, UFC 326 took place Saturday with the BMF Championship between current BMF holder Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, and Oliveira dominated, winning all 5 rounds by putting up a grappling clinic while controlling Holloway’s back and threatening chokes all night. You can view the video highlights, full card results, post-press conference, and read about the disappointing White House card announcement here.
Following a reported “lowball” offer and being left off the White House card, Jon Jones requested a release or retirement from the UFC.
Khamzat Chimaev, 31, (15-0) vs. Sean Strickland, 35, (30-7) is set to headline UFC 328 for the UFC 185lb championship. You can check out the opening betting odds, some other fights added on the card, and the preview here.
The press conference for the upcoming Ronda Rousey, 39, (12-2) vs. Gina Carano, 43 (7-1), and Francis Ngannou, 39, (18-3) vs former PFL champion, Philipe Lins, 40, (18-5) took place this week. Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions just signed Francis this week after we reported PFL had released Francis in last week’s newsletter. Ronda had a lot to say about the UFC’s business practices in this presser. It looks like Netflix may continue focusing on MMA in the upcoming years. You can view the press conference here.
This week’s featured MMA event is a fan favorite fight on the UFC Vegas 114 card where Josh Emmett, 40, (19-6) will face the rising UFC’s young star, Kevin Vallejos, 24 (17-1). Emmett is looking to snap a skid, having lost four of his last five fights. Vallejos, conversely, is riding a six-fight win streak and recently finished veteran Giga Chikadze and is looking to add a notable name to his resume.
In the Co-Main Event, #5 Amanda Lemos, 38, (15-5) will face #8 Gillian Robertson, 30, (16-8) in an important fight in the UFC’s 115lbs women’s division. You can view the UFC Vegas 114 weigh-in, media day video, and betting odds here. You can sign up to watch this event here.
UFC Fighter Removals (Cuts and Departures):
As of March 11–13, 2026, the following fighters are no longer listed on the active UFC roster:
Phil Rowe: A veteran knockout artist who leaves with a 4-5 UFC record after a two-fight losing streak.
Gavin Tucker: The Canadian featherweight has decided to retire from MMA following a series of injuries and back-to-back losses to Diego Lopes and Dan Ige.
Kris Moutinho: Known for his “zombie-like” resilience, Moutinho was released following his second winless stint in the promotion.
Erik Silva: The 38-year-old Venezuelan was removed after going 0-3 in the Octagon, most recently losing by submission in February.
AJ Cunningham: Released following a short tenure where he was unable to secure a victory.
Patchy Mix: Removed from the roster tracking logs as of March 11, signaling a departure from the promotion.
PFL MMA, the world’s #2 MMA promotion, introduced an updated rankings system last week. Check out the full rankings here.
UPCOMING UFC EVENTS:
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.
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For the most current news from the #2 MMA Promotion PFL, click here.
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