*For Immediate Release to Publish
Roselle, Park, NJ (January 17th, 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, Dalton Smith, 28, (19-0, 14 Kos) defeated Subriel Matias, 33, (28-3, 22 Kos) via a stunning fifth-round knockout on January 11, 2026, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to win the WBC Super Lightweight title in a major upset. The action-packed fight saw Smith, the underdog, absorb heavy pressure from Matias before landing decisive right hands to secure the victory. Possible future fights for Smith could be Richardson Hitchins, Adam Azim, Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson winner, or most likely Alberto Puello, who is the WBC mandatory. Check out the rest of the card results and video highlights of the fight here.
Germany’s Agit Kabayel, 33, (27-0, 18 Kos) defeated Poland’s Damian Knyba, 29, (17-1, 11 Kos) via technical knockout (TKO) at 2:36 of the third round on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The bout took place at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, where Kabayel successfully made the first defense of his WBC interim heavyweight title. Kabayel is now in a position to fight Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury later this year. You can view video highlights of the TKO and view the full card results here.
There is a warrant issued for the arrest of WBA World Champion, Gervonta Davis, 31, (30-0-1, 28 Kos), in Miami, Florida, for Domestic Assault allegations. You can read about the incident here.
Dana White’s TKO Boxing and Zuffa announced a series of four consecutive weekly shows starting January 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, to be televised on Paramount+. You can sign up to watch this event here.
Rising British heavyweight power puncher 21-year-old Moses Itauma has withdrawn from his January 24 bout against Jermaine Franklin due to injury. The fight has been rescheduled for March 28.
A scheduled title defense with Gilberto Ramirez facing Robin Safar for January 16, 2026, was canceled due to a hand injury suffered by Safar. Ramirez will now likely wait for the high-profile clash against David Benavidez on May 2, 2026.
USA Boxing has announced the attendees of the High Performance Selection Camp. You can check out the list of some of the top amateurs in the US here.
Canelo Alvarez announced he will return on September 12th for his own event, which will be promoted by Canelo Promotions. You can see the video here.
In a new main event for Golden Boy Promotions, Raul “El Cugár” Curiel, 30, (16-0-1, 13 KOs) of Tamaulipas, Mexico, will face new opponent Jordan “The Patriot” Panthen, 29, (11-1, 9 KOs) of Poughkeepsie, NY on short notice. The 10-round middleweight fight replaces the previously announced Rocha vs. Curiel rematch. Alexis Rocha was forced to withdraw due to a medical emergency. The event will take place on Friday, January 16, 2026, live from Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN. The first fight begins at 2:30 p.m. PT, and the DAZN broadcast begins at 5:00 p.m. PT. You can sign up to DAZN here.
The Real Combat Media Boxing Awards took place last week for 2025. You can see who won each award here.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA news, Kayla Harrison, 35, (19-1), who is the women’s bantamweight champion, was forced to withdraw from UFC 324 for her highly anticipated title defense against Amanda Nunes, 37, (23-5), due to a neck injury requiring surgery. She is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months. Right now, Amanda Nunes is officially off the card. You can read about it here.
Following Harrison’s withdrawal, the Sean O’Malley, 31, (18-3) vs. Song Yadong, 28, (22-8-1) bout has been promoted to the co-main event spot for the historic Paramount + January 24 card.
Justin Gaethje, 37, (26-5) clarified recent rumors, stating that while “the end is near,” he is fully focused on the interim lightweight title main event against Paddy Pimblett next week.
Dana White made a “special announcement” this week regarding the headliner for the March return in Seattle, Washington, where former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, 36, (24-5), will headline against surging contender Joe Pyfer, 29, (15-3), who is on a 3 fight win streak. Adesanya has lost three fights in a row and four of his last five, making it a critical “must-win” to keep his UFC career alive.
Combat Sports Anti-Doping announced that Mohammed Usman, 36, (11-4), has accepted a 2-year and 6-month period of ineligibility for violations of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Usman tested positive for the presence of testosterone, a prohibited at all times substance in the class of Anabolic Agents on the UFC prohibited list. Usman’s suspension will end on April 9, 2028, and he will be 39 years old. Mohammed Usman is the brother of former UFC champion, Kamaru Usman.
Other Major Fight Updates & Upcoming Notable Fights:
UFC 325: Alex Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 takes place on January 31, 2026, in Sydney, Australia, for the featherweight title.
UFC 325: Jimmy Crute is out of his scheduled bout against Dustin Jacoby due to an ACL injury.
UFC Fight Night Mexico: Brandon Moreno vs. Asu Almabayev is official for February 28, 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico.
UFC Fight Night Houston: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez on February 21, 2026, in Houston, TX, which was officially announced as the headliner last week.
UFC 326: A BMF Championship bout between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira has been officially announced to headline the card in Las Vegas on March 7th.
UFC 327: Former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa is moving up to the Light Heavyweight division and will face Azamat Murzakanov on April 11th.
PFL MMA announced its PFL Pittsburgh card for February 7th. Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-1) will face Bryan “The Butcher” Battle (12-2-1 NC) in the main event on March 28th. You can check out the rest of the matchups on the card here.
The UFC has officially launched its archive library on Paramount+, signaling the start of its new primary streaming partnership in 2026. You can sign up here.
UFC 324 finally returns on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a loaded card, marking the UFC’s debut on Paramount+ for numbered events, headlined by Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the Interim Lightweight Title. You can sign up for Paramount+ here.
The Real Combat Media MMA Awards took place this week for 2025 this week. You can see who won each award here.
For PFL start times, more information, and to watch PFL events, click here.
To view the current UFC rankings, click here.
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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