*For Immediate Release to Publish
Roselle, Park, NJ (March 21st, 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.
Arnold Barboza Jr., 34, (33-1, 11 KOs) of South El Monte, Calif., defeated Chicago’s Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr., 32, (22-3-1, 8 KOs) in his welterweight debut on DAZN from Honda Center. Barboza dominated the bout and battled through a headbutt suffered in the 11th round to secure a unanimous decision victory. Judges scored the contest 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111. After the fight, Barboza called out Ryan Garcia even though he lost to Teofimo Lopez in May of 2025. You can see the full card results and video highlights here.
Other notable fights on this card were Oscar Collazo, 29, (14-0, 11 Kos), who defeated Jesus Haro, 23, (13-4, 2 Kos). Collazo dominated the bout from the start, specifically targeting Haro’s body. The relentless pressure and a staggering punch count in the 6th round, while landing 45 punches in that round alone. forced Haro’s corner to keep him on the stool before the start of the 7th.
Gabriela Fundora, 23, (17-0, 9 Kos) defeated Viviana Ruiz Corredor, 43, (10-2, 5 Kos), defending her status as the undisputed flyweight champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine) by defeating the Colombian challenger by TKO. Fundora used her massive height and reach advantage to dismantle Ruiz from the outside. She dropped Ruiz in the 4th round with a sharp three-punch combination and continued the assault until the referee stepped in during the 6th to stop the unanswered flurries.
In Dublin, Ireland, James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, 34, (36-6, 15 Kos) lost his WBA super-featherweight world title against Anthony “The Apache” Cacace, 37, (25-1, 9 Kos) on March 14, 2026, via a 12-round unanimous decision.
On Sunday, Knockout CP Freshmart, 35, (29-2, 11 KOs), lost his WBC junior flyweight title against Shokichi Iwata, 30, (16-2, 13 KOs)via an 8th-round technical decision. The fight was high-paced and technical until a clash of heads in the 4th round opened a severe cut above Niyomtrong’s right eye. As the fight progressed, Iwata targeted the injury with jabs, causing the cut to worsen significantly. At the start of the 8th round, the ringside physician ruled it unsafe for Niyomtrong to continue. All three judges had Iwata ahead (79–73, 79–73, and 78–74), awarding him the unanimous technical decision and the WBC gold.
On the same card, Nonito Donaire, 43, (43-10, 28 Kos) lost to Riku Masuda,28, (10-1, 9 Kos). Unfortunately, Donaire was stopped in the 8th round via TKO, marking a tough stretch in the final chapter of his legendary career. You can view the stoppage here.
Anthony Olascuaga, 27, (12-1, 9 Kos) stopped Jukiya Iimura (9-2, 2 Kos) to defend his WBO flyweight title by stopping Iimura in the 9th round as the co-main event in Japan.
It’s a massive week for boxing. After months of speculation following the end of their long-term deal with ESPN in 2025, Top Rank and DAZN officially announced a multi-year partnership on March 18, 2026. You can read about some of the fights they have planned and Robert Brizel’s report here. This move effectively makes DAZN the “one-stop shop” for major boxing, as it now houses Top Rank alongside Matchroom, Queensberry, and Golden Boy Promotions. You can sign up to DAZN here.
Bill Haney has stated that talks have started for a ‘possible’ September rematch for Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas. However, Devin Haney is expected to fight WBA champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero in a welterweight unification bout on May 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. The fight is close, however, not official yet. While a rematch with Ryan Garcia is frequently discussed, Haney is currently focused on adding the WBA belt to his WBO title after his recent move to 147 lbs.
There were some changes to the PBC PPV card featuring Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman, which is scheduled for next week. You can view the changes to the co-main event here.
USA’s Youth High Performance Team competed at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, where they secured 4 Gold medals. You can view the final results of the event here.
Boxing Hall of Famer, Tommy Hearns was diagnosed with dementia. You can read Robert Brizel’s report about his family situation here.
Guatemala’s Lester Martinez, 30 (19-0-1, 16 Kos), returns to the ring on March 21 at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino, California, where he faces Immanuwel Aleem (22-3-3, 13 KOs) for the WBC interim super middleweight title. The bout headlines a ProBox event that will be streamed free worldwide via YouTube. Martinez recently fought against Christian Mbilli and fought to a competitive draw on the Canelo vs. Crawford undercard. That fight was the 2025 Real Combat Media boxing fight of the year.
This week’s featured boxing fight of the week is Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams, 29, (20-1, 13 Kos) vs. Carlos Adames, 31, (24-1-1, 18 Kos) for the WBC World Middleweight title on Saturday night at Caribe Royale in Orlando, on DAZN. You can watch the weigh-in, presser, and betting odds here. You can sign up to watch the fight here.
At Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, George Liddard, 23, (13-0, 8 Kos) takes on Tyler Denny, 34, (21-3- 2 Kos) today. You can view the weigh-in here.
The always entertaining Jarrell Miller, 37, (27-1-2, 22 Kos) will face Cuba’s undefeated Lenier Pero, 33, (13-0, 8 Kos) in an eliminator for the WBA World Heavyweight title at the BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, April 25, on DAZN. You can watch the press conference here.
Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing officially secured a multi-year broadcast deal with Sky Sports. This move officially brings the UFC-style boxing promotion to the UK and Ireland, with a promise of at least five major events in the UK every year. Here is what Eddie Hearn had to say here.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA news, last week from the UFC Vegas 114 card, where Josh Emmett, 40, (19-7) lost to rising UFC’s young star, Kevin Vallejos, 24, (17-1) via 1st round TKO. You can view the video highlights and full card results here. After the fight, Kevin called out Yair Rodrigiez for the UFC Noche card.
In the Co-Main Event, #5 Amanda Lemos, 38, (15-6) lost to #8 Gillian Robertson, 30, (17-8) in an important fight in the UFC’s 115lbs women’s division by unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night London takes place today with a decent card, with 2 undefeated stars. (#1) Movsar Evloev, 32, (19-0) takes on Lerone Murphy, 34, (17-0-1) for a possible UFC Title shot later this year. You can view the betting odds, heated weigh-in, and full card changes here. This card has an early start today, and you can sign up to watch the historic London card here.
In another shocking fight announcement, Netflix added UFC retired legend, Nate Diaz, 40, (22-13), back to MMA after 3 years off to face former UFC Fighter and Bareknuckle champion, Mike Perry, 34, (14-8), who has not competed in MMA in around 4 years. Netflix or MVP Promotions could be trying to become a competitor to the UFC in the future after putting up this loaded card. You can see the announcement here.
PFL Madrid took place last night, and you can see the full card results here.
UFC Fighter Removals (Cuts and Departures):
As of March 21st, 2026, the following fighters are no longer listed on the active UFC roster or have retired recently:
Tecia Pennington (Strawweight): Retired on January 23, 2026, after a storied career in the women’s 115-lb division.
Eryk Anders (Middleweight): Retired on March 14, 2026, immediately following his unanimous decision victory over Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 114.
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.
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.
If you are interested in advertising, submitting guest posts, or sponsoring internationally ranked Real Combat Media or this newsletter, email us at [email protected]. You can view our press kit here and view our international correspondents here.
SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here.
Follow us on social media @REALCOMBATMEDIA here.