***Note***
MMA Fight of the Year Rankings will not be present in this month’s post. I am working on a final, top 100 list encompassing the entire calendar year for release in January, 2019.
Upcoming MMA Matchups of Note
***Card and dates subject to change. Click on the matchup for preview.***
December 8, UFC 231 (PPV)
UFC Featherweight Championship (145 lb): (1) Max Holloway (c) (United States) vs. (2) Brian Ortega (United States)
Vacant UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship (125 lb): (1) Valentina Shevchenko (Kyrgyzstan) vs. (2) [Women’s Strawweight] Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Poland)
December 15, Invicta FC 33 (UFC Fight Pass)
Invicta Women’s Atomweight Championship (105 lb): (4) Jinh Yu Frey (c) (United States) vs. (8) Minna Grusander (Finland)
December 29, UFC 232 (PPV)
Vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (205 lb): (2) Alexander Gustafsson (Sweden) vs. (NR) Jon Jones (United States)
UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship (145 lb): (1) Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (c) (Brazil) vs. (1) [Women’s Bantamweight] Amanda Nunes (Brazil)
Light Heavyweight (205 lb): (9) Ilir Latifi (Sweden) vs. (10) Corey Anderson (United States)
Featherweight (145 lb): (5) Alexander Volkanovski (Australia) vs. (6) Chad Mendes (United States)
Women’s Featherweight (145 lb): (5) Megan Anderson (Australia) vs. (6) [Women’s Bantamweight] Cat Zingano (United States)
December 31, Rizin FF
Rizin Bantamweight Championship (135 lb): (7) Darrion Caldwell (United States) vs. (8) Kyoji Horiguchi (c) (Japan)
Vacant Rizin Women’s Atomweight Championship (105 lb): (1) Ayaka Hamasaki (Japan) vs. (3) Kanna Asakura (Japan)
January 26, UFC 233 (PPV)
UFC Flyweight Championship (125 lb): (1) Henry Cejudo (c) (United States) vs. (1) [Bantamweight] T.J. Dillashaw (United States)
Flyweight (125 lb): (4) Joseph Benavidez (United States) vs. (8) Deiveson Figueiredo (Brazil)
February 2, UFC Fight Night 144 (ESPN+)
Bantamweight (135 lb): (3) Raphael Assuncao (Brazil) vs. (4) Marlon Moraes (Brazil)
February 9, UFC 234 (PPV)
UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lb): (1) Robert Whitaker (c) (New Zealand) vs. (3) Kelvin Gastelum (United States)
Upcoming Kickboxing Matchups of Note
***Card and dates subject to change***
Glory 62: Rotterdam, December 8 (ESPN)
8-Man Glory Heavyweight Tournament (209.4+ lb): Featuring: (2) Benjamin Adegbuyi (Romania); (6) Jamal Ben Saddik (Belgium); (7) Guto Inocente (Brazil); etc.
Upcoming Boxing Matches of Note
***Card and dates subject to change. Click on the matchup for preview. Television access listed where available. International match ups not shown on American television can often be found on YouTube soon after the completion of the fight.***
December 8, ESPN
Lightweight (135 lb): (1) Vasiliy Lomachenko (Ukraine) vs. (4) Jose Pedraza (Puerto Rico)
Super Bantamweight (122 lb): (1) Isaac Dogboe (Ghana) vs. (9) Emanuel Navarrete (Mexico)
December 14, ESPN+
Super Middlweight (168 lb): (2) Gilberto Ramirez (Mexico) vs. (7) Jesse Hart (United States)
December 15, DAZN
Super Middleweight (168 lb): (1) Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (Mexico) [Middleweight] vs. (6) Rocky Fielding (United Kingdom)
December 22, ESPN+
Featherweight (126 lb): (2) Carl Frampton (United Kingdom) vs. (6) Josh Warrington (United Kingdom)
December 22, FOX
Middleweight (160 lb): (4) Jermall Charlo (United States) vs. (13) Willie Monroe, Jr. (United States)
December 31
Super Flyweight (115 lb): (4) Kazuto Ioka (Japan) vs. (6) Donnie Nietes (Philippines)
Light Flyweight (108 lb): (2) Hekkie Budler (South Africa) vs. (4) Hiroto Kyoguchi (Japan)
January 19, Showtime PPV
Welterweight (147 lb): (2) Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) vs. (7) Adrien Broner (United States)
March 9, FOX
Welterweight (147 lb): (4) Shawn Porter (United States) vs. (11) Yordenis Ugas (Cuba)
March 16, FOX PPV
Welterweight (147 lb): (3) Errol Spence, Jr. (United States) vs. (2) [Lightweight] Mikey Garcia (United States)
April 20, FOX
Welterweight (147 lb): (5) Danny Garcia (United States) vs. (14) Adrian Granados (United States)