Saturday delivers one of those fight days where boxing and MMA fans will barely have time to reset between major cards. London gets the first spotlight with a heavyweight rematch that already has Fight of the Year history behind it, Edmonton hosts an important UFC welterweight main event, and Las Vegas closes the night with Sebastian Fundora defending his WBC super welterweight championship.

The biggest fight of the day may also be the easiest to sell. Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are doing it again, only five months after a brutal first meeting in which Wardley dropped Dubois twice before Dubois dragged himself back into the fight and stopped him in the 11th round to take the WBO heavyweight championship. Wardley immediately wanted another chance, and Saturday at The O2 gives him one. Reuters

Later, the UFC returns to Edmonton with Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott, while Fundora headlines in Las Vegas against unbeaten mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj. Add in Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius and the strange circumstances surrounding Brandon Figueroa vs. Tomoki Kameda, and there is considerably more to Saturday than just three main events.

Here is this week’s Fight Week Fight Night Preview.

1. Final Odds and Late Updates

Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II

The betting market has moved dramatically since the first fight.

Dubois enters the rematch around a -350 favorite, with Wardley at approximately +250 as of Saturday morning. That is a significant shift considering their first meeting was essentially viewed as a pick’em before Dubois ultimately took control. Sports Betting Dime

It is easy to understand why Dubois is favored. He survived Wardley’s best early work, recovered from two knockdowns and gradually turned what looked like a disastrous night into one of the strongest performances of his career. By the later rounds, Dubois was the fighter pushing Wardley backward and landing the heavier combinations.

But -350 feels like a lot of confidence for a fighter who was on the floor twice against the same opponent five months ago.

Wardley’s limitations are not difficult to see. He can become wild, he takes punches he does not need to take and Dubois showed that a more complete heavyweight can break him down over time. What Wardley does possess, however, is legitimate fight-changing power. We already know he can hurt Dubois.

That alone keeps this rematch interesting.

Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott

The UFC market is much tighter.

The UFC’s current line has Mike Malott at -125 and Joaquin Buckley at +105, making this essentially a toss-up main event. Buckley is ranked No. 10 at welterweight, while Malott enters at No. 13. UFC

Their trajectories could hardly be more different.

Malott arrives on a four-fight winning streak and has openly talked about a victory moving him securely into the top 10. Buckley enters having lost two straight and is trying to prevent what once looked like a strong run toward the top of the division from slipping away. MMA Fighting

That creates a main event with consequences beyond the rankings. Malott is trying to arrive. Buckley is trying to prove he never left.

Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj

Oddsmakers expect considerably less drama in Las Vegas.

Fundora has been listed around -1400, with Hadribeaj approximately +700. The number reflects both Fundora’s championship-level experience and the enormous jump in competition for the unbeaten challenger. Covers.com

Hadribeaj is 23-0-1, so this is not a case of an undeserving challenger receiving a title shot. He has earned his mandatory position.

The question is whether anything on his résumé has prepared him for Fundora.

At roughly 6-foot-6 with an 80-inch reach, Fundora remains one of the strangest physical puzzles in boxing. What makes him more difficult is that he often refuses to fight like the taller man. Instead of staying safely on the outside, Fundora is perfectly willing to stand in close and exchange.

That style gives opponents opportunities.

It also tends to exhaust them.

2. Weigh-In Fallout

The heavyweight scales produced an interesting development Friday: both Dubois and Wardley came in at career-high weights.

Dubois weighed 253.9 pounds, while Wardley came in at 248.3. Wardley was roughly six pounds heavier than he was for their first fight, while Dubois also surpassed his previous career high. Talksport

Normally, a few additional heavyweight pounds are not worth overanalyzing. In this matchup, they might matter.

Wardley knows what happened the first time. He hurt Dubois early but gradually lost control as the champion’s pressure and physical strength took over. Coming in heavier could be part of an effort to hold up better during those exchanges and prevent Dubois from imposing himself as easily in the second half.

Dubois, meanwhile, appears prepared for another physical fight rather than a boxing match built around movement.

That is probably good news for everyone watching.

Edmonton produced far less drama. All 26 UFC fighters made weight. Buckley and Malott both weighed 170.5 pounds, while Blanchfield came in at 125 and Jasudavicius at 124.5. MMA Fighting

Las Vegas was a different story.

Fundora and Hadribeaj both successfully made the 154-pound limit, but Brandon Figueroa missed weight for his WBA featherweight championship fight against Tomoki Kameda. Figueroa initially weighed 127.4 pounds, 1.4 pounds over the limit, and was unable to get down to 126 within the allotted time. Reuters

The consequence is significant.

The WBA featherweight championship is now vacant. Kameda can win the title Saturday; Figueroa cannot. If Figueroa wins, the belt remains vacant. PBC Boxing

That completely changes the stakes of what had been one of the most interesting fights on the card.

3. Last-Minute Fight Changes

The biggest late adjustment in Las Vegas came before fight night when Jermall Charlo withdrew from his scheduled bout with Koen Mazoudier because of injury.

Former world champion Armando Resendiz stepped in to face Mazoudier in the 10-round super middleweight bout instead. PBC Boxing

That is the kind of replacement that keeps a card interesting. Resendiz is not simply showing up to fill a spot. He is an aggressive fighter who has been in significant bouts and should give Mazoudier a completely different stylistic challenge than the one he spent camp preparing for.

Otherwise, Saturday’s primary attractions survived fight week intact.

Dubois-Wardley II is on.

Buckley-Malott is on.

Fundora-Hadribeaj is on.

Sometimes the best late update is that the fights we actually wanted to see are still happening.

4. Three Things to Watch

1. Can Fabio Wardley Finish What He Started?

The first fight contains the blueprint for both sides.

Wardley already proved he can hurt Dubois. He put the current champion down in the opening seconds and dropped him again in the third round. The problem was everything that happened afterward.

Dubois remained composed.

He began finding Wardley with increasingly heavy combinations, forced him backward and eventually turned Wardley’s willingness to trade into a liability. By the 11th round, the punishment had accumulated to the point that the fight had to be stopped. Reuters

Wardley therefore faces an unusual problem Saturday. He probably cannot simply fight more cautiously because aggression and unpredictability are what make him dangerous in the first place. But he also cannot repeat the same reckless exchanges and expect a different outcome.

Dubois may actually have the simpler assignment.

Survive the early danger, stay disciplined and make Wardley fight at his pace.

But heavyweight boxing rarely remains simple once someone gets hit.

2. Is Mike Malott Ready to Become a Real Welterweight Contender?

For Malott, Saturday feels like the line between being an interesting Canadian fighter and becoming a legitimate factor at 170 pounds.

He has won four straight and now gets a ranked opponent in front of a Canadian crowd. Malott has said beating Buckley should move him comfortably into the UFC’s top 10.

Buckley is exactly the kind of opponent who can ruin that plan.

His explosiveness remains dangerous, and desperation can sometimes sharpen a fighter. Two straight losses mean Buckley enters Edmonton with very little room for another setback.

The longer the fight lasts, the more interesting it becomes.

Malott has looked increasingly confident during his current run, but a five-round fight against an explosive athlete like Buckley asks different questions than a three-round matchup. Buckley, meanwhile, cannot afford to spend extended stretches waiting for the perfect shot.

This may not have a championship attached to it, but it feels very much like a career-direction fight.

3. Is Sebastian Fundora Heading Toward Something Bigger?

Fundora-Hadribeaj is the least competitive matchup on paper, which actually makes the story surrounding the champion more interesting.

Fundora has moved beyond simply being boxing’s unusual 6-foot-6 junior middleweight. He is now an established WBC champion in one of the sport’s deepest divisions, carrying a 24-1-1 record with 16 knockouts into Saturday. PBC Boxing

The expectation is that he wins.

That means the standard changes.

It is no longer enough for Fundora to survive a difficult opponent and retain his championship. Against a +700 underdog making his first appearance at this level, people will be watching to see whether Fundora looks like a fighter ready for the biggest possible matchups at 154.

Hadribeaj’s opportunity comes from those expectations. Almost nobody expects him to win, which allows him to fight without carrying the burden normally attached to an unbeaten record.

If he can make Fundora uncomfortable early, that massive betting line could suddenly look much more interesting.

5. Quick Fight Week Picks

Friday remains the home of our full prediction column, so Saturday’s picks stay focused on the final read before the fights begin.

Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II

Fight Week Pick: Daniel Dubois

Method: TKO

Confidence: 7/10

Wardley may again be dangerous early, and his power prevents this from feeling like a true -350 matchup. But the first fight showed that Dubois has more ways to win. His combinations are tighter, his physical pressure is more consistent and he adjusted once he survived the early knockdowns.

This probably becomes another difficult fight before Dubois gradually takes control.

Fight Week sees Dubois stopping Wardley again, likely in the second half.

Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott

Fight Week Pick: Mike Malott

Method: Decision

Confidence: 6/10

This is probably the hardest call of the three main events.

Buckley is more explosive and has faced the stronger overall competition, but Malott enters with momentum, confidence and a Canadian crowd behind him. If he avoids giving Buckley the kind of clean exchange that can end a fight instantly, his more measured approach could allow him to build rounds.

The -125 line feels appropriate.

Expect a competitive five-round fight.

Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj

Fight Week Pick: Sebastian Fundora

Method: TKO

Confidence: 9/10

Hadribeaj deserves his opportunity, but this is an enormous step up.

Fundora has the reach, volume, experience and increasingly effective power to make this a miserable fight for someone who has never competed at this level. The champion does occasionally give opponents opportunities by fighting inside when he does not need to, but Hadribeaj must prove he has enough offense to make him pay for it.

Fight Week expects Fundora’s volume to become overwhelming as the rounds progress.

A Saturday That Starts Heavy and Finishes Late

The best thing about this Saturday is how different the three featured fights are.

Dubois-Wardley II is unfinished business. The first fight gave us knockdowns, momentum swings, blood and a dramatic late stoppage. Nobody had to manufacture a storyline for the rematch. The fighters created one themselves.

Buckley-Malott is about careers moving in opposite directions. One fighter wants to break into the top 10. The other is trying desperately to remain there.

Fundora-Hadribeaj has a different kind of pressure. The champion is expected to win so decisively that the conversation has already begun to move toward what might come next. Those are often the fights where an unbeaten challenger becomes most dangerous.

And then there is Figueroa-Kameda, suddenly transformed by Friday’s missed weight into a fight where only one man can leave Las Vegas with the championship.

Saturday has heavyweight revenge, UFC stakes, a world-title defense and enough weigh-in drama to change an entire division.

FIGHT WEEK FRIDAY PICKS • OCTOBER 16, 2026

The Fight Week picks are back, and last weekend served up another reminder that nothing stays easy for very long when you put predictions on the record.

Floyd Schofield delivered exactly what we expected, outboxing Lucas Bahdi to win the vacant WBA lightweight championship by unanimous decision. Brendan Allen also came through almost exactly as predicted, submitting Christian Leroy Duncan in the fifth round, while Loopy Godinez gave us a third winner with her unanimous-decision victory over Ketlen Souza. Ricardo Sandoval, Nico Ali Walsh, Matheus Camilo and Kai Kamaka III went the other direction, leaving us with a 3–4 week.

That moves the running record to:

Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 30–21

Saturday gives us two strong cards to work with. Premier Boxing Champions returns to Las Vegas with Sebastian Fundora defending his WBC super welterweight championship against unbeaten Ermal Hadribeaj, while Brandon Figueroa makes the first defense of his WBA featherweight title against former world champion Tomoki Kameda. Up in Edmonton, Joaquin Buckley meets Canadian Mike Malott in a five-round UFC welterweight main event, with Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius colliding in an important women’s flyweight fight.

There are plenty of favorites this week, but there are also a few places where the obvious pick may not be the right one.

Here are the Fight Week Picks.

BOXING — FUNDORA VS. HADRIBEAJ

Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj

Sebastian Fundora remains one of boxing’s strangest physical puzzles.

The WBC super welterweight champion stands roughly 6-foot-6 with an 80-inch reach, dimensions that would normally suggest a fighter who wants to spend the night working behind a long jab from a safe distance. Fundora has rarely been interested in making things that simple. He prefers sustained exchanges, works extremely well on the inside and has built much of his reputation by fighting opponents at ranges where his enormous physical advantages seem like they should matter less.

Hadribeaj enters unbeaten at 23-0-1, but this represents a significant step upward. Fundora is 24-1-1 with 16 knockouts, while Hadribeaj has stopped eight opponents. Both men are southpaws, which removes some of the usual awkwardness Fundora can create simply with stance, but the champion still owns a massive advantage in height and reach.

The challenger needs Fundora to cooperate. If Fundora becomes too willing to exchange at short range, Hadribeaj can turn this into a much more competitive fight than the physical dimensions suggest. But Fundora has become increasingly seasoned at the championship level, and he has shown that he can survive difficult stretches without abandoning his offense.

Hadribeaj may have success early while Fundora gauges his timing, but over 12 rounds we expect the champion’s volume, size and ability to attack from several different ranges to become increasingly difficult to handle.

Fight Week Pick: Sebastian Fundora
Method: TKO
Confidence: 8/10

Fundora breaks down the unbeaten challenger over the second half of the fight and retains the WBC title with a late stoppage.

Brandon Figueroa vs. Tomoki Kameda

This is the fight on the PBC card that could be more competitive than casual fans expect.

Figueroa enters at 27-2-1 with 20 knockouts and makes the first defense of the WBA featherweight championship. Across the ring will be a very experienced former champion in Tomoki Kameda, who owns a 42-5 record with 23 knockouts and has spent much of his career fighting at or near the championship level.

Kameda knows how to survive difficult fights, and his experience should prevent Figueroa from simply overwhelming him from the opening bell. The problem is that Figueroa creates exactly the kind of physical fight that becomes harder for an older opponent to manage as the rounds accumulate.

“The Heartbreaker” is six years younger, carries a listed five-and-a-half-inch reach advantage and has made pressure fighting into an exhausting art form. He does not simply throw punches in combinations; he forces opponents to work constantly, attacks the body and makes every clinch and exchange physically taxing.

Kameda’s best chance is to control the early rounds, keep Figueroa from building momentum and make the champion reset before he can begin stringing combinations together. If the fight settles into Figueroa’s preferred rhythm, though, it could become a very long night.

Fight Week Pick: Brandon Figueroa
Method: TKO
Confidence: 8/10

Kameda’s experience keeps him competitive early, but Figueroa’s body work and relentless volume eventually force a late stoppage.

Armando Resendiz vs. Koen Mazoudier

Armando Resendiz finds himself in an interesting position Saturday because this is the type of fight he is expected to win, but it is not the type of matchup where he can afford to simply show up and expect talent to carry him through.

Resendiz enters at 16-3 with 11 knockouts and has already demonstrated that he belongs in meaningful fights. Mazoudier brings a 13-4-1 record and comes off a convincing unanimous-decision victory over Dan Hill in a 10-round fight in which the Australian showed he can maintain his work rate over distance.

Mazoudier’s record may cause some people to overlook him, but his style can make opponents work. He is willing to stay engaged and should not be intimidated by Resendiz’s pressure. The issue is whether he can consistently win those exchanges once Resendiz begins digging to the body and turning the fight into something more physical.

Resendiz does his best work when the opponent stands in front of him long enough for combinations to develop. Mazoudier is tough enough that we do not expect an immediate finish, but the longer the two remain in close quarters, the more the matchup should favor Resendiz.

Fight Week Pick: Armando Resendiz
Method: TKO
Confidence: 7/10

Mazoudier gives Resendiz a competitive first half before the heavier offense begins taking its toll and Resendiz earns a late stoppage.

Marco Romero vs. Braulio Ferreira

Marco Romero continues to move quickly for a 20-year-old prospect.

The unbeaten Kansas product enters at 15-0 with 13 knockouts, meaning nearly 87 percent of his professional victories have ended inside the distance. Ferreira is 34 years old and brings an 8-3 record into the eight-round super middleweight matchup.

Romero’s power is obviously what gets the attention, but the more important part of his development is learning how to create those knockout opportunities without becoming dependent on them. Young punchers can fall into the trap of assuming every opponent will eventually disappear once they land cleanly. Better opposition eventually forces them to win rounds, make adjustments and set traps.

Ferreira should give Romero another chance to work through that process, but the difference in speed and offensive firepower looks substantial. Ferreira is slightly taller, yet Romero should be able to close distance without much trouble and put combinations together once he gets into range.

This feels more like another developmental step than a true 50-50 fight, but it is an important one for a prospect PBC clearly believes has significant upside.

Fight Week Pick: Marco Romero
Method: TKO
Confidence: 9/10

Romero applies steady pressure, finds the openings as the rounds progress and adds another stoppage to his rapidly growing record.

UFC EDMONTON — BUCKLEY VS. MALOTT

Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott

This is our most interesting pick of the weekend.

Mike Malott enters Saturday with the home-country crowd behind him and as a slight betting favorite. The Canadian is 14-2-1, with six knockouts and six submissions among his 14 victories. Nine of those wins have come in the first round, which tells you exactly how dangerous Malott can be before an opponent has had time to settle into the fight.

Buckley is built differently. He enters at 21-8 with 15 knockout victories and has fought the deeper level of UFC competition. His explosive power remains his most obvious weapon, but the more important factor in a five-round fight may be that Buckley has already been forced to operate deep into main-event situations against experienced opposition.

Malott cannot afford to burn through his gas tank trying to remove Buckley immediately. He needs to use the threat of his grappling, force Buckley to think about more than the left hand and make the fight less predictable than a pure kickboxing contest.

The longer this goes, however, the more we lean toward Buckley.

Buckley has been working with a new team and enters this fight openly talking about proving he belongs among the division’s top contenders. More importantly, he has enough takedown defense and physical strength to make Malott expend energy every time he attempts to force the fight to the mat.

Fight Week Pick: Joaquin Buckley
Method: TKO
Confidence: 6/10

Malott starts fast and probably wins some early exchanges, but Fight Week is taking the slight underdog. Buckley survives the opening pressure, begins finding his range and catches Malott during the second half of the fight.

Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

This could quietly be one of the most important fights on Saturday’s entire MMA schedule.

Blanchfield enters ranked No. 4 in the UFC women’s flyweight division at 14-2, while Jasudavicius is ranked No. 6 and carries a 15-4 record into the biggest opportunity of her career. The matchup is particularly interesting because both women are comfortable turning fights into extended grappling battles.

Jasudavicius is physically strong, difficult to move once she establishes top position and has become increasingly comfortable fighting ranked opponents. Fighting in Canada should also give her plenty of momentum if she can create early success.

Blanchfield, though, is the more dangerous submission threat and has spent several years competing against the upper end of the division. She owns five professional submission victories and has already shown that she can transition quickly between positions when opponents try to scramble out of trouble.

Because Jasudavicius is a capable grappler herself, we are not expecting Blanchfield to simply take her down and immediately find a finish. This could become a physically demanding fight in which both women spend long stretches battling for position along the fence and on the mat.

That kind of fight still favors Blanchfield.

Fight Week Pick: Erin Blanchfield
Method: Decision
Confidence: 8/10

Jasudavicius makes Blanchfield work for every position, but Blanchfield wins enough of the grappling exchanges and lands the cleaner offense to take the decision.

Tanner Boser vs. Jhonata Diniz

If you are looking for a fight unlikely to require the judges, start here.

Tanner Boser returns in front of a Canadian crowd with a 22-11-1 record and 12 knockout victories. Across from him stands Jhonata Diniz, who enters at 9-2 with seven knockouts, six of them coming in the first round.

Neither fighter’s preferred route is mysterious. Diniz wants a striking match where he can set his feet and let his kickboxing background take over, while Boser needs to prevent him from getting comfortable at punching range.

Boser has considerably more MMA experience, and that cannot be ignored at heavyweight, where one mistake often decides the night. But Diniz is the cleaner and more dangerous offensive striker when the fight remains upright.

The longer Boser stays directly in front of him, the more likely it becomes that Diniz eventually finds something heavy.

Fight Week Pick: Jhonata Diniz
Method: TKO
Confidence: 8/10

Boser’s movement gives Diniz problems early, but Diniz eventually cuts off the cage and lands the combination that changes the fight.

Fight Week Pick of the Week

Joaquin Buckley over Mike Malott by TKO

The safe choice this weekend would be Sebastian Fundora or Marco Romero.

We’re going in another direction.

Malott deserves to be taken seriously, and there is a reason the Canadian enters as the slight favorite. He can finish fights standing or on the ground, he will have the crowd behind him, and he has enough offensive versatility to make Buckley uncomfortable.

But five rounds change the calculation.

Buckley’s power remains dangerous deep into fights, and he has been through the kind of difficult main-event minutes that Malott still has to prove he can consistently navigate. If Buckley can force Malott to work hard during the opening two rounds without absorbing major damage, we like the momentum to shift.

This is not the highest-confidence selection on the page.

It may be the one we feel best about if it hits.

Fight Week Pick: Joaquin Buckley by TKO — Confidence 6/10

Fight Week Picks — At a Glance

Sebastian Fundora over Ermal Hadribeaj — TKO — 8/10
Brandon Figueroa over Tomoki Kameda — TKO — 8/10
Armando Resendiz over Koen Mazoudier — TKO — 7/10
Marco Romero over Braulio Ferreira — TKO — 9/10
Joaquin Buckley over Mike Malott — TKO — 6/10
Erin Blanchfield over Jasmine Jasudavicius — Decision — 8/10
Jhonata Diniz over Tanner Boser — TKO — 8/10

Seven fights, with boxing’s 154-pound championship picture and the UFC welterweight rankings both capable of looking very different by the end of Saturday night.

Fundora is expected to win, but unbeaten challengers do not arrive with 23 victories by accident. Figueroa faces a former world champion who has seen almost everything inside a boxing ring. And in Edmonton, Mike Malott gets the opportunity to prove he is more than a Canadian attraction by beating a ranked contender in the biggest fight of his career.

Those are the weekends that make the picks worth doing.

Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 30–21

The predictions are locked in. Now the fighters get to tell us where we were right — and where we had no idea what we were talking about.

Check back with Fight Week throughout the weekend for results, reaction and post-fight coverage.

With just over 24 hours to go until bell time, the athletes competing at CW 211: Rome hit the scales on Friday morning.

A middleweight main event tops the bill, with the former champion Dario Bellandi weighing in (185.5lbs) ahead of his comeback against Aldo Pereira (185.3lbs)

In the co-main event, Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo hit the featherweight mark (145.7lbs) ahead of his highly anticipated clash with Alexis Tsarmantidis (145lbs) in a showcase fight in a stacked CW 145lbs division.

A previously announced bantamweight bout between Ruben Vinci (142.2lbs) and Jurgen Koci (142.5lbs) was agreed as a 143lbs catchweight prior to the weigh-ins beginning.

Tickets were sold out earlier in the week, with huge anticipation ahead of our return to Rome for the first time since April earlier this year.

The full weigh-in results for CW 211: Rome are as follows…

Cage Warriors 211: Rome | LIVE on UFC Fight Pass

Main Card – 19:30 (BST) | 20:30 (CET) | 14:30 (ET) | 11:30 (PT)
Middleweight: Dario Bellandi (185.5lbs) vs. Aldo Pereira (185.3lbs)
Featherweight: Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo (145.7lbs) vs. Alexis Tsarmantidis (145lbs)
Welterweight: Andrea Kabali (170.1lbs) vs. Danilo Belluardo* (171.7lbs)
Lightweight: Simone Patrizi (154.8lbs) vs. Dylan Logan (155.1lbs)
Bantamweight: Enrico di Gangi (135.4lbs) vs. Tommy Brunning (135.9lbs)
Bantamweight: Federico Rotoni (135.1lbs) vs. Andrei Gabura (135lbs)

Prelims – 17:00 (BST) | 18:00 (CET) | 12:00 (ET) | 09:00 (PT)
Featherweight: Alessandro Ortolani (145.4lbs) vs. Simone Ali (146lbs)
Lightweight: Salvatore Bellotta** (161.2lbs) vs. Christian Tosco (155.5lbs)
Bantamweight: Jonathan Rivera (135.6lbs) vs. Angelo Coppola*** (139.8lbs)
Flyweight: Gabriele Lionetti**** (126lbs) vs. Elez Guri (126lbs)
Lightweight: Niko Ceraglia (155.7lbs) vs. Valentino Greco (155.8lbs)
143lbs catchweight: Ruben Vinci (142.2lbs) vs. Jurgen Koci (142.5lbs)
Flyweight: Kevin Caperna (125.6lbs) vs. Diego Giangirolami (126lbs)

****Gabriele Lionetti originally weighed in at 126.1 lbs
***Angelo Coppola elected not to cut further weight. The fight will go ahead as scheduled.
**Salvatore Bellotta originally weighed in at 162.4lbs. The fight will go ahead as scheduled.
*Danilo Belluardo elected not to cut further weight. The fight will go ahead as scheduled.

CW 211 Rome will air live on UFC Fight Pass and on international broadcast partners.

QUINCY, Mass. – The only professional boxer in Vermont, Jordan-born light heavyweight Mohammad “Lightning” Alyazouri (1-0, 1 KO), is looking forward to his first fight under the Granite Chin Promotion banner on November 7^th at Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett, Massachusetts.

After turning in an impressive pro debut on Aug. 29 fighting on the “Boston Harbor Fight Night 2” card, also presented by Granite Chin Promotions and CES Boxing, Alyazouri is anxious for his return to Encore.

Alyazouri was a member of the Jordan National Boxing Team for a decade, 2012-2022, registering an impressive 83-8 amateur record. He resides in Burlington, Vermont, with his wife, Kate. In his pro debut this past August 29^th at Encore, he used a powerhouse left hook to stop Charles de Sousa only 35-seconds into the opening round.

“I can’t wait,” the 30-year-old Alyazouri said. “Encore is where my pro career started. Everything there was amazing – the people who work there, fans and the fights. I love it there! I have a good fanbase. My wife lived in Boston for a few years, so a lot of our friends live there. We own a gym (Emerge in Winooski) and a lot from that community will drive down, too.

“I felt very comfortable when I walked to the ring and decided to go for it. My fight only lasted 35 seconds and I’ll have that same mentality for this fight. Nothing has really changed since my last fight other than I signed with Granite Chin.”

Alyazouri, who moved to the United States 3 years ago, will face 28-fight veteran Saul Almeida in a scheduled 4-round bout at Encore on Nov. 7. He smoothly transitioned from the amateurs to pro ranks in his Aug. 29 fight.

“There’s a big difference between amateur and pro boxing,” Alyazouri explained. “Amateurs are like a sprint; pros are like a marathon. Another big difference is as an amateur you could fight 5 times a week, but pros fight longer rounds, less often, and there are less rules to protect the fighter. There is more freedom in the pros to do what you want and more time to do what’s needed inside the ring.

“Boxers from around the world have so many different styles. Jordanians tend to be more balanced, which we got from the Soviets. In the United States and Great Britain there is more pressure and inside fighting. We learned to fight and train like them (Soviets), but I brought my skills to the pro ranks.”

Alyazouri has traveled from his native Jordan to his new home in Burlington, Vermont, and the payoff is once again at Encore.

Tickets are available to purchase online at www.GraniteChin.ticketspice.com and www.CESFights.com.

Doors open at 7 p.m. ET, first bout at 7:30 p.m. ET.

INFORMATION

Website:        www.granite-chin-promotions.com

Instagram:     @Alyazouri7

LAS VEGAS, NV  — The amateur accolades created the expectations. Her professional debut showed why there has been so much excitement surrounding her future.

Highly decorated Hawaiian amateur standout Azariah Cottrell (1-0, 1 KO) made an emphatic entrance into traditional professional boxing, scoring a second-round knockout over veteran Karla Valenzuela Garcia (3-42-3, 1 KO) in their four-round lightweight bout.

Cottrell entered the professional ranks carrying considerable expectations after establishing herself as a childhood boxing prodigy, a USA Boxing national champion and a standout in Team Boxing League. Rather than allowing the moment to overwhelm her, Cottrell embraced it.

Facing an opponent with nearly 50 professional fights in her debut, Cottrell displayed the confidence and experience developed through years of high-level competition. She took control of the fight before ending matters in the second round, officially beginning her traditional professional career at 1-0 with one knockout.

For Cottrell, however, the victory was less about making a statement and more about finally taking the first step toward a dream she has carried since childhood.

“It was a special feeling,” said Cottrell. I’ve been boxing since I was a little girl, so I’ve dreamed about this moment for a long time. Once the bell rang, I just trusted my training and did what I know how to do. Getting the knockout was exciting but getting that first professional win is what really means the most to me.”

Long before Cottrell became a professional, she was already making history.

At only 10 years old, Cottrell was ranked No. 1 nationally at 75 pounds in the 9-10 girls division in the 2018 National Silver Gloves final rankings. She became the first girl from Hawaii to win the Silver Gloves Tournament and later captured a USA Boxing National Championship as a teenager.

Her accomplishments earned recognition from the State of Hawaii and established Cottrell as one of the islands’ promising young boxing talents.

She later gained another valuable layer of experience through Team Boxing League, compiling a 16-2 record before making the transition into traditional professional boxing.

Despite everything she accomplished before turning professional, Cottrell views herself as a fighter starting over with plenty still to prove.

“Everything I did in the amateurs and Team Boxing League prepared me for this, but now I’m starting a new journey,” she added. “I’m 1-0, and that’s it. I still have so much to learn and prove. I’m hungry to keep fighting, keep getting better and see how far I can take this.”

No matter where boxing takes her, Cottrell remains deeply connected to her Hawaiian roots.

Her success as a young amateur allowed her to represent Hawaii on the national stage. Now, as a professional, she hopes to continue carrying that identity with her while inspiring another generation of young fighters from the islands.

“Hawaii is always with me,” Cottell continued. “I’m proud of where I come from and everything my family and the people back home have done for me. Every time I fight, I want to represent them the right way. Hopefully, young girls back home can watch my journey and believe they can chase their dreams too.”

Cottrell isn’t hiding what she ultimately wants from professional boxing.

The goal is to become a world champion.

But after spending most of her life around the sport, she also understands that championship opportunities are earned through development, consistency and increasingly difficult fights.

“I want to be a world champion one day,” she concluded. “That’s always been the dream. But I’m not trying to rush past the work it takes to get there. I want to stay active, keep learning and take it fight by fight. This was the first one. Now I’m ready for the next.”

Bobby Harrison, CEO of BiYu Promotions, believes Cottrell’s combination of youth, experience and competitive mentality gives her an opportunity to develop into one of women’s boxing’s notable young fighters.

After watching her deliver a knockout in her professional debut, Harrison is excited about what comes next.

“Azariah has something special,” Harrison said. “She has been competing at a high level since she was a kid, so even though this was her pro debut, she didn’t look like someone who was new to the ring. She stayed composed, did her job and got the knockout.”

“She’s young, she’s hungry and she wants to learn. That’s what excites me the most. We’re going to keep her active, develop her the right way and give her opportunities to grow. I believe she has a very bright future in women’s boxing.”