*For Immediate Release to Publish
Roselle, Park, NJ (February 28, 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 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena, Ryan Garcia, 27, (24-2, 1NC, 20 Kos) dominated Mario Barrios, 30, (29-2, 18 Kos) from the start, scoring a first-round knockdown from a right hand, to win an unanimous decision to win his first WBC World Title. After the fight, Ryan called out Shakur Stevenson. You can view the video highlights, post-press conference, and full card results here.
Richardson Hitchins, 28, (20-0, 8 Kos) reportedly fell ill and began vomiting shortly after making weight on Friday, cancelling his fight with Oscar Duarte, 30 (30-2-1, 23 Kos). Promoter Oscar De La Hoya called for an investigation. Check out what Oscar De La Hoya had to say here.
Gary Antuanne Russell, 29, (19-1, 17 Kos) successfully defended his WBA super lightweight title, while Andy Hiraoka, 29, ( 24-1, 19 Kos) suffered his first professional defeat. Russell is looking to face champions Dalton Smith or Richardson Hitchins before facing Shakur Stevenson in the future with this win.
Leigh Wood, 37, (29-4, 17 KOs) defeated Josh Warrington, 35, (32-5-1, 8 KOs) by a wide unanimous decision in their rematch on February 21, 2026, at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, UK. After the fight, both fighters mentioned they may retire, and Wood mentioned he wants to spend more time with his family. You can check out the full card results, presser, and video highlights here.
Featherweight boxing legend, Ruben Castillo, who challenged four times for the World Boxing Council Featherweight and Super Featherweight titles, passed away this week in Bakersfield, Ca. You can read Robert Brizel’s article here.
Claressa Shields, 30, (18-0-0, 3 KOs) successfully defended her Undisputed Heavyweight World Championship against Franchon Crews-Dezurn, 38, (10-3, 2 Kos). You can view the video highlights and the pre-fight weigh-in brawl here.
Zuffa Boxing made headlines this week and signed UK Star Conor Benn to a 1 fight deal, which Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions called a betrayal. For years, Eddie stood by Conor Benn’s side when he had failed 2 drug tests and claimed he had loaned money to Benn when he was out of boxing, battling his suspension. You can listen to what Eddie Hearn and Dana White had to say about this historic signing here.
Carlos Adames, 31, (24-1-1, 18 Kos) will defend his WBC World Middleweight title against Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams, 29, (20-1, 13 Kos) at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on Saturday, March 21. This fight was rescheduled after Adames was forced to pull out of the fight ahead of the weigh-in due to illness. You can read about the fight announcement here.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao 2 is official! The first fight was the highest-selling boxing PPV in history back in 2015. Floyd Mayweather is still working on finalising an exhibition fight with Mike Tyson in Congo in April, while Manny Pacquiao is scheduled to face Ruslan Provodnikov in a 10-round welterweight exhibition match on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Las Vegas. This rematch will be on Netflix and is an official boxing match. You can read the official press release here.
David Benavidez vs. Gilberto Ramirez Press Conference took place this week. You can view the press conference here.
This week’s featured boxing event is Eduardo Nunez, 28, (29-1, 27 Kos), from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, the International Boxing Federation World Super Featherweight champion, who will face former champion Emanuel Navarette, 31, (39-2-1, 32 Kos) from San Juan Zitlaltepec, Mexico. The fight will take place on DAZN in Glendale, Arizona. You can watch the fight here. You can read Robert Brizel’s preview, prediction, weigh-in, press conference and betting odds here.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA News, the UFC Houston Fight Night took place in Houston, Texas, with the outspoken, durable #3 Sean Strickland, 34, (30-7), pulling off an amazing upset over #4 Anthony Hernandez, 32, (15-3), by stopping him with a knee to the body. Strickland is now in a position to fight for a title again or fight for an interim title. You can watch the video highlights, read the full card results and watch the post-press conference here.
UFC Fight Night Mexico takes place Saturday on Paramount Plus. Hometown hero and former UFC Flyweight Champion #6 Brandon Moreno, 32, (23-9-2), as he faces rising prospect #15 Lone’er Kavanagh, 26, (9-1). This is probably Brandon Moreno’s last chance to climb back into a title shot opportunity if he loses this fight. Moreno has lost 3 of his last 5 bouts. You can sign up to watch this fight here. You can watch the preview show and view the betting odds here.
Ronda Rousey, 39, (12-2) has released intense sparring footage in preparation for her return to MMA for a Netflix fight against Gina Carano, 43, (7-1), which is scheduled for May 16th, 2026 on Netflix. You can watch Ronda Rousey training here.
A planned middleweight title fight between champion Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov has reportedly been delayed due to an injury to Chimaev.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has officially announced a permanent move to the light heavyweight division, citing a desire for a fresh start at 205 lbs.
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.
The PFL announced its return to South Dakota on May 2, headlined by a welterweight bout between Logan Storley and Florim Zendeli.
The PFL Belfast card was also announced this week. You can check out the announcement and card here.
PFL MMA, the world’s #2 MMA promotion, introduced an updated rankings system last week. Check out the full rankings here.
Recent UFC Roster Changes (February 2026):
AJ Cunningham Bantamweight Feb 20, 2026 Retired (Injury)
Jailton Almeida Heavyweight Feb 12–20, 2026 Released (Early contract termination)
Mohammed Usman Heavyweight Feb 13, 2026 Released (Following 30-month suspension)
Adam Fugitt Welterweight Feb 12, 2026 Released
Javid Basharat Bantamweight Feb 10, 2026 Contract Expired (Not re-signed)
Alex Morono Welterweight Feb 10, 2026 Released
Lucas Almeida Featherweight Feb 10, 2026 Released
Rinat Fakhretdinov Welterweight Contract not renewed after being undefeated (6-0-1) in the UFC. UFC should have re-signed him.
Gavin Tucker Featherweight Retired at 39, resulting in the cancellation of his scheduled April 2026 fight.
Michelle Montague, an undefeated PFL Featherweight Fighter, was just signed by the UFC.
The UFC has officially launched its archive library on Paramount+, signalling the start of its new primary streaming partnership in 2026. You can sign up 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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