REAL COMBAT MEDIA WEEKLY BOXING/MMA NEWS REPORT (12/12/25-12/20/25)
*For Immediate Release to Publish
Roselle, Park, NJ (December 19th, 2025)– 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, on December 12, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, Murat Gassiev, 32, (33-2, 26 Kos), defeated Kubrat Pulev, 44, (32-4, 14 Kos), via a sixth-round knockout in Dubai to win the WBA Regular heavyweight title. Following his victory over Pulev, the WBA has mandated that Gassiev’s next opponent should be the rising British prospect Moses Itauma, who is promoted by Frank Warren. Gassiev’s team has expressed interest in a potential fight with Itauma, possibly in England. You can read Robert Brizel’s recap and see the video highlights of this devastating ko here.
In Los Angeles, Noel Mikaeljan, 35 (28-3, 12 KOs) came from behind in a scrappy inside battle against Badou Jack, 42, (29-4-3, 17 KOs) on Saturday night, winning back the WBC cruiserweight world championship in a rematch after losing it in their first fight earlier this year. There was a point deduction for both fighters during the later stages of the bout, as referee Jerry Cantu deducted one from Mikaeljan (28-3, 12 KOs) for hitting behind the head in the seventh round after repeated warnings, and then he punished Jack in the eighth for punching after the break. After the fight, another small brawl happened as the fighters kept fighting. The results were Noel Mikaeljan def. Badou Jack via unanimous decision (115-111, 116-110, 116-110). You can read the recap here.
Rising Super Middleweight star, Diego Pacheco, 24, (25-0, 18 Kos) came off the canvas in round 8 and defeated Kevin Lele Sadjo, 35, (26-1, 23 Kos) by unanimous decision on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California. Pacheco successfully defended his WBO International Super Middleweight title and also claimed the vacant WBC Silver Super Middleweight title.
The undefeated super-lightweight, Ernesto Mercado, 24 (18-0, 17 KOs), stopped experienced contender Antonio Moran, 32, (31-8-1, 21 Kos) with a crushing overhand right at 2:37 of Round 6, capturing the WBO International Super-Lightweight Title impressively on Matchroom Boxing’s DAZN card in Stockton, California. You can view the recap and video highlights here.
Former pound-for-pound star, Nonito Donaire, 43, (43-9, 28 Kos) lost a very close WBA Title decision on Wednesday to Seiya Tsutsumi, 29, (13-0-3, 8 Kos) in Tokyo, Japan, in an event promoted by Teiken Promotions. After getting a knockdown early in the fight, Seiya overcame a strong start by Donaire to secure the win by split decision with scorecards of 115-113, 117-111, and 112-116. Donaire did well, but faded as the fight went on in his bid to become the oldest world champion ever at 118lbs. Donaire has now lost 3 fights in a row and has not won since 2021. You can view the video highlights and full card results here.
Matchroom Boxing had an Indigo Fight Night event this week in London, UK. You can view the full card results and photos here.
After being stripped of his 168lbs WBC Championship for failing to pay sanctioning fees, Terence Crawford (42-0, 31 Kos) retires at age 38 from boxing in good health while staying undefeated. Crawford retires with one of the best careers in boxing history. There is a chance that Crawford can change his mind and rematch Canelo Alvarez in September next year if talks resume. You can view the retirement announcement here.
Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing announced that boxing is coming to Paramount + at the end of January in 2026 and has 12 boxing shows planned for the year. You can sign up for Paramount+ here.
Celebrity and former kickboxing world champ, Andrew Tate, 39 (0-0), and actor/former college football players Chase DeMoor (5-2, 5 Kos) are scheduled to fight for the MFB Heavyweight Title on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event, billed as “The Fight Before Christmas,” is the main event of Misfits Mania and will be streamed live on Rumble Premium. You can view the weigh-in, presser, and media workout here.
The fight of the year is finally here, where Jake Paul, 28, (12-1, 7 Kos) takes on former British 2-time World Champion, Anthony Joshua, 36, (28-4, 25 Kos) on Netflix, tonight December 19, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida at a limit of 245lbs. Jake Paul weighed in at 216.6 pounds (98.2 kg) for his heavyweight fight against Anthony Joshua on December 19, 2025, significantly lighter than his 227 lbs for the Mike Tyson bout, but still a heavyweight, with Joshua weighing over 243 lbs.
During the week, Deontay Wilder claimed this fight could be fixed, and Jake Paul threatened legal action against Wilder. You can view the full card, weigh-in, faceoff show, presser, film study, and betting odds here.
You can view the current international boxing rankings here.
In MMA News, UFC Vegas 112 was the final event on ESPN to complete the 7-year deal with the UFC. The event featured several spectacular finishes and a rare draw. UFC Fight Night Vegas 112 took place Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas as a much-anticipated flyweight showdown with No. 2 Brandon Royval, 33, (17-9) losing to No. 6 Manel Kape, 32 (21-7) after Kape landed a huge right hand followed by ground and pound. After stopping 3 opponents in a row, Kape is now in a position to contend for a UFC title against the newly crowned UFC Flyweight 24-year-old champion, Joshua Van. Both agreed on social media this week that they are interested in making this fight. You can view the full card results and video highlights here.
In a featherweight contest, striking expert No. 15 Giga Chikadze, 37, (15-6) was knocked out by a young rising prospect, Argentine Kevin Vallejos, 24, (17-1) with a brutal second-round TKO (spinning backfist and elbows with a performance of the night bonus. Vallejos now enters the top 15 in the UFC Featherweight division. For Chikadze, it’s his 3rd consecutive loss and the first time he has ever been knocked out. You can view the full card results and video highlights here.
Yaroslav Amosov, 32, (29-1), the former Bellator MMA’s Welterweight champion, passed his first test inside the Octagon with flying colors after submitting long-time veteran and perennial top 15 gatekeeper, Neil Magny, 38, (31-15), in the first round with an anaconda choke. You view the UFC Vegas 112 Post Fight Press Conference, video highlights, social media reaction, and full card results here.
In PFL news, the PFL Lyon in Décines-Charpieu, France Vadim Nemkov, 33, (20-2, 1 NC) stopped Renan Ferreira, 36, (13-5, 3 NC) via first-round arm-triangle choke submission in Lyon, France, to become the PFL Heavyweight Champion.
In the PFL co-main event, Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino, 40, (29-2, 1 NC) submitted Sara Collins, 35, (6-1) from Victoria, Australia to win the vacant women’s featherweight championship. Right now, Cyborg competes in professional boxing and MMA. You can view the full card results and video highlights here.
PFL Africa 4: 2025 Finals is the inaugural season finale for the Professional Fighters League in Africa, scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the Sofitel Dome in Cotonou, Benin.
The event concludes a four-tournament series designed to crown the first PFL Africa champions. Winners in each of the four designated weight divisions will receive a $100,000 grand prize and a guaranteed path into the PFL Global ecosystem. The event starts at 11 AM ET. You can watch on VICE TV and the PFL App. Across Africa, the event will be broadcast on Canal+, SuperSport, SportyTV, and StarzPlay. The league is chaired by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou. You can read the preview here.
Undefeated UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, 28, (17-0) has announced a temporary hiatus from defending his title due to ongoing legal and personal matters, specifically addressing what he claims are “false allegations of domestic abuse” and an “attempted extortion” from a failed marriage with businesswoman Giorgina Uzcategui Badel, who is age 31. Ilia plans to defend his title later in 2026, once he settles his personal matters. The couple has 2 children together.
UFC 324 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 and a massive co-main event with Amanda Nunes challenging Kayla Harrison for the Women’s Bantamweight Championship. The rest of the card will feature other stars like Sean O’Malley and Derrick Lewis. There will be no UFC events for the next 5 weeks to prepare for the new network deal. You can sign up for Paramount+ 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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