REAL COMBAT MEDIA WEEKLY BOXING/MMA NEWS (11/23/2025-11/29/2025)

REAL COMBAT MEDIA WEEKLY BOXING/MMA NEWS
(11/23/2025-11/29/2025)

*For Immediate Release to Publish

Roselle, Park, NJ (November 29, 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, David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) stopped Anthony Yarde (27-4, 24 KOs) at 1:59 of Round 7 by TKO. Benavidez steadily broke down Yarde with pressure, combinations, and body attacks mixed with head shots, while Yarde had a bloody nose with visible damage during the fight. In Round 7, after a flurry of punches and a knockdown, the referee intervened to stop the fight. You can read the recap, press conference, and video highlights here.

After the fight, David Benavidez announced he will go up to Cruiserweight and face the current unified Cruiserweight champion, who currently holds the WBA and WBO world titles, Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (48-1, 30 Kos), 34, at Cinco De Mayo in 2026. Ramirez who has never been stopped, only has one loss to Dimitry Bivol back in 2023 and has won 4 fights since then. You can read Robert Brizel’s story and the opening betting odds here.

Devin Haney (31-0, 15 Kos) dominated Brian Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 Kos) to win the WBO welterweight title on November 22, 2025, by a unanimous decision victory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Haney controlled the entire fight with a sharp jab, check hooks with effective clinching, and secured a title in his third weight division. Norman Jr. stated he wants to rematch Haney as soon as possible.

The judging was questionable by Mike Fitzgerald(114-113) in a fight where Haney clearly won 8 to 9 rounds. The rest of the judges’ scores were Leszek Jankowiak(116-111) and Gerry Martinez(117-110 ). You can view the video highlights here.

Abdullah Mason (20-0, 17 KOs), age 21, became the youngest world titleholder in men’s boxing today, capturing the vacant 135lbs WBO Title. Mason defeated a tough Sam Noakes (17-1, 15 Kos), who fought most of the fight with a broken nose, winning by unanimous decision. The judges scored it 117–111, 115–113, and 115–113 for Mason. You can view the video highlights here.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 Kos) defeated Fernando “Puma” Martinez (18-1, 9 Kos )via a tenth-round technical knockout (TKO). The victory unified three major super flyweight world titles (WBC, WBO, and WBA). You can view the video highlights here.

Former world title challenger Vanes Martirosyan passed away at age 39. You can read about his career accomplishments and the cause of his death here.

The Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Press Conference took place in Miami, Florida. You can view the press conference video here.

Former Middleweight Unified World Champion Gennady Golovkin was named the President of World Boxing in Rome, Italy. You can read about it here.

This week’s most notable fight will be when the highly skilled, exciting Olympic Silver Medalist Ben Whittaker (9-0-1 6 Kos), fights Benjamin Gavazi, 30, (19-0, 13 Kos) on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England. The vacant WBC Silver light-heavyweight title will be on the line, and this will be Whittaker’s Matchroom Debut. You can watch this fight here. You can also check the betting odds, press conference, and watch the weigh-in video here.

You can view the current international boxing rankings here.

In MMA News, in the UFC Qatar main event, #1 Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) stopped #10 Dan Hooker (24-13) via a second-round arm-triangle choke submission. However, Tsarukhyan is not being considered for a championship fight with Ilia Topuria or for a contender fight. The UFC will figure out what is next for Arman in 2026.

In the co-main event, Ian Garry (16-1) scored a unanimous decision victory over former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad (24-4) at UFC Fight Night 265 in Doha, Qatar.

After the fight, a strange altercation occurred when the current 185lb champion, Khamzat Chimaev, shoved Garry in the lobby, and security intervened. You can watch the altercation, watch the fight highlights, and reactions here.

Heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta (16-2) won two fights this month, scoring a first-round knockout victory over Shamil Gaziev (14-2) on two days’ notice. You can view the highlights and read the rest of the card results here.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced the return of women’s 125lb MMA superstar, Dakota “Dangerous” Ditcheva (15-0) at the PFL: Road to Dubai event on February 7th, 2026, at the Coca-Cola Arena in City Walk, Dubai, as she steps in the cage against former Bellator Kickboxing World Champion Denise “Miss Dynamite” Kielholtz (8-5). Both fighters are known for their elite striking. You can read about the full card here.

For PFL start times, more information, and to watch this event, click here.

The UFC announced its inaugural Paramount+ card for January 24th, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV. You can view the card, Dana White’s announcement video, and the mixed reaction from the fighters here.

UFC will be on break until it returns for UFC 323 for the final PPV card on ESPN+ on December 6th, when Merab Dvalishvili faces Peter Yan as the main event. Next week, we will discuss this card.

To view the current UFC rankings, click here.

For the most current news from the #2 MMA Promotion PFL, click here.

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