Zuffa Boxing: Ranking the 10 best fights of the first 10 numbered events in 2026

From dramatic slugfests to thrilling comebacks, Zuffa Boxing has had a little bit of everything through its first 10 numbered shows Sep 24, 2026 at 11:15 am ET • 7 min read Dana White and TKO aimed to change the entire sport of boxing with the launch of Zuffa Boxing. While still in its first year, Zuffa Boxing has produced many highlight moments and memorable fights.Zuffa Boxing 11 goes down this Saturday with a card in London headlined by heavyweights Michael Pirotton and Johnny Fisher. That means there are 10 "numbered" Zuffa Boxing events already in the books.Let's took a look back at those previous events to break down the 10 best fights in the promotion's history to date. This list only includes fights from the numbered events, not from Zuffa cards such as the recent bout between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn.Sign up for Paramount+ and watch Zuffa Boxing for no additional fee -- as well as every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year! Let's take a look at which fights made the list.No. 10: Tony Hirsch Jr. def. Robert Meriwether III -- Zuffa Boxing 05Meriwether looked poised to be a breakout star for Zuffa Boxing. He won his fight at the inaugural Zuffa event and earned a performance bonus while running his record to 10-0. Hirsch was a step-up in competition for the young Meriwether, and that stepped proved to be a bit too far, too soon. Hirsch met Meriwether with a steady attack and was not outclassed when it came to pure boxing. Meriwether proved open to Hirsch's right hand from the opening round and that weapon alone may have been enough for Hirsch to have earned the win, but his game was more varied than a single shot. To Meriwether's credit, he never backed down or looked as though he was unwilling to fight back, but Hirsch was the better man in scoring a surprising upset at Zuffa Boxing 05.Watch the fight on Paramount+No. 9: Andreas Katzourakis def. Misael Rodriguez -- Zuffa Boxing 06Katzourakis vs. Rodriguez was a battle of unbeaten fighters that promised action the second the contract was signed. It delivered in a big way when Katzourakis' face-first style was met by Rodriguez's slicker style and heavy power shots. The fight went as expected, with Katzourakis looking to put his head in Rodriguez's chest and force his game on Rodriguez. Rodriguez was willing to engage and had plenty of moments throughout the fight, but Katzourakis is a dedicated inside fighter and implemented his style beautifully, taking Rodriguez's best shots but never backing down en route to a decision victory.Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 8: Efe Ajagba def. Charles Martin -- Zuffa Boxing 03Ajagba battled heavyweight boogeyman Martin Bakole to a frustrating draw before signing with Zuffa. In his debut for the promotion, Ajagba battled Martin, a former IBF heavyweight champion. Martin is more of a footnote in heavyweight championship history, but he brought his best as an underdog to Ajagba. Martin outboxed Ajagba early, forcing Ajagba to chase him around the ring. But heavyweight is a division where things change in an instant and Ajagba proved that in the third round, dropping Martin with a big shot. Ajagba finished the fight in the fourth, making for a fun, short heavyweight fight with a big momentum swing. Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 7: Julian Rodriguez def. Cain Sandoval -- Zuffa Boxing 01Dedicated boxing fans could take one look at the inaugural Zuffa Boxing card and immediately identify Rodriguez vs. Sandoval as the fight most likely to steal the show. That proved to be exactly the case as the hard-charging Sandoval met Rodriguez, a man who was fighting his way back up the ranks after suffering a 2021 setback against Jose Pedraza while on the verge of title contention. Rodriguez's class was too much for Sandoval, but Sandoval made Rodriguez fight for every second of their bout. Rodriguez earned the decision after 10 fantastic rounds of action, while Sandoval proved he has the heart and talent to become a Zuffa mainstay, proving that fact with a win over Brandun Lee in a bout that just missed this list.Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 6: Pablo Rubio def. Adan Palma -- Zuffa Boxing 04Lesser-known fighters on Zuffa Boxing cards have produced some gems, and Rubio vs. Palma proved that with an eight-round fight full of twists and turns. Rubio got off to a strong start, but Palma uncorked a leaping left hook that dropped Rubio in the third round. Palma kept up the pressure after the knockdown, landing a crisp right hand that dropped Rubio for the second time in the round. Despite a 10-7 Palma round, Rubio regained his composure and took back control of the fight, working his way to a decision victory. The win was impressive enough to land Rubio a spot on the undercard of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, though Rubio ultimately lost a six-round decision to Oswaldo Molina.Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 5: Shane Mosley Jr. def. Serhii Bohachuk -- Zuffa Boxing 06After Bohachuk's thrilling win over Radzhab Butaev at Zuffa Boxing 02 (more on that in a bit), he came to Z06 as the favorite to beat Mosley Jr. Things didn't play out as expected, however, as Mosley lived up to the promise that had largely eluded him despite his famous name. Bohachuk is no easy out, but Mosley used tremendous counterpunching to punish Bohachuk's aggression before scoring a beautiful shot that dropped Bohachuk in Round 6. Bohachuk beat the count, but couldn't respond as Mosley charged forward with another barrage that forced the referee to halt the bout. The display of counterpunching and bodywork from Mosley showed he may have found a second act for his career under the Zuffa banner. Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 4: Cheavon Clarke def. Jack Massey -- Zuffa Boxing 07Clarke vs. Massey was a good fight on paper and a near-even one at the sportsbooks. Massey got off to a faster start and piled on the momentum with a bomb of an overhand right that sent Clarke crashing to the canvas in the fourth round. Clarke rushed back to his feet but was still very clearly hurt, and a Massey uppercut put Clarke down for a second time in the round. Clarke looked as though he was on the way out, but he managed to steady himself and fight his way back into things. Then, Clarke landed his own huge right hand that put Massey down in Round 7. Unlike Clarke, Massey wasn't able to steady himself against the incoming storm and the referee saved him just moments after Clarke began swinging for the finish.Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 3: Serhii Bohachuk def. Radzhab Butaev -- Zuffa Boxing 02Bohachuk and Butaev put on one of the defining fights of the early days of Zuffa Boxing. Butaev came out of the corner throwing nasty body shots while Bohachuk returned fire with the same pressure-first style that landed him on this list once already. No short blow-by-blow breakdown could capture the tremendous back-and-forth war between Bohachuk and Butaev. Ultimately, Bohachuk escaped with a narrow split-decision win in the kind of fight any boxing fan would be happy to watch.Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 2: Chris Billam-Smith def. Ryan Rozicki -- Zuffa Boxing 07Sometimes, sheer guts are enough to make for an epic bout. Rozicki showed more guts and heart in one fight than most boxers will show in entire careers. Billam-Smith was the better fighter throughout their meeting, but Rozicki kept coming forward, kept throwing big shots, and kept making Billam-Smith work for every single inch. Rozicki also was willing to dig into a bag of dirty tricks, throwing his head around with reckless abandon and costing himself a point when the referee stepped in due to the fouls. Exchange after exchange followed until Rozicki's corner could no longer send their fighter to fight in good conscience. Billam-Smith got the deserved TKO victory, and Rozicki gained respect for showing incredible heart and an iron chin. Watch the fight on Paramount+ No. 1: Radivoje Kalajdzic def. Oleksandr Gvozdyk -- Zuffa Boxing 02If there's a running theme on this list, it's momentum swings leading to excitement and -- often -- surprising finishes. The first big surprise finish in Zuffa Boxing history came when Kalajdzic met Gvozdyk. Gvozdyk, the former world champion, looked to be in classic form when he was cruising early, taking advantage of Kalajdzic's wide-open style to land crisp countershots. Gvozdyk put Kalajdzic down twice on the strength of hard body shots, but Kalajdzic just kept hanging around and trying to find a home for his right hand. That right began landing in the seventh round, and then landing some more, and then some more. Gvozdyk was finally cracked and the barrage of rights put him on the canvas. Gvozdyk rose to his feet, but Kalajdzic brought the fight to a brutal close with one final big right hand.Watch the fight on Paramount+