FIGHT WEEK FRIDAY PICKS • SEPTEMBER 25, 2026
Another weekend is here, and the Fight Week picks are back.
Last week finished 4–3 with one canceled fight. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Daniel Blancas, Marco Verde and Arman Tsarukyan all came through for us, while Alexandre Pantoja, Dooho Choi and Gable Steveson did not. Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Meiirim Nursultanov was canceled at the weigh-in after Ramos became ill, so that fight does not count against the record. Cruz and Blancas also delivered the exact TKO results we predicted.
That brings the running total to:
Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 21–16
This weekend stretches across three days. BiYu Brawl 8 gives us boxing tonight in Houston, Saturday features major cards in London, Birmingham and Las Vegas, and Sunday closes the weekend with the WBC bantamweight championship rematch between Takuma Inoue and Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo.
Here are this week’s Fight Week Picks.
FRIDAY NIGHT BOXING
Roy Knight vs. Phillip Rhome Jr.
BiYu Brawl 8 gets the weekend started tonight in Houston, where Roy Knight faces unbeaten Phillip Rhome Jr. for the vacant ABO Regional super middleweight title. Knight enters at 4-1 with three knockouts, while Rhome is 6-0-1 with one stoppage. It is only a six-round main event, which means neither fighter has much time to give away rounds while trying to figure the other out.
Knight appears to have the greater one-punch threat, but Rhome’s unbeaten record and more measured style make him appealing in a short fight. If Rhome can avoid getting drawn into unnecessary exchanges and consistently score behind cleaner work, six rounds may favor the fighter who can bank minutes rather than chase a finish.
Fight Week Pick: Phillip Rhome Jr.
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Knight’s power makes this dangerous throughout, but Rhome does enough clean work to edge a competitive decision.
SATURDAY BOXING
Johnny Fisher vs. Michael Pirotton
Johnny Fisher begins the next stage of his career Saturday at London’s Copper Box Arena when he makes his Zuffa Boxing debut against Michael Pirotton. Fisher enters at 14-1 with 12 knockouts, while Pirotton brings a 12-2 record with six stoppages into the 10-round heavyweight main event.
Fisher is still rebuilding after the first loss of his professional career, so this is more meaningful than his record might suggest. He has legitimate heavyweight power, but he has also shown that aggression can work against him when he gets too eager to create a finish. Pirotton should try to stretch the fight, frustrate Fisher and see whether the hometown favorite begins forcing the action.
We expect Fisher to be more controlled this time. If he establishes the jab, works his way inside rather than simply charging forward and attacks the body, his heavier offense should eventually become difficult for Pirotton to withstand.
Fight Week Pick: Johnny Fisher
Method: TKO
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Pirotton makes Fisher work for several rounds, but Fisher’s pressure and power eventually produce a second-half stoppage.
Liam Davies vs. Nathaniel Collins
This might be the best pure boxing matchup of the weekend.
European and WBO Intercontinental featherweight champion Liam Davies faces former British, Commonwealth and WBC Silver champion Nathaniel Collins in Birmingham. Davies enters at 18-1 with nine knockouts, while Collins is 17-1-1 with eight. Both men have world-title ambitions, which gives this matchup considerably more meaning than a typical domestic headliner.
Davies has looked increasingly comfortable since moving to featherweight. He can box at range, but he is also willing to sit down on his punches when an opponent forces exchanges. Collins is aggressive enough to create those moments, and because the two have shared plenty of rounds in sparring, there may not be much of an adjustment period once the bell rings.
The difference for us is Davies’ ability to make adjustments during a fight. Collins should have success when he can force the pace, but Davies has more ways to change the rhythm and win rounds without having to dominate every exchange.
Fight Week Pick: Liam Davies
Method: Decision
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Collins makes this physical and competitive, but Davies wins the cleaner rounds and takes a close decision.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT — ROSAS JR. VS. BARCELOS
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos
Raul Rosas Jr. gets the biggest opportunity of his career Saturday when the 21-year-old headlines his first UFC event against 39-year-old veteran Raoni Barcelos. Rosas enters at 13-1 with six submission victories and is already 6-1 inside the UFC. Barcelos brings a 22-5 record, 15 UFC appearances and the type of veteran experience Rosas has rarely encountered.
The fascinating part of this matchup is that Rosas’ usual advantage may not be easy to establish. Barcelos owns strong wrestling of his own and UFC lists his takedown defense at 88 percent. He is also capable of making opponents pay on the feet if they become predictable while trying to force grappling exchanges.
Rosas should still have the advantages that become increasingly important over five rounds: youth, pace and the ability to maintain pressure. Rather than expecting him to run through Barcelos on the ground, Fight Week expects Rosas to mix wrestling with striking and gradually make the veteran work harder as the fight progresses.
Fight Week Pick: Raul Rosas Jr.
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Barcelos gives Rosas his toughest grappling test yet, but the younger fighter’s pace carries him through the championship rounds and earns him the decision.
Norma Dumont vs. Ailin Perez
There are real title implications in the women’s bantamweight co-main event. Norma Dumont enters ranked No. 4 with a 13-3 record, while No. 5 Ailin Perez is 13-2 and arrives with significant momentum. UFC has positioned this matchup as an important fight in determining who remains near the front of the championship picture heading into 2027.
Perez is at her best when she can pressure opponents into grappling exchanges and dictate where the fight takes place. Dumont is more patient and tends to force opponents into longer, tactical fights, which means Perez may need to be selective rather than simply attacking takedowns from the opening bell.
This feels like a close three-round fight in which control time could matter significantly. We expect Perez to initiate more of the grappling exchanges and do just enough from top position to separate herself on the scorecards.
Fight Week Pick: Ailin Perez
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Dumont keeps the fight close on the feet, but Perez’s wrestling and control give her the edge in a competitive decision.
Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simon
There is history here.
Ricky Simon defeated Montel Jackson by unanimous decision all the way back in 2018, using relentless wrestling and takedowns to control the fight. Eight years later, they meet again with Jackson now 15-4 and Simon 22-7-1. Jackson enters the rematch after defeating Raoni Barcelos earlier this year, while Simon remains one of the division’s most persistent pressure wrestlers.
The first fight matters, but it should not define the second. Jackson has become a far more polished fighter since then, particularly with his distance management and ability to punish opponents as they enter. Simon will still try to turn this into a wrestling-heavy fight, but those entries become more dangerous against the version of Jackson we see today.
Jackson does not need to completely stop Simon’s wrestling. He simply needs to make Simon pay enough each time he closes the distance that the takedowns become harder to sustain over three rounds.
Fight Week Pick: Montel Jackson
Method: Decision
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Simon finds some wrestling success, but Jackson lands the better damage and evens the score with a decision victory.
SUNDAY BOXING — INOUE VS. NASUKAWA 2
Takuma Inoue vs. Tenshin Nasukawa II
The weekend ends with one of the most interesting rematches in boxing.
Takuma Inoue defends the WBC bantamweight championship against Tenshin Nasukawa at Toyota Arena in Tokyo. Inoue enters at 22-2 with five knockouts, while Nasukawa is 8-1 with three. Their first meeting in November 2025 ended with Inoue winning a clear unanimous decision by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 twice.
What makes the rematch compelling is that neither fighter has stood still. Inoue followed the first fight with a strong victory over Kazuto Ioka in which he scored two knockdowns. Nasukawa responded to the first loss of his professional career by stopping former world champion Juan Francisco Estrada, earning another opportunity at the WBC belt.
Nasukawa’s speed and unconventional movement gave Inoue problems early in their first meeting, but Inoue gradually solved the puzzle and controlled the second half of the fight. Nasukawa should be better this time, particularly after another year of professional boxing development, but he still has to prove he can prevent Inoue from making those same mid-fight adjustments.
Fight Week Pick: Takuma Inoue
Method: Decision
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Nasukawa makes the rematch closer than the first fight, but Inoue’s experience, timing and ability to adjust carry him to another decision victory.
Fight Week Pick of the Week
Liam Davies over Nathaniel Collins by Decision
There are safer picks on this week’s slate, but Davies–Collins is the matchup that feels most representative of what the Friday column should be about. This is not a massive favorite against an opponent brought in to lose. Both men are legitimate featherweights with championship ambitions, both understand what the other brings to the ring, and neither should be able to coast through the fight.
Fight Week believes Davies is simply a little more versatile. Collins will have success when he can force exchanges and make the fight uncomfortable, but Davies should be able to switch between boxing and fighting often enough to stay one step ahead.
Fight Week Pick: Liam Davies by Decision — Confidence 7/10
Fight Week Picks — At a Glance
Phillip Rhome Jr. over Roy Knight — Decision — 6/10
Johnny Fisher over Michael Pirotton — TKO — 7/10
Liam Davies over Nathaniel Collins — Decision — 7/10
Raul Rosas Jr. over Raoni Barcelos — Decision — 6/10
Ailin Perez over Norma Dumont — Decision — 6/10
Montel Jackson over Ricky Simon — Decision — 7/10
Takuma Inoue over Tenshin Nasukawa — Decision — 7/10
Seven fights across three days, and several of them are close enough that the prediction record could move significantly in either direction.
That is part of what has made the Friday feature fun to track. We are not rewriting picks after the fact or pretending the misses never happened. Every selection goes on the record before the fighters touch gloves.
Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 21–16
By Sunday, we’ll know whether that number improved.
Check back with Fight Week throughout the weekend for fight results, reaction and post-fight coverage.
