The boxing bout between Oscar Duarte and Kenneth Sims Jr on Saturday, August 2 in Chicago headlines the fight schedule for the first weekend of the month. Also on the night, Amir Albazi faces Tatsuro Taira in the main event of UFC Vegas 108, while Gorjan Slaveski takes on Julian Lane in the BKFC Sturgis headliner.
The first championship round of the 2025 PFL World Tournament takes place on Friday, August 1 in Atlantic City. Plus, Kenshiro Teraji meets Ricardo Rafael Sandoval on Wednesday, July 30 in Yokohama, Japan.
Kenshiro Teraji vs Ricardo Sandoval
Kenshiro Teraji faces Ricardo Rafael Sandoval on Wednesday, July 30 at BUNTAI Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan. The pair square off in a flyweight championship bout with two titles on the line.
Japanese two-division champion Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) makes the first defense of his unified WBA and WBC belts after defeating Seigo Yuri Akui via 12th-round TKO in March. Riding a six-fight winning streak, Sandoval (26-2, 18 KOs) of Montclair, CA makes his first attempt to become champion, following a unanimous decision victory over Saleto Henderson in February.
On the Teraji vs Sandoval undercard, Antonio Vargas (19-1, 11 KOs) of Houston, TX, defends his WBA bantamweight title against former champion Daigo Higa (21-3-2, 19 KOs) of Japan. Plus, Erick Rosa (8-0, 2 KOs) of the Dominican Republic and Kyosuke Takami (9-0, 7 KOs) of Japan clash for the vacant WBA light flyweight title.
Teraji vs Sandoval airs live on DAZN. The start time in the U.S. is 5:50 AM ET / 2:50 AM PT.
PFL 8: Jean vs Storley
The first round of the 2025 PFL World Tournament finals, aka PFL 8, takes place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, August 1. The event features the championship bouts in the welterweight and featherweight divisions.
Atop the fight card, undefeated Haitian Thad Jean (10-0) faces former interim Bellator champion Logan Storley (18-3) of Roslyn, SD at welterweight. The co-main event is a featherweight final pitting 2021 PFL champion Movlid Khaybulaev (23-0-1, 1 NC) against 2023 PFL champion Jesus Pinedo (25-6-1) of Peru.
Among other matchups, Asael Adjoudj (9-1) meets French fellow Yves Landu (21-9) at featherweight. Plus, Jordan Newman (7-0) of Milwaukee, WI and Eslam Abdul Baset (16-3) of Egypt go head-to-head at middleweight.
PFL 8 airs live on ESPN+. The start time is 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT for the main card, with the prelims starting at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT.
BKFC 79 Sturgis: Gogo vs Lane
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship returns to Sturgis, South Dakota on Saturday, August 2 with BKFC 79 taking place at Legendary Sturgis Buffalo Chip. In the main event, Gorjan “GoGo” Slaveski and Julian Lane battle it out for the vacant welterweight title.
Unbeaten former champion Slaveski (6-0) of Macedonia returns to the BKFC and looks to regain the title. Lane (8-7) of Mansfield, Ohio aims for his fifth win in a row and conquer the division. The 165-pound title was vacated by Austin Trout, who is set to move down in weight.
In the co-main event, Taylor Starling (4-4) of Rock Hill, SC and Shelby Cannon (1-0) of Anderson, IN square off at strawweight. In the featured bout, Brandon Conley (2-0-1) of Chillicothe, Ohio and Virginia’s David Simpson (2-4) clash at light heavyweight.
BKFC 79 Sturgis airs live on Prime Video. The start time is 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT.
UFC Vegas 108: Albazi vs Taira
Amir Albazi and Tatsuro Taira battle it out in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday, August 2 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, aka UFC Vegas 108. The contest is scheduled for five rounds at flyweight.
Phoenix, AZ-based Albazi (17-2) of Iraq looks to rebound from a decision defeat to Brandon Moreno last November, which snapped his six-fight winning streak. Taira (16-1) of Japan suffered his first career defeat last October, dropping a split decision to Brandon Royval.
The co-main event is a lightweight bout between Mateusz Rebecki (20-2) of Poland and Chris Duncan (13-2) of Scotland. Among other matchups, Elves Brener (16-5) of Brazil takes on Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics (14-2) also at lightweight, and Brazil’s Karol Rosa (18-7) meets Nora Cornolle (9-2) of France at bantamweight.
UFC Vegas 108 airs live on ESPN+. The start time is 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT for the main card, with the prelims starting at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT.
Oscar Duarte vs Kenneth Sims Jr
Oscar Duarte faces Kenneth Sims Jr on Saturday, August 2 at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL. The pair battle it out at super lightweight.
Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) of Mexico aims for his fourth straight victory since falling short by knockout against Ryan Garcia in late 2023. Chicago native Sims Jr (22-2-1, 8 KOs) targets his 10th win in a row, having defeated Kendo Castaneda by decision in his previous bout in February.
The co-feature pits NOLA’s Regis Prograis (29-3, 24 KOs) against Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (34-7-1, 15 KOs) of South El Monte, CA. Two former champions square off also at super lightweight.
On the Duarte vs Sims Jr undercard, Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1, 10 KOs) of Carrollton, TX meets Canada’s Kareem Hackett (12-1, 6 KOs) at cruiserweight. Joshua Edwards (3-0, 3 KOs) of Houston, TX takes on Cayman Audie (4-1, 2 KOs) of Mora, MN at heavyweight. Mexico’s Yair Benjamin Gallardo-Lozano (9-0, 8 KOs) and Quinton Rankin (21-9-2, 16 KOs) of Charlotte, NC clash at light heavyweight.
Duarte vs Sims Jr airs live on DAZN. The start time is 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT.
All Elite Wrestling
In addition, check out the full list of upcoming events featured on FIGHTMAG Schedule, also covering pro wrestling and more. This week includes two back-to-back AEW events taking place at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL.
AEW Dynamite is held on Wednesday, July 30 featuring “Hangman” Adam Page defending his AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley. AEW Collision takes place on Thursday, July 31 featuring TNT Champion Dustin Rhodes up against Kyle Fletcher in a Chicago street fight.