Fight Calendar: November 2022

November is shaping to be a massive month for both boxing and MMA, with blockbusters on each side. Here are some of my personal favorite fights coming in November.

• November 5th: Dimitry Bivol vs Gilberto Ramirez (Boxing)

• November 12th: Natasha Jonas vs Marie-Eve Dicaire (Boxing)

• November 12th: Israel Adesanya vs Alen Pereira (MMA)

• November 12th: Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili (MMA)

• November 12th: Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler (MMA)

• November 13th: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Deji (Boxing)

Boxing

November 5th: Dimitry Bivol vs Gilberto Ramirez

Image Credit: DAZN

Dimitry Bivol returns for the first time since his stunning win over p4p king Canelo Alvarez, against game contender Gilberto Ramirez, and this is shaping up to be an entertaining bout with some very interesting style quirks.

Dimitry Bivol: Bivol is a classic Russian-style boxer, relying on skillful mastery of the basics to outclass his opponents, and if his latest outing against Canelo Alvarez is any indication, he’s certainly the real deal and worthy of his championship belts. Favoring his excellent one two backed by excellent angle work, he’s a devastatingly effective in/out boxer.

Gilberto Ramirez: Ramirez is a solid contender, with decent power in both hands and a good number of fights under his belt. However, he’s relatively untested at light heavyweight, nobody he’s fought at 175 has scratched the surface of the skills a champion like Bivol will bring to the table. It will be interesting to see whether Ramirez can adapt and utilize his good power and reflexes to try and deal with Bivol’s very standardized, mathematical precision.

Prediction: Bivol by Decision. I think Bivol will prove too much too soon for Ramirez at this weight, and Bivol’s style is also all wrong for Ramirez’s grindy counterpunch game plan.

Where to watch: Live on DAZN on November 5th at 11am PST/2pm EST

November 12th: Natasha Jonas vs Marie-Eve Dicaire

Image Credit: BOXXER

In the wake of Shield’s massive win over Marshall at middleweight, this is an exceptionally interesting fight, as the winner might very well take on Shields in a champ vs champ fight.

Natasha Jonas: A very game and well-composed boxer puncher, Jonas recently claimed the WBC junior middleweight title by defeating Patricia Berghult and is now looking to take her skills further in this contest. I expect her to do what she does best, working angles to force wide punches out of her opponents that she can capitalize on.

Marie-Eve Dicaire: An extremely slippery technician with excellent head movement, Dicaire brings possibly the most intriguing toolkit Jonas has gone up against since her bout against phenom Katie Taylor. A long pawing jab and near constant circular movement all serve to set up a very accurate straight right hand that is used to quell aggression on the inside.

Prediction: Dicaire by Decision.I’m picking the underdog here because as always, I favor technicians in this kind of matchup.

Where to watch: Live on Sky Sports on November 12th at 11am PST/2pm EST

November 13th: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Deji

Image Credit: DAZN

Mayweather is at it again with another exhibition match to show off his talents and entertain the legions of boxing fans that still tune into his performances. This time he’ll be boxing against YouTuber Deji.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Floyd "Money" Mayweather is a hall of famer and one of the best to ever do it. Known for his Philly shell and slick defensive skills, he’s a sharp counterpuncher even at 50 years old.

Oladeji Daniel "Deji" Olatunji: YouTuber Deji and younger brother to YouTuber boxer KSI, is a newer boxer to the scene having had his first amateur match in 2018 against Jake Paul. With his first boxing win back in August against Fousey, he's shown he has solid reflexes and energy to spare, and perhaps he will make this an interesting fight to watch.

Prediction: Floyd Mayweather.I cannot imagine an undefeated world champion losing to a YouTuber.

Where to watch: Live on DAZN on November 13th at 10am PST/1pm EST

MMA

November 12th: Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira

Image Credit: UFC

Middleweight King Adesanya again defends his crown in the UFC, this time against his nemesis Alex Pereira. This is an incredible contest because Alex actually has kickboxing wins over Adesanya, adding an edge of drama.

Israel Adesanya: The ‘Stylebender’ is one of the best to ever walk into the cage and is an incredibly slick defensive fighter. His movement and strike selection are complemented by solid takedown defense and a uniquely keen eye for counter opportunities. He uses circular theory to keep his opponents from being able to sit down on their strikes or set up a takedown attempt, so it will be interesting to see how he matches up against an elite striker in Alex Pereira.

Alex Pereira: An elite striker with the unique distinction of having wins over Adesanya, albeit, in kickboxing rather than MMA, Pereira is a dangerous opponent for any fighter, even one as technically gifted as the Stylebender. This is going to be a striking match, and it will be very interesting to see how his style matches up in an MMA ring with more angles and strikes to select from than in a kickboxing match.

Prediction: Adesanya by Decision.I think the addition of knees and elbows will make a difference here for Pereira, but not enough to counteract his lack of experience in MMA compared to kickboxing.

Where to watch: Live on ESPN+ on November 12th at 7pm PST/10pm EST

November 12th: Carla Esparza vs Zhang Weili

Image Credit: UFC

Co-main of the Adesanya/Pereira card, this fight is intriguing because it pits an unlikely champion against a very dangerous challenger in what is sure to be a scrappy contest.

Carla Esparza: After her shock upset against Rose Namajunas won her the title, Carla now faces off against dangerous striker Zhang Weili. Esparza’s wrestling will likely be her key to victory here, and it is certainly something she can leverage as I’ve always thought Zhang has always looked a little vulnerable to takedowns due to her stance.

Zhang Weili: Zhang has 2 impressive wins against former queen Jedrzejczyk, which proves her abilities as a striker are indeed championship level. The key for her in this fight is to make Esparza flinch and catch her before Esparza can get her on the ground, and she can do that by keeping the fight long range with her excellent striking.

Prediction: Carla Esparza by Decision.I think we’re going to see Esparza show up to win here and keep Zhang on the ground. Given she’s a wrestler, I think takedown control and ground and pound are more likely than submission, but she could also go for a choke, armbar, or another common submission attempt.

Where to watch: Live on ESPN+ on November 12th at 5pm PST/8pm EST

November 12th: Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler

Image Credit: UFC

This is a great ladder fight between two top fighters at lightweight, and it’s a great matchup with lots of potential for fireworks to boot.

Dustin Poirier: Dustin is, hilariously, listed as a ‘Jiu Jitsu specialist’ Despite both of his most recent losses coming by submission and the vast majority of his wins coming from knockouts. BUT, that’s neither here nor there. Dustin is a very dangerous striker with power in both hands and a great eye for timing his shots as his opponents are coming in. He certainly can grapple, and he has a blackbelt and that’s no joke, but I seriously doubt he’ll try and take this fight to the ground.

Michael Chandler: Chandler is an absolute wrecking ball if he connects once, and it's not hard to see why. His rotational force is quite impressive, and he combines it with intimidating speed and aggressive footwork to keep opponents on the back foot. After his latest destruction of Tony Ferguson, we now know he has impressive strikes out of all 4 limbs, something that I had always wanted to see from him.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier by strikes.I think Poirier has the timing and the calm to deal with Chandler’s aggressive style.

Where to watch: Live on ESPN+ on November 12th at 5pm PST/8pm EST

Note: All November 2022 fight information is accurate as of October 26, 2022.

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