Canelo Alvarez challenges Christian M’Billi for the WBC super middleweight title on Saturday October 31, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Mexican returns from his defeat to Terence Crawford to an undefeated champion making his first defense.
Their 12-round fight headlines “Mexico vs. The World,” a nine-fight DAZN PPV card featuring three world championship contests.
Live now
- Date
- Saturday October 31, 2026
- Place
- The venue at Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- The map starts
- 10:00 a.m. EDT / 2:00 p.m. GMT
- Ring walks expected
- 5:00 p.m. EDT / 9:00 p.m. GMT
- Securities)
- WBC super middleweight world title
- Expected distance
- 12 rounds
A final round knockdown sealed Sultan Almohammed’s unanimous decision victory over Erick Jahir Urvina Villegas in a six-round super featherweight brawl. The 18-year-old Saudi prospect picked up the pace from the start, keeping the Mexican under constant pressure. Urvina Villegas (5-3-3, 1 KO) showed plenty of courage in hanging in there, forcing the teenager to log more time in the ring than he had seen in most of his early outings.
Almohammed (6-0, 4 KOs) dictated the terms with his hard work rate, even if he failed to find the knockout punch. Urvina Villegas deserves credit for remaining competitive while clearly being outmatched. The reversal in the sixth provided an exclamation point, erasing any doubt on the scorecards. For a young fighter accustomed to fast nights at the office, having to go through six tough rounds offered valuable development.
It took Bek Nurmaganbet less than three minutes to knock out Marcos Vázquez Rodríguez, resulting in a devastating stoppage that immediately earned DAZN a knockout candidate of the year.
The scheduled ten-round super middleweight contest was halted at 2:57 of the first period after Nurmaganbet dropped the Mexican veteran twice. The heavy artillery proved far too heavy, ending any hopes of a competitive showdown before it even began.
Vázquez Rodríguez had no answer for the Kazakh left-hander, whose laser precision sustained each of his early attacks. The 37-year-old veteran brought plenty of experience to the ring, but none of that mattered against that kind of concussive force. Vázquez Rodríguez was coming off a previous defeat, meaning more rigorous testing will ultimately determine Nurmaganbet’s true ceiling.
Yet the undefeated prospect did exactly what elite punchers are supposed to do, closing the show with a bang and stealing the show on the undercard.
Super middleweight Emiliano Rojo (22-0, 9 KOs) secured Mexico’s first victory of the evening, stopping Flavius Biea (24-4, 12 KOs) in the fourth round of a scheduled eight-round fight. The undefeated 20-year-old set the tempo from the first kick-off, regularly overcoming the Romanian veteran. Biea found himself stifled, unable to create space or find answers to the sustained pressure presented to him.
The referee ordered the stoppage at 1:37 of the fourth round. Rojo remained calm throughout, measured in his attack rather than recklessly seeking an early knockout. Biea entered the ring after suffering recent stoppage losses, so the victory revealed little about how Rojo might hold up against top competition. The young prospect took care of business exactly as expected, getting the veteran out of there with four rounds to spare.
Brayan León kept his perfect record intact by taking an eight-round unanimous decision over Hector Aguirre in a super middleweight bout on the preliminary card. The Cuban prospect took his record to 13 wins with nine knockouts, even though Aguirre made him work every minute.
León opened the rounds sharply before his tempo faltered, inviting the Mexican into a close fight. León repeatedly retreated to the ropes instead of occupying his opponent. Aguirre (7-1, 3 KOs) lacked the power to turn things around, but his relentless pressure prevented a dominant display. León walks away with the victory, but he clearly has some adjustments to make before diving into deeper waters.
What time does Canelo vs. M’Billi start?
The official calendar states:
- PPV card: 1:47 p.m. ET / 10:47 a.m. PT / 5:47 p.m. GMT.
- Expected ring walks for the main event: 4:55 p.m. ET / 1:55 p.m. PT / 8:55 p.m. GMT.
- Main event: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. GMT.
The headline fight won’t begin until 5 p.m. ET. Ring paths and individual bout times remain approximate as previous competitions may affect running order.
How to watch and how much it costs
Canelo vs. M’Billi costs $79.99 on DAZN PPV in the United States. Eligible DAZN Ultimate subscribers can watch without purchasing a separate PPV.
Watch Canelo vs. M’Billi on DAZN.
Why Canelo fights M’Billi
Canelo lost his undisputed super middleweight championship to Crawford in September 2025. After 13 months out of the ring, he is looking to regain the WBC belt rather than embark on a non-title comeback fight.
“I don’t believe in shortcuts. I want to become world champion again, and that’s why I want to face the best. Mbilli is the world champion,” Canelo said during Thursday’s official press conference.
The four-division champion became undisputed at 168 pounds by stopping Caleb Plant in 2021. Saturday’s contest features a championship, with the super middleweight limit set at 168 pounds / 76.2 kg.
“I’m the challenger now, but in my mind I’ve always been the champion, ever since I was little,” he said.
Canelo’s three professional losses came against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol and Crawford. He has never lost consecutive fights.
Who is Christian M’Billi?
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, M’Billi represented France at the 2016 Olympics and now trains in Montreal under Marc Ramsay.
He stopped Maciej Sulecki in the first round to win the WBC interim title in June 2025. His next appearance ended in a split draw with Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford undercard, a contest the WBC named its 2025 Fight of the Year.
The sanctioning body elevated M’Billi to full champion in January following Crawford’s retirement. He hasn’t fought since the Martinez draw.
“I’m ready to shock the world,” M’Billi said.
Facing the biggest name of his professional career, the champion made a clear distinction between admiration and ambition.
“I have a lot of respect for Canelo and his career, and I congratulate him for everything he has accomplished. But in the ring, it will be a different story, and I come to win.”
Records, age, size and reach
Canelo Alvarez
Save: 63-3-2, 39 KOs.
Age: 36.
Height: 5 feet 7½ inches.
Reach: 70½ inches.
Coach: Eddy Reynoso.
Christian M’Billi
Save: 29-0-1, 24 KOs.
Age: 31.
Height: 5 feet 8½ inches.
Reach: 72 inches.
Weight: Canelo (167.6 pounds) – Mbilli (167.8 pounds)
Coach: Marc Ramsay.
PPV card
- 1:47 p.m. / 5:47 p.m.: Raymundo Rojas vs. Reito Tsutsumi
Light junior, 10 rounds. - 2:42 p.m. / 6:42 p.m.: Rafael Espinoza vs. Ricardo Blandon
WBO featherweight world title, 12 rounds. - 3:44 p.m. / 7:44 p.m.: Jaime Munguía vs. Nikita Zon
WBA super middleweight world title, 12 rounds. - 5 p.m./9 p.m.: Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian M’Billi
WBC super middleweight world title, 12 rounds.
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