Overview

• The championship featured former UFC middleweight Hector Lombard and ex-heavyweight Cheick Kongo facing off in a live pillow fight at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on August 1.
• Competitors battled across three 90-second rounds under a headshot-only scoring system that awards bonus points for knockdowns.
• Lombard outscored Kongo and claimed the title by leveraging precise pillow strikes, marking his first competitive victory since late 2023.
• At ages 47 and 50, the fighters brought a combined age of 97 to the ring, underscoring the event’s emphasis on veteran entertainment over high-stakes competition.
• Social media responded with divided views, praising the novelty and lampooning ESPN’s programming choices in equal measure.