Disclaimer: There are inconsistencies and false information (i.e. age, weight, hometown) in these adaptations. Move on. Let it go. It’s still fiction.

Back for another round. If you missed part one, part two, or our Super Heavyweight roundup, go catch up first, this one leans on all three. This time we are covering two divisions in one sitting, Middleweight and Lightweight, since neither one had enough fresh, never before featured names to fill out a full article on its own. What they do have is genuinely interesting new blood challenging the champions we already introduced you to.

The Middleweight Contenders

Quick refresher, Wolverine has been sitting on the Middleweight throne since part one. He is not walking away from it easily. Since then, three new names have shown up looking to take his belt, and Rodrigo gave each of them the full stat card treatment.

Clint Barton: The Ronin Returns, a.k.a Hawkeye

Rodrigo introduced Barton point blank, asking whether he could dethrone the champion. Trained in boxing, karate, jiujitsu, and wrestling with a 27 and 5 record, Hawkeye is a legitimate all rounder rather than the archery gimmick you might expect. No bow allowed in the octagon means he actually has to fight, and the tattoos and Ronin references suggest Rodrigo leaned into his more grounded, street level era rather than the purple arrow guy from the first Avengers movie.

Eddie Brock: The Lethal Protector, a.k.a Venom

Rodrigo called Venom one of the most expected characters to join this division, and it is easy to see why. Boxing, muay thai, krav maga, and wrestling covers both striking and grappling, which tracks for a symbiote that can reshape itself into whatever weapon the fight calls for. A 26 and 4 record puts him solidly in title contention, and Rodrigo posed the obvious question in the caption, can he actually take Wolverine’s belt.

Erik Magnus: Master of Magnetism, a.k.a Magneto

Rodrigo did not hold back on this introduction, calling him the best villain ever and the middleweight legend finally arriving. Trained in boxing, sambo, jiujitsu, wrestling, and krav maga, Magneto brings genuine credentials with a 27 and 2 record. No metal gimmicks in this powerless universe, just a man who trained like he actually needed to win a fight the hard way, which somehow makes him more intimidating, not less.

The Lightweight Contenders

You already know the original Lightweight four from part two, Bucky, Carnage, Gambit, and Spiderman. If you caught our Super Heavyweight coverage, you also know the division kept growing well past that. Shang Chi ended up taking the belt in a later tournament, and these five names, including Shang Chi’s own original introduction, are the ones who built the division up around him.

Shang Chi: Ten Rings’ Finest

This is the original card, posted back when Rodrigo called him probably the best striker and most exciting prospect in the division. Sanda, jeet kune do, and kung fu is about as legitimate a striking pedigree as you can build for a character whose entire comic mythology is generational martial arts mastery. A 19 and 0 and 1 record backs it up. Years later, he is the one holding the belt, so consider this his origin story.

Kurt Wagner: Bavaria’s Blue Blur, a.k.a Nightcrawler

Rodrigo called him one of the most agile fighters in the company, and taekwondo, capoeira, karate, and jiujitsu is a mobility focused mix that fits a character whose entire comic gimmick is teleporting out of danger. Take away the teleportation and you are left with a genuinely quick, hard to pin down striker. A 24 and 3 and 1 record suggests that agility translates into real results even without the blue smoke.

Lester Benjamin: Never Misses, a.k.a Bullseye

Rodrigo himself seemed surprised in the caption that a guy with perfect aim did not have a higher striking accuracy stat. Wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo rounds out the skill set, and a 26 and 3 and 2 record makes him a real threat, precision issues aside. Character accurate or not, anyone whose whole comic book power is never missing should probably be feared regardless of what one stat card says.

Mander Azur: Attilan’s Export, a.k.a Karnak

Rodrigo introduced Karnak by directly asking if he had any chance against top fighters like Shang Chi or Peter Parker, which in hindsight was a very fair question to ask about a lightweight joining a division that deep. Judo, karate, jiu jitsu, sambo, muay thai, and taekwondo is an absurd six discipline spread, fitting for an Inhuman whose actual power is perceiving the weak point in anything, including, presumably, his opponent’s game plan. A 29 and 1 and 1 record says the six styles are working.

Danny Rand: The Living Weapon, a.k.a Iron Fist

Rodrigo’s caption calls him the lightweight king outright, walking through the fights that built his legend. Judo, aikido, boxing, karate, kung fu, jiujitsu, and muay thai is the single deepest training list on this entire roster, seven disciplines for a character whose whole comic identity is mastering every martial art there is. A 25 and 0 and 1 record backs up the hype completely. This card came out well after Shang Chi had already taken the belt, so read it as the story of the champion Shang Chi had to dethrone to get there.

Eight fighters, two divisions, and the Middleweight belt still very much up for grabs. Lightweight already has its answer in Shang Chi. Up next, we finish the set with Heavyweight and the Women’s division.

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