As always, programming is listed in EST
Live fights are in BOLD.
Premiere programming is in ITALICS.
MMA programming is in ORANGE.
Boxing programming is in RED.
Kickboxing/Muay Thai/Karate programming is in BLUE.
Wrestling/Jiu Jitsu/Grappling programming is in PURPLE.
Misc./Combination combat sports programming is in GREEN.
Friday August 17
5:30am: Diamondback Fighting Championship 6 ($16.99 Fite.tv)
3:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN Weigh-Ins (ESPN+)
6:30pm: Fight To Win Pro 84 (FloGrappling)
7:00pm: Bellator 204 Prelims (Bellator.com)
9:00pm: Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA 52 (AXS)
9:00pm: Bellator 204 (Paramount Network)
9:30pm: Golden Boy on ESPN Prelims (ESPN3)
11:00pm: Andrew Cancio vs. Dardan Zenunaj/Greg Vendetti vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai (ESPN2)
Saturday August 18
3:00am: Hamma Fight Night 15 ($11.99 Fite.tv)
3:00am: Road Fighting Championship 49 (YouTube)
7:20am: The Champion Muay Thai (YouTube)
1:00pm: BRAVE 14 (FloCombat)
6:00pm: KASAI Pro 3 (FloGrappling)
7:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Cage Titans 40 (FloCombat)
7:00pm: Pyramid Fight 8 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: Shamrock Fighting Championship 308 (FloCombat)
9:00pm: Demond Nicholson vs. Isaac Rodrigues/Ivan Golub vs. Lanardo Tyner (CBS Sports)
10:00pm: Alexander Dimitrenko vs. Bryant Jennings/Jesse Hart vs. Mike Gavronski (ESPN)
10:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN: Around the Ring (ESPN3)
10:30pm: World Fighting Federation 39 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
Sunday August 19
3:00am: Knock Out Summer Festival (Twitter)
7:20am: MAX Muay Thai (YouTube)
Top-10 Viewing Options: Another weekend of less-than-stellar fights. I’ll gladly take that on a week like this, because where I live, the snowiest city in the country, it’s a-comin’ in about two and a half weeks.
1. Bellator 204: Not loaded on paper, but this card is underrated and features Darrion Caldwell dipping his toe into possibly going after being a dual-weight champion.
2. KASAI Pro 3: Absolutely loaded card featuring fantastic superfights, AND we get a chance to watch someone make Rousimar Palhares tap out!
3. Andrew Cancio vs. Dardan Zenunaj/Greg Vendetti vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai: Solid appetizer for Saturday. Love ESPN’s renewed vigor for boxing.
4. Alexander Dimitrenko vs. Bryant Jennings/Jesse Hart vs. Mike Gavronski: Not a ton of stakes on this card, the winners may get a B-side world title fight, but those tend to be pretty fun, on occasion.
5. Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA 52: Jason Norwood is one of those guys that I always enjoy watching for some reason. One of my favorites on the regionals.
6. Fight To Win Pro 84: Less and less big names on F2W cards, but that’s what you sacrifice for almost weekly cards.
7. Demond Nicholson vs. Isaac Rodrigues/Ivan Golub vs. Lanardo Tyner: Ahhh, welcome back, mid-level boxing on CBS Sports.
8. Road Fighting Championship 49: Awww yeah, Road is coming back with some freak fights. Staying on brand!
9. Knock Out Summer Festival: Damned solid Japanese kickfighting on late-night on Twitter! It’s just strange enough to work.
10. Top Rank on ESPN: Around the Ring: Cool feature that ESPN does, like they do for big college football games, giving you different commentary, angles, and other assorted cool stuff.
4×5: Every week, UCS’s Luke Irwin will list his Top-5 bouts in each of the four major different combat sports that he’s looking forward to the most, regardless of any conventional criteria, merit, or logic.
KICKBOXING/MUAY THAI
5. Super Lightweight Bout: Cui Jianhui (26-12) vs. Tetsuya Yamato (39-16-1) [Krush 92]
4. King of Knock Out Super Lightweight Tournament Finals: Fukashi Mizutani vs. Hideki Sasaki [Knock Out Summer Fest]
3. 61kg Bout: Kazuma Takahashi vs. Yodlekpet Or.Pitisak [Knock Out Summer Fest]
2. 67kg Catchweight Bout: Masaaki Noiri (35-9) vs. Yang Haodong (24-7) [Krush 92]
1. Krush Female Flyweight Championship: Kana (c) (11-1) vs. Liu Shibei (8-1) [Krush 92]
BOXING
5. Heavyweight Bout: Franceso Pianeta (35-4-1) vs. Tyson Fury (26-0) [BT Sport]
4. Junior Middleweight Bout: Greg Vendetti (19-2-1) vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai (27-4-2) [Golden Boy on ESPN]
3. NABF Super Middleweight Championship: Jesse Hart (c) (24-1) vs. Mike Gavronski (24-2-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
2. WBC World Flyweight Championship: Cristofer Rosales (27-3) vs. Paddy Barnes (5-0) [BT Sport]
1. Interim WBO World Featherweight Championship: Carl Frampton (ic) vs. Luke Jackson (16-0) [BT Sport]
MMA
5. Welterweight Bout: AJ Matthews (9-7) vs. Logan Storley (8-0) [Bellator 204]
4. Vacant Cage Titans Bantamweight Championship: Jay Perrin (6-3) vs. Johnny Campbell (16-9) [Cage Titans 40]
3. Heavyweight Bout: Aleksander Emelianenko (28-7) vs. Tony Johnson Jr. (11-4) [World Fighting Championship Akhmat]
2. Bantamweight Bout: James Gallagher (7-0) vs. Ricky Bandejas (10-1) [Bellator 204]
1. Featherweight Bout: Darrion Caldwell (12-1) vs. Noad Lahat (12-3) [Bellator 204]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 190lb Black Belt Bout: Dante Leon vs. Matt Leighton [Fight To Win Pro 84]
4. 150lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Gianni Grippo vs. Jon Calestine [KASAI Pro 3]
3. 170lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: AJ Agazarm vs. Gilbert Burns [KASAI Pro 3]
2. 185lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Craig Jones vs. Rousimar Palhares [KASAI Pro 3]
1. 170lb Tournament [KASAI Pro 3]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man who actually thinks the Browns can get to .500 this year attempts to embarrass himself slighty less this week.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Craig Jones vs. Rousimar Palhares
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: James Gallagher vs. Ricky Bandejas
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Tyson Fury over Francesco Pianeta
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: KASAI Pro 3
Upset of the Week: Ricky Bandejas over James Gallagher
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Tyson Fury vs. Francesco Pianeta
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