Your Weekend in Combat Sports

Stipe-Miocic-vs-Francis-Ngannou-Staredown

 

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 January 19

4:30am: 2018 IBJJF European Open (FloGrappling)
9:30am: 2018 Flo Tulsa Nationals (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: UFC 220 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1/UFC Fight Pass)
6:00pm: Indiana vs. Michigan State (BigTen)
7:00pm: Old Dominion vs. Buffalo (ESPN3)
7:00pm: Kent State vs. Ohio (ESPN3)
7:00pm: Central Michigan vs. Missouri (ESPN3)
7:00pm: Michigan vs. Wisconsin (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Rutgers vs. Hofstra (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Penn State vs. Purdue (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Edinboro vs. Virginia Tech (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia (FloWrestling)
8:30pm: Fight To Win Pro 59 (FloGrappling)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 31 (AXS)
10:00pm: Fresno State vs. Utah Valley (FloWrestling)

 

Saturday January 20

7:00am: OneFC: Kings of Courage ($9.99 OneFC.com)
8:30am: 2018 IBJJF European Open (FloGrappling)
9:00am: 2018 Flo Tulsa Nationals (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: Driller Promotions: Mecca XI (FloCombat)
6:30pm: UFC 220 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: Bellator 192 Prelims (ParamountNetwork.com)
7:00pm: UFC 220 Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: UFC 220 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Walkout Fighting Championships 9 (FloCombat)
9:00pm: Errol Spence Jr. vs. Lamont Peterson/Javier Fortuna vs. Robert Easter Jr. (Showtime)
9:00pm: Bellator 192 (Paramount Network)
10:00pm: UFC 220 ($59.99 Pay-Per-View)

 

Sunday January 21

1:00am: UFC 220 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
4:30am: 2018 IBJJF European Open (FloGrappling)
12:00pm: Team Georgia Elementary School/Middle School Duals (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Northern Illinois vs. Ohio (ESPN3)
1:00pm: Michigan State vs. Wisconsin (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Purdue vs. Illinois (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Edinboro vs. Rider (FloWrestling)
1:30pm: 2018 Peachtree Ridge Novice (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Buffalo vs. Central Michigan (ESPN3)
2:00pm: Nebraska vs. Rutgers (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Air Force vs. Cal Poly (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Minnesota vs. Michigan (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Oklahoma State vs. Kent State (FloWrestling)
3:30pm: Ohio State vs. Iowa (BigTen)
4:00pm: Maryland vs. Penn State (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: South Dakota State vs. Northern Iowa (FloWrestling)

 

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: A man who’s going to spend Friday absent-mindedly staring at the wall, and Saturday switching between three huge events simultaneously until my eyes bleed.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. UFC 220: Yeah, it’s a two-fight card, but holy shit, what two fights they are.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. Errol Spence Jr. vs. Lamont Peterson/Javier Fortuna vs. Robert Easter Jr.: Spence is the rare boxer that has Olympic credentials, yet has monstrous power. He’s gone from super-prospect to legit world champion. In Peterson, he’ll face a crafty vet that’ll challenge him and who’s been there before.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Bellator 192: C’mon, Scott. You have to put this head-to-head against UFC and Spence-Peterson? Not cool.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. 2018 IBJJF European Open: Some of the best of the very best grapplers descend on Lisbon in one of IBJJF’s biggest events of the year.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Fight To Win Pro 59: Bendo against JT Torres is a heck of a main event and get for F2W.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. OneFC: Kings of Courage: With Ben Askren’s retirement, One needs to make some more stars on the real quick. Angela Lee could help a little, but they need a big breakout star badly.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. Legacy Fighting Alliance 31: After a lull around Christmas and the first of the year, LFA is back in full force and pumping out cards with alarming consistency.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. Ohio State vs. Iowa: New wrestling power vs. traditional wrestling power, featuring tons of top-10 matchups.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. Driller Promotions: Mecca XI: Shallow week for the eight-limbed arts this weekend. This is probably your best option.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. UFC 220 Post-Fight Show: The landscape of the big boys could be drastically different by here.

 

 

 

Under The Radar: A few things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.

 

  • Spike is now Paramount Network in an effort to be more prestige-TV and less, well, what Spike was. Now, they’ve said that won’t change as far as carrying Bellator, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on down the road at the very least.
  • Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder is the best wrestler in the country, and quite possibly the world. He won an Olympic gold medal at 20 and hasn’t lost a match since he was a freshman. Now, odds are, yes, he cruises to another championship, but he’s got a hell of a test this weekend in Iowa’s 3rd-ranked Sam Stoll, whose time is probably next year for the junior heavyweight. But just maybe he can earn the win of his career here.
  • Current Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix favorite: Matt Mitrione. Biggest underdog? One Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

 

KICKBOXING/MUAY THAI

5. Featherweight Bout: Akeela Al-Hameed vs. Pam Sorenson [Driller Promotions: Mecca XI]

4. Lightweight Bout: Ben Locken vs. Vlad Domozurov [Driller Promotions: Mecca XI]

3. 60kg Bout: Chen Yahong vs. Zhao Fuxiang [Faith Fighting Championships]

2. 62kg Bout: Khunponnoi Jaypoobangkapi vs. Waifai VIP Fitness [The Champion Muay Thai]

1. 62kg Bout: Fahsang Chor.Changgymlopburi vs. Juan Martin [MAX Muay Thai]

 

BOXING

5. WBA Continental Junior Featherweight Championship: Oleksandr Yegorov (c) (19-1-1) vs. Cristian Rodriguez (10-1)

4. Heavyweight Bout: Adam Kownacki (16-0) vs. Iago Kiladze (26-1) [Showtime Championship Boxing]

3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Francy Ntetu (17-1) vs. Marcus Browne (20-0) [Showtime Championship Boxing]

2. IBF World Lightweight Championship: Robert Easter Jr. (c) (20-0) vs. Javier Fortuna (33-1-1) [Showtime Championship Boxing]

1. IBF World Welterweight Championship: Errol Spence Jr. (c) (22-0) vs. Lamont Peterson (35-3-1) [Showtime Championship Boxing]

 

MMA

5. Inaugural Women’s Strawweight Championship: Jingnan Xiong (10-1) vs. Tiffany Teo (7-0) [OneFC: Kings Of Courage]

4. Lightweight Bout: Goiti Yamauchi (22-3) vs. Michael Chandler (16-4) [Bellator 192]

3. UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Cormier (c) (19-1) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (15-1) [UFC 220]

2. Bellator Welterweight Championship: Douglas Lima (c) (29-6) vs. Rory MacDonald (19-4) [Bellator 192]

1. UFC Heavyweight Championship: Stipe Miocic (c) (17-2) vs. Francis Ngannou (11-1) [UFC 220]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

t5. 157lb Bout: #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #6 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) [Iowa vs. Ohio State]

t5. 149lb Bout: #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. #6 Ke-Shawn Hayes [Iowa vs. Ohio State]

4. 150lb Black Belt Bout: Gerson Atoigue vs. Jeff Curran [Fight To Win Pro 59]

3. 197lb Bout: #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) vs. #5 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) [Iowa vs. Ohio State]

2. Heavyweight Bout: #1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. #3 Sam Stoll (Iowa) [Iowa vs. Ohio State]

1. Black Belt Welterweight Championship: Benson Henderson vs. JT Torres [Fight To Win Pro 59]

 

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man who started the year off strong, in the red, stays true to message about giving horrible predictions.

 

Best Fight of the Weekend: Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Goiti Yamauchi vs. Michael Chandler
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Delfine Persoon over Monica Gentili
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Showtime Championship Boxing
Upset of the Week: Chael Sonnen over Rampage Jackson
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Chael Sonnen vs. Quinton Jackson

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