Your Weekend in Combat Sports

spence-porter-suits

 

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 September 27

11:45am: Bellator 227 Prelims (Bellator App)
12:00pm: UFC Fight Night Weigh-Ins (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00pm: 2019 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championships (FloGrappling)
2:00pm: Spence vs. Porter Weigh-Ins (FREE Fite.tv)
3:00pm: Daniel Dubois vs. Ebenezer Tetteh/Maria Salinas vs. Nicola Adams (ESPN+)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
9:00pm: Bellator 227 (Paramount Network/DAZN)
9:00pm: Unified MMA 38 ($19.99 Fite.tv)

 

Saturday September 28

8:00am: 2019 Journeymen Fall Classic (FloWrestling)
9:30am: 2019 Cosmic Clash (FloWrestling)
11:00am: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+)
1:00pm: 2019 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championships (FloGrappling)
1:00pm: World Combat Fighting Championship: Way of the Warrior ($7.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: Swiss Fight League ($9.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Hermansson (ESPN+)
2:00pm: David Avenesyan vs. Kerman Lejarraga II/David Soria vs. Jose Manuel Lopez Clavero ($14.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: Cage Warriors 107 (UFC Fight Pass)
5:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
5:00pm: Valor Fight 64 (FloCombat)
5:00pm: CFS 3 (FloCombat)
5:30pm: Glory 68 Prelims (YouTube)
6:00pm: Men of War 7 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
6:45pm: Bellator 228 Prelims (DAZN)
7:00pm: PBC Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Glory 68 Superfight Series (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: Fury Fighting Championships 37 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: Fight Night 11 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
7:30pm: Spence vs. Porter Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Celebrity Boxing: Chris Morgan vs. Dustin Diamond ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter/Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez ($74.99 Pay-Per-View)
9:00pm: Glory 68 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Rage in the Cage 68 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: Bellator 228 (DAZN)

 

Sunday September 29

1:00am: PBC Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
3:00am: Pancrase 308 (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00am: 2019 Journeymen Fall Classic (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: 2019 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championships (FloGrappling)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: A man watching the proudest franchise in NFL history turn into a dumpster fire attempts to quell his nausea with face-hitting. Plus, it’s Abu Dhabi week!

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter/Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez: It’s what we always ask for. Two fantastic fighters, both world champions, in their prime, unifying the belts, and creating a new mega-star. It makes the $75 price tag a little easier to deal with. Deep card, too.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. Bellator 228: Bellator gets the upper hand on the UFC this weekend, as the Featherweight Grand Prix kicks off and goes head-to-head with Spence-Porter.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. 2019 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championships: The Abu Dhabi’s BAY-BAY! The biggest and most prestigious grappling event in the world. The best of the best. This is where legacies are made.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Hermansson: A lacking European card, but the last-minute addition of Gilbert Burns vs. Gunnar Nelson could be one of the best grappling bouts of the weekend, and that includes the Abu Dhabis.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Glory 68: Headlined by a *checks notes* …INTERIM TITLE FIGHT?! Goddammit.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Bellator 227: C’mon Scott and co., it’s 2019, quit with tape-delay.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. Daniel Dubois vs. Ebenezer Tetteh/Maria Salinas vs. Nicola Adams: Want to watch the most decorated amateur boxer of the weekend? You’re looking at her. Nicola Adams is a two-time Olympic gold-medalist. She started her pro career at 34, and she’s kicking large amounts of ass.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. Cage Warriors 107: Blew their load for title fights in June’s Night of Champions, so we’re bereft of championships for a little from Cage Warriors.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. UFC Live: UFC is debuting a new weekly show right after Max on Boxing. So the solid 5pm-6pm timeslot on Fridays is all combat sports programming on ESPN2.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. Celebrity Boxing: Chris Morgan vs. Dustin Diamond: Props to Screech for stepping up on short notice to replace fellow school bus fire Lenny Dykstra. That’s the kind of fighting spirit that’ll land him in the big time! Chris Morgan, in case you don’t know, and why the fuck would you, is the “Bagel Boss”, or “Angry Short Bagel Guy”, or “Jagoff”. I can’t believe there’s a scenario on Earth that I’m pulling for Dustin Diamond to achieve success.

 

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.

 

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. Lightweight Bout: Josh Jauncey (30-9) vs. Lorawnt-t Nelson (7-1) [Glory 68]

4. Welterweight Bout: Ammari Diedrick (19-7) vs. Troy Jones (12-1) [Glory 68]

3. Featherweight Bout: Asa Ten Pow (10-1) vs. Bailey Sugden (12-4) [Glory 68]

2. Women’s Super Bantamweight Bout: Jady Menezes (13-3) vs. Tiffany van Soest (21-5-2) [Glory 68]

1. Interim Glory Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Pereira (40-6) vs. Donegi Abena (11-2) [Glory 68]

 

BOXING

5. Vacant WBA World Junior Welterweight Championship: Batyr Akhmedov (7-0) vs. Mario Barrios (24-0) [PBC Pay-Per-View]

4. Welterweight Bout: John Molina Jr. (30-8) vs. Josesito Lopez (36-8) [PBC Pay-Per-View]

3. WBO Female Flyweight Championship: Nicola Adams (c) (5-0) vs. Maria Salinas (21-7-3) [Top Rank on ESPN+]

2. WBC World Super Middleweight Championship: Anthony Dirrell (c) (33-1-1) vs. David Benavidez (21-0) [PBC Pay-Per-View]

1. WBC/IBF World Welterweight Championships: Errol Spence Jr. (c) (25-0) vs. Shawn Porter (30-2-1) [PBC Pay-Per-View]

 

MMA

5. Welterweight Bout: Gilbert Burns (16-3) vs. Gunnar Nelson (17-4-1) [UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Hermansson]

4. Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix First-Round Bout: Darrion Caldwell (13-3) vs. Henry Corrales (17-3) [Bellator 228]

3. Lightweight Bout: Benson Henderson (27-8) vs. Myles Jury (17-4) [Bellator 227]

2. Middleweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (45-7-2) vs. Lyoto Machida (26-8) [Bellator 228]

1. Bellator Featherweight Championship/Featherweight Grand Prix First-Round Bout: Patricio Freire (c) (29-4) vs. Juan Archuleta (29-1) [Bellator 228]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Women’s -60kg Black Belt Division [2019 ADCC World Championships]

4. Men’s -66kg Black Belt Division [2019 ADCC World Championships]

3. Men’s +99kg Black Belt Division [2019 ADCC World Championships]

2. Men’s -77kg Black Belt Division [2019 ADCC World Championships]

1. Men’s -99kg Black Belt Division [2019 ADCC World Championships]

 

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: THIRTY-EIGHT BUCKEROOS LAST WEEKEND, FOLKS! Go impress the old lady, taking her for precisely six drinks at TGI Friday’s and roll the dice!

Best Fight of the Weekend: Juan Archuleta vs. Paticio Freire
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Gilbert Burns vs. Gunnar Nelson
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Daniel Dubois over Ebenezer Tetteh
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: 2019 ADCC World Championships
Upset of the Week: Gunnar Nelson over Gilbert Burns
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez

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