Your Weekend in Combat Sports

wilder-fury-fight (17)

 

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 February 21

9:00am: 2020 National Prep Wrestling Championship (FloWrestling)
9:00am: Absolute Championship Akhmat MMA 104 (aca-mma.com)
1:00pm: FloTV (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Michigan State vs. Central Michigan (ESPN+)
2:30pm: Golden Contract Tournament Semfinals (ESPN+)
4:00pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
4:30pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
6:00pm: Fury vs. Wilder II Weigh-Ins (ESPN2/Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: NC State vs. Duke (ACC Network)
7:00pm: Utah Valley vs. Ohio (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Indiana vs. Chattanooga (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Binghamton vs. Buffalo (ESPN+)
7:00pm: North Carolina vs. Virginia (ACC Network)
7:00pm: Bellator 239 Prelims (Bellator App)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night Weigh-Ins (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: Michigan vs. Edinboro (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: George Mason vs. Maryland (FloWrestling)
7:45pm: UFC 248 Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: Fresno State vs. Illinois (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State (FloWrestling)
8:30pm: Ring of Combat 71 ($16.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Nebraska vs. Minnesota (ESPNU)
9:00pm: Bellator 239 (Paramount Network/DAZN)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 82 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Jonathan Gonzalez vs. Saul Juarez/Rafeal Morales vs. Robeisy Ramirez (Telemundo)
10:00pm: NC State vs. Duke (ACC Network)
10:00pm: California Baptist vs. CSU Bakersfield (ESPN3)
10:00pm: Combate Americas 55 (AXS)

 

Saturday February 22

12:00am: Eternal MMA 50 (UFC Fight Pass)
12:00am: RIZIN 21 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
8:00am: 2020 WAWA Championships (FloWrestling)
9:00am: 2020 National Prep Wrestling Championship (FloWrestling)
11:00am: MMA Challenge Pro 10 ($7.99 Fite.tv)
11:30am: Bellator Dublin Prelims (Bellator App)
12:00pm: VMI vs. The Citadel (ESPN+)
12:00pm: 2020 Rumble in Reno (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Senshi Pro Fight Night (FREE Fite.tv)
1:00pm: Wilder vs. Fury II Pre-Fight Show (ESPN3)
2:00pm: Bucknell vs. Columbia (ESPN+)
2:30pm: Iowa State vs. Missouri (ESPN3)
3:00pm: Brad Foster vs. Lucien Reid/Kody Davies vs. Umar Sadiq (ESPN+)
4:00pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+)
5:00pm: Bellator Dublin (Bellator App)
5:30pm: West Virginia vs. Wyoming (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Rider vs. Maryland (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Wilder vs. Fury II Live Pre-Fight Show (ESPNEWS/Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Felder (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Virginia Tech vs. Pitt (ACC Network)
7:00pm: NAGA Pro: New Jersey ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: Dead Serious MMA 38 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:30pm: Fury vs. Wilder II Prelims (ESPNEWS/Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Fury vs. Wilder II Prelims (ESPN)
8:30pm: Shamrock Fighting Championship 328 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II/Charles Martin vs. Gerald Washington ($79.99 Pay-Per-View)
10:00pm: Bellator 240 (Paramount Network/DAZN)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
10:15pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Sunday February 23

12:30am: Fury vs. Wilder II Post-Fight Show (ESPN2/Fox Sports 1)
8:00am: 2020 WAWA Championships (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Utah Valley vs. West Virginia (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Clarion vs. Edinboro (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Arizona State vs. North Carolina (ACC Network)
2:00pm: American vs. Penn State (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: Northwestern vs. SIU-Edwardsville (ESPN+)
6:00pm: Submission Underground 11 (UFC Fight Pass)
6:00pm: Rutgers vs. Princeton (ESPN+)
6:30pm: Fury Fighting Championship 42 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: Iowa vs. Oklahoma State (BigTen)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: A man who’s very hyped for a big-feel heavyweight boxing card. I was raised on them and there’s still nothing that gets my butterflies going like those.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II/Charles Martin vs. Gerald Washington: Absolutely a one-fight card, but a hell of a fight with major ramifications.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Felder: Live from New Zealand, Hooker and Felder will absolutely kick ass, but the timing is, well, not ideal.  I’d much rather this occur in the morning or afternoon as a fun lead-in to Wilder-Fury.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Submission Underground 11: Chael P. Sonnen, P is for the most consistently-loaded grappling cards out there.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Bellator 239: Definitely the best Bellator option out of the 3 (!) offerings they have this weekend. Glad to see Ed Ruth getting a chance to headline.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Golden Contract Tournament Semfinals: The semis for the featherweight and junior welterweight kick off from York Hall in London.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Brad Foster vs. Lucien Reid/Kody Davies vs. Umar Sadiq: The OTHER rematch from a draw for a title of the weekend.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. RIZIN 21: Not a bad card, but I have to see the spectacle of Roberto de Souza facing five straight fighters in a Jiu-Jitsu Elimination exhibition.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. Legacy Fighting Alliance 82: Finally! A goddamned title fight! And it is between two bangers.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. Iowa vs. Oklahoma State: Your best wrestling matchup of the weekend.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. Senshi Pro Fight Night: A free day of fights and exhibitions encompassing all different types of striking martial arts!

 

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. Flyweight Bout: Kenichi Takeuchi vs. Naoya [RIZIN 21]

4. Women’s Atomweight Bout: Moe (2-2) vs. Phayahong Ayothaya Fightgym (61-13-1) [Krush 111]

3. Super Featherweight Bout: Chihiro Nakajima (2-0) vs. Tomoya Yokoyama (6-2) [Krush 111]

2. Super Bantamweight Bout: Suriyanlek OBT.Kamphee (148-21-2) vs. Taito Gunji (11-4-1) [Krush 111]

1. Krush Super Lightweight Championship: Hayato Suzuki (c) (8-3-1) vs. Daizo Sasaki (24-17-1) [Krush 111]

 

BOXING

5. Junior Bantamweight Bout: Daniel Lewis (6-0) vs. Sebastian Fundora (13-0-1) [Fury vs. Wilder II]

4. Vacant WBC Silver Junior Welterweight Championship: Mohamed Mimoune (22-3) vs. Tyrone McKenna (20-1-1) [Golden Contract Tournament]

3. WBO European/Commonwealth Featherweight Championships: Leigh Wood (c) (23-1) vs. James Dickens (28-3) [Golden Contract Tournament]

2. BBBofC British Junior Featherweight Championship: Brad Foster (c) (11-0-2) vs. Lucien Reid (8-0-2) [Queensberry Promotions on ESPN]

1. WBC World Heavyweight Championship: Deontay Wilder (c) (42-0-1) vs. Tyson Fury (29-0-1) [PBC/Top Rank on PPV]

 

MMA

5. Welterweight Bout: Emil Weber Meek (9-4) vs. Jake Matthews (15-4) [UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker]

4. Vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Polizzi (5-0) vs. Jamal Pogues (7-2) [Legacy Fighting Alliance 82]

3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Jimmy Crute (10-1) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-3) [UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker]

2. Featherweight Bout: Kevin Aguilar (17-2) vs. Zubaira Tukhugov (18-4-1) [UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker]

1. Lightweight Bout: Dan Hooker (19-8) vs. Paul Felder (17-4) [UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. 165lb Bout: #2 Alex Marinelli (IOWA) vs. #6 Travis Wittlake (OKST) [Iowa vs. Oklahoma State]

4. 149lb Bout: #2 Pat Lugo (IOWA vs. #6 Boo Lewallen (OKST) [Iowa vs. Oklahoma State]

3. 125lb Bout: #1 Spencer Lee (IOWA) vs. #4 Nick Piccininni (OKST) [Iowa vs. Oklahoma State]

2. Black Belt Bout: Johnatha Alves vs. Marcio Andre [Artista Invitational 2]

1. Jiu Jitsu Elimination Bout: Roberto de Souza vs. Horishi Shinagawa/Yuna Kimura/Koji Shigemizu/Edison Kagohara/Yuki Nakai [RIZIN 21]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man who took a cannonball blast to the ribcage attempts to claw back by *checks notes* putting heavy money on Tyson Fury? God help me.

Best Fight of the Weekend: Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Kevin Aguilar vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Emanuel Navarrete over Jeo Santisima
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Submission Underground 11
Upset of the Week: Tyson Fury over Deontay Wilder
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury

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