Your Weekend in Combat Sports

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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 July 24

1:45am: Pancrase 316 (Abema.tv)
12:00pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
3:00pm: Avelino Vazquez vs. Jon Miguez/Buchra El Quaissi vs. Joana Suarez ($9.99 Fite.tv)
5:00pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
7:00pm: Fight To Win 148 (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: Samuel Vargas vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Hector Tanajara Jr. vs. Mercito Gesta (DAZN)
8:45pm: Bellator 242 Prelims (YouTube)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 86 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 11 (FREE Bareknuckle.tv)
10:00pm: Best of Combate Americas (AXS)
10:00pm: Bellator 242 (Paramount Network)

 

Saturday July 25

3:00pm: Joe Joyce vs. Michael Wallisch/Chris Bourke vs. Ramez Mahmood (ESPN+)
5:00pm: UFC on ESPN Prelims (ESPN)
6:00pm: BJJ Stars (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker (ESPN)
8:00pm: FloWrestling: Chamizo vs. Dake (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: Abraham Juarez vs. Carlos Molina/Alejandro Davila vs. Jose Guadalupe Rosales ($9.99 Fite.tv)
8:30pm: Rage in the Cage OKC 74 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
11:00pm: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
11:15pm: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Sunday July 26

7:30pm: Jorge Marron Jr. vs. Michael Dutchover/Arnold Dinong vs. Brandon Cruz ($6.50 ThompsonBoxing.com)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: Finally, finally, by-god finally, stick-and-ball sports are returning to join the land of fighting, so I can stop watching grainy streams of underground branch fighting in Paraguay to satisfy my sporting needs!

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker: It’s been over two years since Bobby Knuckles notched a “W”, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of fighter we’re going to have going forward.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. Bellator 242: BELLATOR! SON OF A BITCH, YOU’RE BACK!!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Samuel Vargas vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Hector Tanajara Jr. vs. Mercito Gesta: Renew those subscriptions to DAZN, boys, it’s back with actual weekend big fights!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 11: BKFC putting on a free show with a helluva main event with two legit bangers.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Legacy Fighting Alliance 86: Legacy showing up every week with a title fight is all I need out of them.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Fight To Win 148: Victor Hugo, one of the best jiu-jitsu competitors in the world is taking part in a rare Fight To Win title defense!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. BJJ Stars: The best card top-to-bottom of the entire weekend. Just a who’s who of BJJ. Leandro Lo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Claudio Calasans, Leo Leite, Kaynan Duarte are just a few.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. FloWrestling: Chamizo vs. Dake: If you are even a casual collegiate wrestling fan, this is the card for you. World champion Frank Chamizo takes on one of the best collegiate wrestlers ever in Kyle Dake, and Darrion Caldwell even puts the shoes back on to take on Ohio State standout Luke Pletcher.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. Joe Joyce vs. Michael Wallisch/Chris Bourke vs. Ramez Mahmood: Queensberry Promotions back on its 3:30 slot on ESPN+ WHERE THEY GODDAMNED WELL BELONG.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. Best of Combate Americas: theycantkeepgettingawaywiththis.gif

 

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

N/A

 

BOXING

5. Vacant BBBofC Southern Area Junior Featherweight Championship: Chris Bourke (7-0) vs. Ramez Mahmood (11-0) [Queensberry Promotions on ESPN]

4. WBC USNBC Lightweight Championship: Hector Tanajara (c) (19-0) vs. Mercito Gesta (32-3-3) [Golden Boy on DAZN]

3. Vacant Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Super Welterweight Championship: Isaac Vallie-Flagg vs. Luis Palomino [Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 11]

2. Heavyweight Bout: Joe Joyce (10-0) vs. Michael Wallisch (20-3) [Queensberry Promotions on ESPN]

1. Welterweight Bout: Samuel Vargas (31-5-2) vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (15-0) [Golden Boy on DAZN]

 

MMA

5. Light Heavyweight Bout: Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-6) vs. Paul Craig (12-4-1) [UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker]

4. Welterweight Bout: Alex Oliveira (20-8-1) vs. Peter Sobotta (17-6-1) [UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker]

3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (23-9) vs. Mauricio Rua (26-11-1) [UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker]

2. Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Gustafsson (18-6) vs. Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1) [UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker]

1. Middleweight Bout: Darren Till (18-2-1) vs. Robert Whittaker (20-5) [UFC on ESPN: Till vs. Whittaker]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Heavyweight Superfight: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Leo Leite [BJJ Stars]

4. Superfight: Leandro Lo vs. Lucas Barbosa [BJJ Stars]

3. Wrestling Superfight: Darrion Caldwell vs. Luke Pletcher [FloWrestling: Chamizo vs. Dake]

2. Fight To Win Black Belt Super Heavyweight Championship: Victor Hugo (c) vs. Max Gimenis [Fight To Win 148]

1. Wrestling Superfight: Frank Chamizo vs. Kyle Dake [FloWrestling: Chamizo vs. Dake]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man who left last weekend with a cool 32 cent profit attempts to buy a pop out of a machine in 1993 and carry on his good fortune!

 

Best Fight of the Weekend: Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Frank Chamizo vs. Kyle Dake
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Joe Joyce over Michael Wallisch
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: BJJ Stars
Upset of the Week: Gadzhimurad Antigulov over Paul Craig
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua

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