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 March 19

7:00am: Eternal MMA 57 (UFC Fight Pass)
7:30am: ONE Fists of Fury III (B/R Live)
11:00am: 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship Quarterfinals (ESPN3)
12:00pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
12:15pm: 2021 European Qualifiers (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: 2021 West Virginia Team State Dual Championship (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Boxeo En Baserri Antzokia ($7.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: Ortiz Jr. vs. Hooker Weigh-Ins (DAZN)
3:00pm: Max Hughes vs. Paul Hyland Jr./Karim Guerfi vs. Lee McGregor (ESPN+)
3:00pm: 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship Quarterfinals (ESPN3)
3:15pm: Cage Warriors 121 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
3:30pm: 2021 Keystone Championship Southeastern Regional (FloWrestling)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:00pm: Cage Warriors 121 (UFC Fight Pass)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
6:00pm: BigStar Boxing: Perez vs. Riguccini ($9.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: JABS w/Mannix & Mora (DAZN)
8:00pm: 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship Semifinals (ESPN3)
8:00pm: Playback: Ortiz Jr. vs. Orozco w/Vergil Ortiz Jr. (DAZN)
8:00pm: Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16 Prelims (FREE Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 102 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Battlefield Fight League 66 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: The Ak & Barak Show (DAZN)

 

Saturday March 20

6:00am: Eternal MMA 58 (UFC Fight Pass)
11:00am: 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship Medal Round (ESPN2)
12:15pm: 2021 European Qualifiers (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN+)
1:00pm: 2021 West Virginia Team State Dual Championship (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: SlapFight Championship: The War from Warsaw ($14.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: Gallego Prada: Back in Business ($11.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: KSW 59 ($11.99 Fite.tv)
2:15pm: Cage Warriors 122 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
2:30pm: PFL Presents: The Randy Couture Story: Episode 1 (ESPN)
3:00pm: Adam Deines vs. Artur Beterbiev/Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin (ESPN)
3:00pm: Krzysztof Glowacki/Lawrence Okolie/Chris Billam-Smith vs. Vasil Ducar (DAZN)
4:00pm: Cage Warriors 122 (UFC Fight Pass)
4:00pm: Fight To Win 167 (FloGrappling)
6:00pm: Global Legion Fighting Championship 18 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN2)
7:00pm: 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship Finals (ESPN)
7:00pm: NFC MMA 130 (FloCombat)
8:00pm: GCMMA 9 ($19.99)
8:30pm: Rage in the Cage OKC 79 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Maurice Hooker vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr./Anabel Ortiz vs. Seneisa Estrada (DAZN)
9:00pm: Fusion Fight League: Rising Stars Tournament ($19.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland (ESPN)

 

Sunday March 21

1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00am: K-1 K’Festa 4: Day 1 (Abema)
12:15pm: 2021 European Qualifiers (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: 2021 JitzKing Youth: Clearwater (FloGrappling)
5:00pm: Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds 2021: The Bantamweights (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: An absolute shitload of fights this weekend tries to help you from staring out the window into the vast grayness.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Save for the Olympics, this is the mecca is wrestling right here.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland: What it lacks in big names, the card is pretty deep with action and headlined by a potential middleweight title eliminator.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Krzysztof Glowacki vs. Lawrence Okolie/Chris Billam-Smith vs. Vasil Ducar: Glowacki tries to regain the title he lost to Mairis Briedis, but then didn’t. It was complicated.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Maurice Hooker vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr./Anabel Ortiz vs. Seneisa Estrada: Classic hot-rising prospect vs. veteran former world champion matchup. Ortiz is 16-0 with 16 knockouts and faces his toughest test to date in the former world champion in Hooker.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Adam Deines vs. Artur Beterbiev/Azizbek Abdugofurov vs. Pavel Silyagin: Beterbiev is defending two world titles, and he should cruise relatively easy, but he’ll do it violently.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16: It feels like Bare Knuckle should have been where Leonard Garcia should have always been.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds 2021: The Bantamweights: Sixteen bantamweights convene in Mexico to see who comes out on top at Eddie Bravo’ mad scientist invention.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. K-1 K’Festa 4: Day 1: K-1 is back! Wish it was on a more accessible time or platform, but I’ll take what I can get.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. ONE Fists of Fury III: Solid card from ONE topped by a fun title fight.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. SlapFight Championship: The War from Warsaw: Slap. Fight. Championship. From Poland!

 

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. Welterweight Bout: Maki Dwansonpong (78-27-2) vs. Kaisei Kondo (5-3-1) [K-1 K’Festa 4: Day 1]

4. Super Lightweight Bout: Fukashi (40-15-2) vs. Hideaki Yamazaki (33-8-1) [K-1 K’Festa 4: Day 1]

3. Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai Bout: Alma Juniku (24-5) vs. Janet Todd (36-11) [ONE: Fists of Fury III]

2. K-1 Featherweight Championship: Yuki Egawa (c) (14-3-1) vs. Tatsuya Tsubakihara (10-3-1) [K-1 K’Festa 4: Day 1]

1. ONE Kickboxing Lightweight Championship: Regian Eersel (c) (55-4) vs. Mustapha Haida (40-8-3) [ONE: Fists of Fury III]

 

BOXING

5. WBA World Female Minimumweight Championship: Anabel Ortiz (c) (31-3) vs. Seneisa Estrada (19-0) [Golden Boy on DAZN]

4. WBC Silver Super Middleweight Championship: Azizbek Abdugofurov (c) (13-0) vs. Pavel Silyagin (6-0) [Top Rank on ESPN]

3. WBC/IBF World Light Heavyweight Championships: Artur Beterbiev (c) (15-0) vs. Adam Deines (19-1-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]

2. Vacant WBO World Cruiserweight Championship: Krzysztof Glowacki (31-2) vs. Lawrence Okolie (15-0) [Matchroom on DAZN]

1. Vacant WBO International Welterweight Championship: Maurice Hooker (27-1-3) vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (16-0) [Golden Boy on DAZN]

 

MMA

5. Middleweight Bout: Roman Dolidze (8-0) vs. Trevin Giles (13-2) [UFC On ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland]

4. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Cheyanne Buys (5-1) vs. Montserrat Ruiz (9-1) [UFC On ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland]

3. Welterweight Bout: Max Griffin (16-8) vs. Kenan Song (16-5) [UFC On ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland]

2. Lightweight Bout: Brad Riddell (9-1) vs. Gregor Gillespie (13-1) [UFC On ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland]

1. Middleweight Bout: Derek Brunson (21-7) vs. Kevin Holland (21-5) [UFC On ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Black Belt Superfight: Cole Franson vs. Thiago Macedo [Fight To Win 167]

4. Black Belt Superfight: Gabriel Sousa vs. Osvaldo Queixinho Moizinho [Fight To Win 167]

3. Black Belt Superfight: Tim Spriggs vs. Victor Hugo [Fight To Win 167]

2. Bantamweight Tournament [Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds 2021: The Bantamweights]

1. NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man who routinely takes a bigger pounding than Abella Danger keeps running up to that football that Lucy is holding.

Best Fight of the Weekend: Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Krzysztof Glowacki vs. Lawrence Okolie
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Artur Beterbiev over Adam Deines
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Upset of the Week: Brad Riddell over Gregor Gillespie
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Regian Eersel vs. Mustapha Haida

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