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 May 21

10:00am: 2021 Southeast Regionals (FloWrestling)
10:30am: 2021 New Jersey Freestyle State Championships (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Ramirez vs. Taylor Weigh-Ins (ESPN+)
3:00pm: 2021 Spartan Nationals (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: Petko’s Boxing: Hannig vs. Vilcans ($16.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
4:00pm: The DAZN Boxing Show (DAZN)
5:00pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
6:00pm: King of Kings: Warsaw ($11.66 KOKFights.tv)
7:00pm: Invicta on AXS: Rodriguez vs. Torquato Prelims (YouTube)
7:30pm: Lion Fight 66 (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: Invicta on AXS: Rodriguez vs. Torquato (AXS)
9:00pm: State of Boxing: Ramirez vs. Taylor Preview (ESPNEWS)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 108 (UFC Fight Pass)
11:35pm: Armando Torres vs. Jonathan Gonzalez/Andres Viera vs. Mekhrubon Sanginov (Telemundo)

 

Saturday May 22

4:00am: Demolition Fight Series 3 ($16.99 Fite.tv)
8:00am: 2021 War at the Shore (FloWrestling)
10:00am: 2021 Southeast Regionals (FloWrestling)
10:30am: 2021 New Jersey Freestyle State Championships (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Senshi 8 (FREE Fite.tv)
3:00pm: 2021 Spartan Nationals (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+)
5:15pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN+)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Championship Combat Sports: Fight Night ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:30pm: Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor/Henry Lundy vs. Jose Zepeda (ESPN)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
11:00pm: Top Rank Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)

 

Sunday May 23

1:00am: VABL Boxing ($10.99 Fite.tv)
1:00am: VAMAA Kickboxing/Muay Thai ($10.99 Fite.tv)
5:00am: Rise 149 (Abema)
8:00am: 2021 War at the Shore (FloWrestling)
10:30am: 2021 New Jersey Freestyle State Championships (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: 2021 Spartan Nationals (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: XFN 35 (FloCombat)
6:00pm: Submission Underground 23 (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: A man sprinting into the maskless future like a fat kid chasing the ice cream truck with a dollar in-hand rolls into another big fight week.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor/Henry Lundy vs. Jose Zepeda: Absolutely love that a four-title unification bout is on basic cable. Looking forward to this for weeks and to ESPN’s credit, they went hard on the promotional material.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt: Can Garbrandt land another hail mary like he did last time out against Raphael Assuncao?

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Lion Fight 66: It looks like they’re going to push Steve Walker as their main draw, and you could certainly do worse than “Put ‘Em To Sleep”.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Submission Underground 23: Mason Fowler is a goddamned fighting champion, that’s for damned sure.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Invicta on AXS: Rodriguez vs. Torquato: Invicta’s first card on their new home! MMA returns to AXS!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Legacy Fighting Alliance 108: Finally LFA has a world title on the line, as Gregory Rodrigues battles Josh Fremd for the middleweight strap.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. Rise 149: If you’re up early (or late, I don’t know your lifestyle) there are few better options than some Japanese kickboxing.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. State of Boxing: Ramirez vs. Taylor Preview: ESPN has been heavy into Ramirez-Taylor promotional material, and it’s been refreshing to see.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. Senshi 8: Free kickboxing on Fite!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. Armando Torres vs. Jonathan Gonzalez/Andres Viera vs. Mekhrubon Sanginov: Solid Friday night Telemundo offering.

 

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. 85kg Bout: Jurijs Orlovs (16-2) vs. Kamil Ruta [King of Kings: Warsaw]

4. Lion Fight North American Super Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal: Cody Carrillo (6-3) vs. Lorawnt-T Nelson (12-3) [Lion Fight 66]

3. Lion Fight North American Super Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal: Jake Mackenzie (2-0) vs. Heriberto Tovar (8-2) [Lion Fight 66]

2. Vacant King of Kings Heavyweight Championship: Michal Turinsky (32-15) vs. Reinis Porozovs (15-4-1) [King of Kings: Warsaw]

1. Lion Fight North American Super Cruiserweight Championship: Steve Walker (c) (9-0) vs. Devorius Tubbs (5-2) [Lion Fight 66]

 

BOXING

5. BBBofC English Lightweight Championship: Myron Mills (c) (14-1) vs. Lucas Ballingall (13-1)

4. Junior Welterweight Bout: Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1) vs. Kenneth Sims Jr. (15-2-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]

3. Vacant WBC Silver Middleweight Championship: Carlos Molina (37-11-2) vs. Sam Eggington (29-7)

2. WBC Silver Junior Welterweight Championship: Jose Zepeda (c) (33-2) vs. Henry Lundy (31-8-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]

1. WBA Super/WBC/WBO/IBF World Junior Welterweight Championships: Jose Carlos Ramirez (c) (26-0) vs. Josh Taylor (17-0) [Top Rank on ESPN]

 

MMA

5. Flyweight Bout: David Dvorak (19-3) vs. Rualian Paiva (20-3) [UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt]

4. Middleweight Bout: Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1) vs. Jack Hermansson (21-6) [UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt]

3. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Carla Esparza (17-6) vs. Yan Xiaonan (13-1) [UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt]

2. Bantamweight Bout: Darrion Caldwell (15-4) vs. Leandro Higo (20-5) [Bellator 259]

1. Bantamweight Bout: Cody Garbrandt (12-3) vs. Rob Font (18-4) [UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Superfight: Don Stoner vs. Richie Martinez [Submission Underground 23]

4. Superfight: Gillian Robertson vs. Raquel Canuto [Submission Underground 23]

3. Superfight: Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger [Submission Underground 23]

2. Submission Underground Tag Team Championship: Team Toro (c) vs. Team SAC [Submission Underground 23]

1. Submission Underground Absolute Championship: Mason Fowler (c) vs. Kyle Chambers [Submission Underground 23]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Another week in the plus! Ain’t no stopping us, lads and lasses! I don’t know what to do with my hands!

Best Fight of the Weekend: Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Josh Taylor
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Darrion Caldwell vs. Leandro Higo
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Cris Cyborg over Leslie Smith
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC Fight Night
Upset of the Week: Carla Esparza over Xiaonon Yan
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Henry Lundy vs. Jose Zepeda

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