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 16

4:00am: 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series (FloWrestling)
11:00am: 2021 World Team Trials Last Chance Qualifier (FloWrestling)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Castano vs. Charlo Weigh-Ins (Facebook/YouTube)
4:00pm: The DAZN Boxing Show (DAZN)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
5:30pm: Road to ADCC Press Conference (FloGrappling)
6:00pm: Fight To Win 177 (FloGrappling)
6:05pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Bellator 262 Prelims (YouTube)
7:00pm: SFT 27 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Bellator 262 (Showtime)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 111 (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Saturday July 17

4:00am: 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series (FloWrestling)
6:00am: K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka (Abema TV)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
11:00am: King of Kings Fight Series in Adana ($3.53 KOKfights.tv)
1:00pm: Mix Fight 48 ($9 EliteBoxing.tv)
2:00pm: KSW 62 ($11.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: The Beginning: Noirhommme vs. Iglesias ($14.99 Fite.tv)
2:30pm: Road to ONE: Germany ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: UFC on ESPN Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+)
7:30pm: Rock Rapids Rumble: Cruz vs. Gray ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: Road to ADCC (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: Ring of Combat 73 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo/Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Khiary Gray (Showtime)
10:00pm: UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises (ESPN)

 

Sunday July 18

1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00am: RISE World Series: Dead or Alive 53kg Tournament ($16.99 Fite.tv)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Submission Underground 25 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 112 (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: Let’s make it a whole week without a fighter threatening the death of another’s family, huh?

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo/Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Khiary Gray: For the undisputed junior middleweight championship of the world! Hell yes, unification bouts!

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises: One of the toughest fighters to ever step in the cage, male or female, Miesha Tate returns to the Octagon after nearly five years away.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka: Big kickboxing weekend, but K-1 is really leading the way here. Headlined by the great Gonnapar Weerasakreck defending his lightweight title.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Bellator 262: Juliana Velasquez defends her flyweight title, and boy, that’s just about it.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Road to ADCC: The best grappling event of the weekend, headlined by ADCC champions Kaynan Duarte vs. Matheus Diniz.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Legacy Fighting Alliance 112: LFA does gown to Brazil for a doubleheader! This is the better offering of the two, featuring a welterweight grand prix.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. Submission Underground 25: Would be higher if they didn’t lose their Boehm vs. Fowler Absolute title fight.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. King of Kings Fight Series in Adana: KOK usually puts on a good show, and the price is very, very good.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. KSW 62: As consistent as the day is long.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series: That’s right, 4 am beach wrestling! Nothing homoerotic about it at all!

 

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: Koki vs. Rukiya Anpo (19-7) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]

4. Super Welterweight Bout: Abiral Ghimire (11-2) vs. Hiromi Wajima (14-4) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]

3. Cruiserweight Bout: K-Jee (20-11) vs. Ryo Aitaka (22-8) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]

2. Lightweight Bout: Fumiya Osawa (26-18-1) vs. Koya Urabe (51-10) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]

1. K-1 Lightweight Championship: Gonnapar Weerasakreck (c) (109-29-3) vs. Taio Asahisa (17-7) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]

 

BOXING

5. WBC Women’s World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Lourdes Juarez (c) (31-2) vs. Diana Laura Fernandez (23-3)

4. WBA Regular World Cruiserweight Championship: Ryad Merhy (c) (29-1) vs. Zhaoxin Zhang (10-1-1)

3. Middleweight Bout: Amilcar Vidal (12-0) vs. Immanuwel Aleem (18-2-2) [PBC on Showtime]

2. Interim WBA Lightweight Championship: Rolando Romero (c) (13-0) vs. Anthony Yigit (24-1-1) [PBC on Showtime]

1. WBA Super/WBC/WBO/IBF World Junior Middleweight Championships: Brian Carlos Castano (c) (17-0-1) vs. Jermell Charlo (c) (34-1) [PBC on Showtime]

 

MMA

5. Featherweight Bout: Billy Quarantillo (15-3) vs. Gabriel Benitez (22-8) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]

4. Lightweight Bout: Jeremy Stephens (28-18) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (18-1) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]

3. Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Marion Reneau (9-7-1) vs. Miesha Tate (18-7) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]

2. Bellator Women’s Flyweight Championship: Juliana Velasquez (c) (11-0) vs. Denise Kielholtz (6-2) [Bellator 262]

1. Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev (19-1) vs. Thiago Moises (15-4) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Black Belt Superfight: Edwin Najmi vs. Jeremy Kennedy [Submission Underground 25]

4. Team Impact vs. Team BTT [Submission Underground 25]

3. Black Belt Superfight: Andy Varela vs. Pedro Marinho [Submission Underground 25]

2. Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Lucas Barbosa vs. William Tackett [Road to ADCC]

1. Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Kaynan Duarte vs. Matheus Diniz [Road to ADCC]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Betting against Conor McGregor has made me a nice chunk of change over the last few years.

 

Best Fight of the Weekend: Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Rolando Romero vs. Anthony Yigit
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Bakhram Murtazaliev over Khiary Gray
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Road to ADCC
Upset of the Week: Billy Quarantillo over Gabriel Benitez
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Juliana Velasquez vs. Denise Kielholtz

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