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 September 17

5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
6:05pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Show (ESPN+)
6:30pm: 2021 Ultimate Club Folkstyle Duals (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: 2021 Who’s Number One (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: Titan Fighting Championship 72 (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: CES MMA 64 (UFC Fight Pass)
10:00pm: LUX 16 (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Saturday September 18

5:00am: 2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers (FloGrappling)
2:00pm: BIBA: Battle at the Beach (FREE Fite.tv)
4:00pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+)
4:00pm: AWA Duals (FloWrestling)
6:30pm: 2021 Ultimate Club Folkstyle Duals (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann (ESPN+)
7:00pm: 2021 Who’s Number One (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: NFC MMA 138 (FloCombat)
7:00pm: King of Kings 92 ($8.26 KOKfights.tv)
7:00pm: Deiner Berrio vs. Jose Valenzuela/Elon de Jesus vs. Rajon Chance (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Bellator 266 Prelims (YouTube/Bellator.com)
8:00pm: Fight To Win 184 (FloGrappling)
8:30pm: Rage in the Cage OKC 83 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Fusion Fight League: Garcia vs. Kuehne ($19.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
10:00pm: Bellator 266 (Showtime)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Sunday September 19

4:00pm: AWA Duals (FloWrestling)
6:30pm: 2021 Ultimate Club Folkstyle Duals (FloWrestling)
10:00pm: UFC 266 Countdown (ESPN2)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: Boxing is taking a siesta this week and we’re all worse for it.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann: Good for Spann for his first main event after toiling all around the MMA scene for years and years, but this main event and this card is yikes.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. Bellator 266: A Saturday night full of boring light heavyweights.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Deiner Berrio vs. Jose Valenzuela/Elon de Jesus vs. Rajon Chance: A meek week for the sweet science, and this is the best offering.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. 2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers: The best grapplers in the world competing to earn a place in the most prestigious grappling tournament in the world.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. CES MMA 64: Two title fights on the line as Matt Bessette attempts to become a two-weight champion in New England’s top regional promotion.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Titan Fighting Championship 72: Want some regional MMA? Fight Pass is throwing a glut at you Friday night.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. UFC 266 Countdown: And we’re on the road to Volkanovski-Ortega! It seems like it’s been ages since we had a blockbuster UFC PPV hasn’t it?

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. King of Kings 92: Your best, and really only, kickboxing option of the weekend.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. 2021 Who’s Number One: Some of the best high school wrestlers in the country take the mat.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. LUX 16: Your favorite Mexican regional MMA promotion!

 

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. 77kg Bout: Chico Kwasi vs. Hynzhu Volodmyr (2-1) [King of Kings 92]

4. Women’s 65kg Bout: Ilona Wojda (1-2) vs. Sigrid Kapanen (11-3) [King of Kings 92]

3. 65kg Bout: Aleksandr Cerkesov (5-1) vs. Bohdin Winter [King of Kings 92]

2. 85kg Bout: Einars Goldberg (5-3) vs. Mohammed Shushan (4-3) [King of Kings 92]

1. 95kg Bout: Reinis Porozovs (15-5-1) vs. Tariq Osare (14-1-1) [King of Kings 92]

 

BOXING

5. Junior Featherweight Bout: Ryoichi Tamura (14-5-1) vs. Yusaku Kuga (19-5-1)

4. OPBF Junior Welterweight Championship: Rikki Naito (23-2) vs. Koichi Aso (24-9-1)

3. Vacant BBBofC British Flyweight Championship: Matt Windle (6-3-1) vs. Tommy Frank (13-2)

2. Lightweight Bout: Deiner Berrio (22-3-1) vs. Jose Valenzuela (9-0) [PBC on FOX]

1. IBF European Heavyweight Championship: Kash Ali (c) (19-1) vs. Roman Gorst (7-1)

 

MMA

5. Women’s Flyweight Bout: Ariane Lipski (13-7) vs. Mandy Bohm (7-0) [UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann]

4. Vacant CES MMA Lightweight Championship: Matt Bessette (24-10) vs. Ryan Dela Cruz (12-7) [CES MMA 64]

3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis (22-6) vs. Yoel Romero (13-5) [Bellator 266]

2. Middleweight Bout: Antonio Arroyo (9-4) vs. Joaquin Buckley (12-4) [UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann]

1. Titan Fighting Championship Flyweight Championship: Victor Dias (c) (9-2) vs. Ryskulbek Ibraimov (19-8) [Titan Fighting Championship 72]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. 65.9kg Tournament [2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers]

4. 76.9kg Tournament [2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers]

3. 87.9kg Tournament [2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers]

2. 98.9kg Tournament [2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers]

1. +99kg Tournament [2021 ADCC Europe/Middle East/Africa Qualifiers]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: The pickings are real slim for betting options this weekend, so we’ll do the best we can, dammit.

Best Fight of the Weekend: Ryoichi Tamura vs. Yusaku Kuga
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Matt Bessette vs. Ryan Dela Cruz
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Kash Ali over Roman Gorst
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann
Upset of the Week: Mandy Bohm over Ariane Lipski
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero

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