Your Weekend in Combat Sports

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.
Movies are in AQUA.
Misc. combat sports programming is in GREEN.

Friday December 16

2:00am: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 2)
3:00am: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 2)
4:00am: UFC Reloaded (Fox Sports 1)
7:00am: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 1)
8:00am: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 1)
9:00am: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 2)
9:10am: State of Play: Inherent Violence (HBO Signature)
10:00am: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 2)
11:00am: UFC Reloaded (Fox Sports 2)
11:00am: 2016 Reno Tournament Of Champions (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 2)
3:00pm: 2016 Kansas City Stampede (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: Best of WEC (Fox Sports 2)
5:00pm: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 2)
5:00pm: 2016 My House X-Calibur Tournament (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Chattanooga vs. Ohio (ESPN3)
7:00pm: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: KTFO 16 (FloCombat)
8:00pm: Oklahoma State vs. Cornell (FloWrestling)
9:00pm: ESPN Films: The Real Rocky (ESPN Classic)
9:00pm: Bellator 169 (Spike/ESPN3)
9:00pm: UFC Main Event (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: Sullivan Barrera vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy/Eddie Gomez vs. Rashidi Ellis (HBO Latino)
10:00pm: Unified MMA 29 ($14.99 GoFightLive)
11:00pm: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
11:00pm: Gary Russell Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland (Showtime Extreme)
11:15pm: Gary Russell Jr. vs. Jhonny Gonzalez (Showtime Extreme)
11:15pm: Bellator Kickboxing: Florence (Spike)

Saturday December 17

12:00am: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 2)
12:30am: Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC ($9.99 wsofgc.com)
12:40am: The Fight Game With Jim Lampley (HBO2)
1:00am: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
2:00am: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 2)
3:00am: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
4:00am: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
5:00am: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 1)
6:00am: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 1)
7:30am: 30 For 30: No Mas (ESPN Classic)
8:30am: 2016 Beast Of The East (FloWrestling)
9:00am: 30 For 30: Broke (ESPN Classic)
9:30am: 2016 Kansas City Stampede (FloWrestling)
11:00am: 2016 Reno Tournament Of Champions (FloWrestling)
11:30am: UFC Training Day (Fox Sports 2)
12:00pm: Northern Illinois vs. The Citadel (ESPN3)
12:00pm: UFC’s Road to the Octagon: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 2)
12:00pm: 2016 U.S. Open Greco and Womens (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
2:00pm: Final Fight Championship 27 (FightChannel.tv)
3:00pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
3:05pm: Southpaw (Showtime Showcase)
4:00pm: Heavy Hitters (ESPN Deportes)
4:00pm: UFC on FOX Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
4:00pm: UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
4:00pm: Studio 540 Superfight (FloGrappling)
5:00pm: UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
5:00pm: The Fight Game With Jim Lampley (HBO/HBO Latino)
5:00pm: 2016 My House X-Calibur Tournament (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Cage Fury Fighting Championship 62 ($24.99 GoFightLive)
6:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 20 (FloGrappling)
7:00pm: Bellator 169 (ESPN Deportes)
8:00pm: 30 For 30: Muhammad And Larry (ESPN Classic)
8:00pm: UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox)
8:00pm: Pinnacle Fighting Championship 15 (FloCombat)
9:00pm: ESPN Films: The Real Rocky (ESPN Classic)
10:00pm: UFC on FOX Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: Aston Palicte vs. Oscar Cantu/Angelo Baez vs. Nathaniel Gallimore (CBS Sports)
10:00pm: Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr./Oleksandr Usyk vs. Thabiso Mchunu (HBO/HBO Latino)

Sunday December 18

12:45am: The Fight Game With Jim Lampley (HBO)
12:45am: Sullivan Barrera vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy/Eddie Gomez vs. Rashidi Ellis (HBO Latino)
1:00am: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
1:00am: UFC on FOX Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
1:00am: Pancrase 283 (UFC Fight Pass)
1:30am: Aston Palicte vs. Oscar Cantu/Angelo Baez vs. Nathaniel Gallimore (CBS Sports)
4:00am: Krush 71 (Nicovideo.jp)
4:30am: UFC on FOX Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
5:30am: UFC on FOX Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
6:00am: The Fight Game With Jim Lampley (HBO2)
6:30am: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 2)
7:30am: 30 For 30: No Mas (ESPN Classic)
8:30am: 2016 Beast Of The East (FloWrestling)
9:00am: 30 For 30: Broke (ESPN Classic)
9:00am: Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr./Oleksandr Usyk vs. Thabiso Mchunu (HBO/HBO Latino)
10:00am: Absolute Championship Berkut 50 (YouTube)
11:00am: 2016 Reno Tournament Of Champions (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Sullivan Barrera vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy/Eddie Gomez vs. Rashidi Ellis (HBO Latino)
12:00pm: 2016 U.S. Open Greco and Womens (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
1:30pm: UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson Prelims (Fox Sports 2)
2:00pm: West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: State of Play: Inherent Violence (HBO/HBO Latino)
3:30pm: State of Play: Fighting Chance (HBO/HBO Latino)
4:30pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
5:00pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
5:00pm: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 2)
6:00pm: UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson (Fox Sports 1)
6:00pm: Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr./Oleksandr Usyk vs. Thabiso Mchunu (HBO Signature)
6:00pm: Southpaw (Showtime 2)
7:00pm: Edinboro vs. Clarion (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: 30 For 30: Muhammad And Larry (ESPN Classic)
9:00pm: ESPN Films: The Real Rocky (ESPN Classic)
9:30pm: UFC Classics (Fox Sports 1)
10:30pm: UFC Ultimate Insider (Fox Sports 1)
11:00pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 1)
11:00pm: Sports Jeopardy! (NBC Sports)
11:30pm: Sports Jeopardy! (NBC Sports)

Top-10 Viewing Options: A man who’s tracking his online packages with the laser-like focus and with sweat pouring down his forehead like a Malaysian Airlines air traffic controller attempts to peel himself away from the screen to watch a different screen.

  1. UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson: Tidy card here. Shame that Bryan Barberena, who tapped Northcutt, is on the prelims, while Sage co-mains. How’s he with apples?

  2. Bellator Kickboxing: Florence: Monster card here, the opposite of their recent MMA cards, and it’d be #1 if it were live.

  3. Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr./Oleksandr Usyk vs. Thabiso Mchun: The final show for  B-Hop, The Executioner, The Alien.

  4. Bellator 169: Another shit card from Bellator, but at least this one has a credible main event.

  5. Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC: World Series of Fighting is certainly putting in their share of work this month, and say what you want about their main promotion, but their GC is always handled well, and this is no exception.

  6. Pancrase 283: The most historically relevent MMA promotion in the world rolls on with an awesomely-loaded card.

  7. Krush 71: When K-1 is flaking around, taking huge swaths of time off and running shows with no rhyme or reason, Krush is out there putting on good shows with lots of up-and-coming Japanese kickboxing talent. Lots of greats have come up through Krush.

  8. State of Play: Inherent Violence: HBO looks at youth combat sports and whether it helps or exacerbates the problems of violence, bullying, and acting out.

  9. State of Play: Fighting Chance: Raymundo Beltran has quite an interesting story, and fresh off of his big win over Mason Menard, it’s timely that it ends right before the bout.

  10. Best of WEC: BLUE MATS NEVER DIE!

Outside the Tube: Fighters you know or should know that won’t be appearing on your magic television box over the weekend.

• Jean Pascal [vs. Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo, December 16, Cabaret Amphitheatre Cogeco, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec]
• Robert Helenius [vs. Gonzalo Omar Basile, December 17, Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland]
• Carlos Molina [vs. Diego Cruz, December 17, Gran Oasis Arena, Cancun, Mexico]
• Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam [vs. Alfonso Blanco, December 17, Stade de l’Est, Saint-Denis, France]
• Alexander Povetkin vs. Bermane Stiverne [December 17, Exaterinburg Expo, Ekaterinburg, Russia]
• Mladen Brestovac [vs. Daniel Lentie, December 17, Final Fight Championship 27, Zagreb Arena, Zagreb, Croatia]
• Pavel Zhuravlev [vs. Clyde Brunswijk, December 17, Final Fight Championship 27, Zagreb Arena, Zagreb, Croatia]
• Felipe Pena vs. Gordon Ryan [December 17, Studio 540 Superfight, Studio 540, Solana Beach, California]
• Garry Tonon vs. Kim Terra [December 17, Studio 540 Superfight, Studio 540, Solana Beach, California]
• Kirill Sidelnikov [vs. Magomedbag Agaev, December 16, Eurasia Fight Nights 57, Krylatskoye Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia]
• Chris Lozano vs. Sean Santella [December 17, Cage Fury Fighting Championship 62, 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]
• Eddie Wineland vs. Takeya Mizugaki [December 17, UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California]
• Fredy Serrano vs. Hector Sandoval [December 17, UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California]
• Sultan Aliev vs. Bojan Velickovic [December 17, UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California]
• Dion Staring [vs. Darko Stosic, December 17, Final Fight Championship 27, Zagreb Arena, Zagreb, Croatia]
• David Mitchell [vs. Andy Manzolo, December 17, Final Fight Championship 27, Zagreb Arena, Zagreb, Croatia]
• Masanori Kanehara [vs. Roman Alvarez, December 17, Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Yoshiyuki Yoshida [vs. Yoshiyuki Katahira, December 17, Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Masakazu Imanari [vs. Tatsunao Nagakura, December 17, Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Haruo Ochi [vs. Yutaro Muramoto, December 17, Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Mitsuhisa Sunabe [vs. Daichi Kitakata, December 18, Pancrase 283, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Isao Kobayashi [December 18, Pancrase 283, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Marlon Sandro [vs. Koyomi Matsushima, December 18, Pancrase 283, Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan]
• Brett Cooper [vs. Aslambek Saidov, December 18, Absolute Championship Berkut 50, Sibur Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia]
• Vyacheslav Vasilevsky [vs. Albert Duraev, December 18, Absolute Championship Berkut 50, Sibur Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia]
• Donald Sanchez [vs. Adlan Bataev, December 18, Absolute Championship Berkut 50, Sibur Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia]

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: My picks are what they call a “late-bloomer”, and my kneecaps are what they call “broken”.

Best Fight of the Weekend: Brad Pickett vs. Urijah Faber
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Felipe Pena vs. Gordon Ryan
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Jean Pascal over Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Bellator Kickboxing: Florence
Upset of the Week: Michelle Waterson over Paige VanZant
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr.