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 January 12
5:00am: 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam: Abu Dhabi (FloGrappling)
8:00am: 2018 Eastern States Wrestling Classic (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Rutgers vs. North Carolina (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Ohio State vs. Minnesota (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: Nebraska vs. Purdue (FloWrestling)
9:00pm: Michigan vs. Penn State (BigTen)
9:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 58 (FloGrappling)
9:00pm: Wyoming vs. Cal-State Bakersfield (FloWrestling)
10:00pm: Claressa Shields vs. Tori Nelson/Ernesto Garza III vs. Jesse Angel Hernandez (Showtime)
10:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 30 (AXS)
Saturday January 13
2:00am: 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam: Abu Dhabi (FloGrappling)
6:00am: 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam: Abu Dhabi Finals (FloGrappling)
8:00am: 2018 Eastern States Wrestling Classic (FloWrestling)
10:00am: 2018 Sam Cali Battle for the Belt Invitational (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Spartacus Fighting Championship 6 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: Absolute Championship Berkut 78 (FREE YouTube/Fite.tv)
2:00pm: Hard Fighting Championship 12 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
7:30pm: UFC Fight Night Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Invicta Fighting Championships 27 (UFC Fight Pass)
Sunday January 14
10:00am: 2018 Sam Cali Battle for the Belt Invitational (FloWrestling)
4:00pm: Iowa vs. Oklahoma State (BigTen)
6:00pm: UFC 220 Countdown (Fox Sports 1)
6:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stevens Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stevens Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stevens (Fox Sports 1)
Top-10 Viewing Options: After the desolate wasteland that was the last week, I’m looking forward to getting back into a normal fight routine. Then again, the UFC having a card on a Sunday night is weird and not doing me any favors, especially when my team is planning on spectacularly shitting the bed that very afternoon.
1. UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stevens: The glorious return of Korean Superboy to our screens to put on crazy violence, and in Stephens, he has a willing scrapping partner.
2. Claressa Shields vs. Tori Nelson/Ernesto Garza III vs. Jesse Angel Hernandez: The best Olympic boxer in U.S. history attempts to take her next step forward towards being the most dominant female boxer on the planet.
3. Invicta Fighting Championships 27: No title fights and a pretty lacking card, unless you’re a Sarah Kaufman fan. Pannie Kianzid will try and bring a fun fight out of her.
4. Iowa vs. Oklahoma State: Two of the most traditional powers battling it out on the mat.
5. 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam: Abu Dhabi: Not as loaded as the bigger UAE cards or big IBJJF cards, but a few notable names in the desert.
6. Fight To Win Pro 58: F2W makes it’s triumphant return for 2018, and judging by what they have on tap, this year could be even bigger for them.
7. Legacy Fighting Alliance 30: No title fights on this relatively weak card, but after the desolate last couple weeks, it’s kind of reassuring to have LFA back.
8. Absolute Championship Berkut 78: Not the loaded card they usually have, but god bless these crazy Russians for having their cards be live and free every time.
9. Michigan vs. Penn State: Three seperate #1 vs. #5 national bouts highlight this Big Ten matchup.
10. UFC 220 Countdown: Really any excuse to watch Ngannou’s uppercut again is a good one.
Under The Radar: A few things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.
- Wrestling season is really starting to ramp up. When the snow starts pouring, so do the double-legs. Between ESPN3, BigTen network, and especially FloWrestling, you have plenty of options to see future MMA champions and Olympians.
- It’s a real shame Invicta isn’t promoting the debut of Loma Lookboonmee more. She’s only 21 years old, has hundreds of muay thai bouts to her name, comes from a muay thai family that has run their gym for decades, and even has a Vice Sports article about her that just came out. Push Loma!
- With the UFC’s female featherweight division starting to take shape after its disastrous start, there’s a desperate need for challengers, as Cris Cyborg’s next opponent is bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. With that said, Felicia Spencer is 3-0 as a professional, all wins in Invicta, two by stoppages, and she looks to improve to 4-0 this Saturday. The 27-year old high school match teacher will be fastlaned with a couple more good wins.
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. Super Lightweight Bout: Anthony Recio vs. Jocelyn Branchu [La Nuit des Gladiateurs 2018]
4. Super Lightweight Bout: Hakim Ketaieb vs. Philippe Salmon [La Nuit des Gladiateurs 2018]
3. Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Amel Dehby (29-1) vs. Lizzie Largiliere [La Nuit des Gladiateurs 2018]
2. Super Lightweight Bout: Cedric Castagna (91-13) vs. Samir Mohamed [La Nuit des Gladiateurs 2018]
1. Super Lightweight Bout: Charlie Peters (36-14) vs. Eddy Nait Slimani (60-1) [La Nuit des Gladiateurs 2018]
BOXING
5. Junior Welterweight Bout: Shohjahon Ergashev (10-0) vs. Sonny Fredrickson (8-0) [ShoBox]
4. OPBF Junior Lightweight Championship: Carlo Magali (c) (22-9-3) vs. Masatoshi Kotani (22-2)
3. Female Middleweight Bout: Christina Hammer (22-0) vs. Lisa Noel Garland (15-9) [ShoBox]
2. Junior Featherweight Bout: Ernesto Garza III (9-2) vs. Jesse Angel Hernandez (10-1) [ShoBox]
1. IBF/WBC World Female Super Middleweight Championships: Claressa Shields (c) (4-0) vs. Tori Nelson (17-0-3) [ShoBox]
MMA
5. Women’s Flyweight Bout: Jessica Rose-Clark (8-4) vs. Paige VanZant (7-3) [UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens]
4. Bantamweight Bout: Guido Cannetti (7-2) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (13-7) [UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens]
3. Welterweight Bout: Emil Weber Meek (9-2) vs. Kamaru Usman (11-1) [UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens]
2. Featherweight Bout: Darren Elkins (23-5) vs. Michael Johnson (17-12) [UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens]
1. Featherweight Bout: Doo Ho Choi (14-2) vs. Jeremy Stephens (26-14) [UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 184lb Bout: #1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. #5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan) [Michigan vs. Penn State]
4. 165lb Bout: #5 Logan Massa (Michigan) vs. #1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State ) [Michigan vs. Penn State]
3. 157lb Bout: #5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) vs. #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) [Michigan vs. Penn State]
2. 125lb Bout: #4 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) vs. #1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) [Minnesota vs. Ohio State]
1. 170lb No-Gi Bout: Dustin Akbari vs. Vagner Rocha [Fight To Win Pro 58]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man whose 2017 gambling debts have been erased due to a mysterious fire starts his 2018 with a clean slate!
Best Fight of the Weekend: Doo Ho Choi vs. Jeremy Stephens
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Shohjahon Ergashev vs. Sonny Fredrickson
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Christina Hammer over Lisa Noel Garland
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC Fight Night: Choi vs. Stephens
Upset of the Week: Emil Weber Meek over Kamaru Usman
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Pannie Kianzad vs. Sarah Kaufman
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