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 March 2
5:00am: Powerplay Promotions 36 ($16.99 Fite.tv)
9:30am: Super Fight League: Punjabs vs. Sultans (FREE Fite.tv)
6:00pm: UFC 222 Countdown (Fox Sports 2)
7:00pm: UFC 222 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2/UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: Bellator 195 Prelims (Bellator.com)
8:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 65 (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: David Carmona vs. Jesus Iribe/Jorge Alberto Romero Ayala vs. Jorge Anhuar Batalia Martinez (Telemundo)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 34 (AXS)
9:00pm: Bellator 195 (Paramount Network)
10:00pm: Friday Night Fights (UFC Fight Pass)
10:00pm: Prestige Fighting Championships 9 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
Saturday March 3
9:00am: 2018 PJW Junior High Championships (FloWrestling)
9:30am: Super Fight League: Heroes vs. Warriors (FREE Fite.tv)
10:00am: 2018 EWL Wrestling Championships (FloWrestling)
10:00am: 2018 EIWA Wrestling Championships (FloWrestling)
10:00am: WOW Presents Flo National Youth Duals (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: 2018 MAC Wrestling Championships (ESPN3)
12:00pm: Absolute Championship Berkut Jiu-Jitsu 11 (YouTube)
12:30pm: West Fight 26 ($4.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: Glory 51 Superfight Series (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00pm: KSW 42 ($12 KSWtv.com/Fite.tv)
1:00pm: ZAM-ZAM Fight Night 6 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
3:30pm: Glory 51 (ESPN3)
4:00pm: Cage Warriors 91 (UFC Fight Pass)
6:30pm: UFC 222 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: UFC 222 Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Rogelio Casarez vs. William Silva vs. Antonio Tarver Jr. vs. Carlos Dixon ($9.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: 2018 NAIA Wrestling Championships (ESPN3)
8:00pm: UFC 222 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
9:00pm: Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz/Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui (Showtime)
10:00pm: UFC 222 ($59.99 Pay-Per-View)
10:05pm: Igor Mikhalkin vs. Sergey Kovalev/Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera (HBO)
Sunday March 4
1:00am: UFC 222 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
9:30am: Super Fight League: Nawabs vs. Veerans (FREE Fite.tv)
10:00am: 2018 PJW Junior High Championships (FloWrestling)
10:30am: WOW Presents Flo National Youth Duals (FloWrestling)
9:00am: 2018 EIWA Wrestling Championships (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: 2018 MAC Wrestling Championships (ESPN3)
3:00pm: 2018 BigTen Wrestling Championships (BigTen)
Top-10 Viewing Options: A man currently in the dregs OF YET ANOTHER WINTER STORM IN HIS CITY ON MARCH FREAKING FIRST hunkers down to take out his aggression on his bar while watching punching and choking.
1. Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz/Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui: Well for those that wanted Wilder to take a step up, hereeee ya go.
2. Glory 51: No titles on the line, which is rare for Glory, but freaking Badr Hari’s crazy-ass returns!
3. UFC 222: Good LORD, did this card fall the hell off. Borderline insulting to charge PPV prices for this, but goddammit, am I a mark for Frankie Edgar.
4. Igor Mikhalkin vs. Sergey Kovalev/Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera: The co-main makes the card, here, as Kovalev gets a showcase win and Bivol and Barrera is a hell of an intriguing fight, and who would have thought that when Sullivan was unknown cannon fodder for Andre Ward?
5. Bellator 195: Damned solid main event, as Bellator’s bantamweight division always tends to deliver.
6. KSW 42: I’ve always adored KSW and have thought it’s the best European promotion, plus this show has my boy, and perhaps the best unsigned fighter in the world, Mamed Khalidov.
7. Absolute Championship Berkut Jiu-Jitsu 11: ACB’s BJJ division has been bringing it and absolutely loading their shows up, with this one being no different. Edwin Najmi, Otavio Sousa, Claudio Calasans, Erberth Santos, and Vinny Magalhaes amongst others.
8. Fight To Win Pro 65: Not exactly the four-title fight slate they put out the other week, but consistency breeds comfort and professionalism.
9. Legacy Fighting Alliance 34: Solid title fight on deck, but not a whole lot else to see, here.
10. Friday Night Fights: And just like that, the UFC is in the muay thai business! FNF is a long-time well-respected muay thai promotion based in NYC, and Ognjen Topic is a great fighter to introduce the audience, too.
Under The Radar: A few things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.
- One of my favorite fighters in the world, one Mackenzie Dern, makes her UFC debut. The world-champion BJJ competitor is finally in the UFC and faces a game opponent in Ashley Yoder, but as is the case with Dern, her biggest battle will be with the scale.
- My guy who I’ve been talking up for the better part of a decade, Mamed Khalidov is in action in his native KSW in Poland. I’ve long-thought he was the best fighter unsigned by the big leagues (Jose “Shorty” Torres owns that mantle, currently), and could have made a considerable dent in the UFC’s middleweight division when it desperately needed fresh blood. That being said, he’s still a fantastic fighter, and will be moving up to face Poland’s best light heavyweight in Tomasz Narkun.
- And here we go! If you’re a fan of collegiate wrestling, and by gum, you ought to be, business is about to pick up, in the worlds of Jim Ross. Conference tournament time is here, and we’re just a couple short weeks away from the “other” NCAA tournament that’s happening in the spring. Nationals. Get hype!
- The son of Mason “The Line” Dixon, Antonio Tarver Jr., is in action in Mexico on Saturday on Fite.tv. Tarver Jr. is 4-0, and based on the career trajectory of other famous offspring like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Diego De La Hoya, Tarver’s only about 42 fights away from facing a boxer on a winning streak.
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. Featherweight Bout: Massaro Glunder (30-11-4) vs. Victor Pinto (74-27) [Glory 51]
4. 67kg Bout: Ilias Bulaid (148-7-2) vs. Xie Lei (29-13) [Wu Lin Feng: Netherlands vs. China]
3. 132lb Bout: Ognjen Topic vs. Travis Clay [Friday Night Fights]
2. Welterweight Bout: Alim Nabiev (46-6-1) vs. Cedric Doumbe (67-6-1) [Glory 51]
1. Heavyweight Bout: Badr Hari (106-11-1) vs. Hesdy Gerges (50-19-1) [Glory 51]
BOXING
5. WBC International Junior Featherweight Championship: Gamal Yafai (c) (14-0) vs. Gavin McDonnell (18-1-2) [SKY Sports Boxing]
4. Vacant WBC Silver Junior Middleweight Championship: Kell Brook (36-2) vs. Siarhei Rabchanka (29-2) [SKY Sports Boxing]
3. WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship: Dmitry Bivol (c) (12-0) vs. Sullivan Barrera (21-1) [HBO Championship Boxing]
2. WBO World Light Heavyweight Championship: Sergey Kovalev (c) (31-2-1) vs. Igor Mikhalkin (21-1) [HBO Championship Boxing]
1. WBC World Heavyweight Championship: Deontay Wilder (c) (39-0) vs. Luis Ortiz (28-0) [Showtime Championship Boxing]
MMA
5. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Ashley Yoder (5-3) vs. Mackenzie Dern (5-0) [UFC 222]
4. UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship: Cris Cyborg (c) (19-1) vs. Yuna Kunitskaya (10-3) [UFC 222]
3. Bellator Bantamweight Championship: Darrion Caldwell (c) (11-1) vs. Leandro Higo (18-3) [Bellator 195]
2. Light Heavyweight Bout: Mamed Khalidov (34-4-2) vs. Tomasz Narkun (14-2) [KSW 42]
1. Featherweight Bout: Brian Ortega (13-0) vs. Frankie Edgar (22-5-1) [UFC 222]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 133lb Bracket [Big 12 Wrestling Tournament]
4. 165lb Bracket [Big Ten Wrestling Tournament]
3. 149lb Bracket [Big Ten Wrestling Tournament]
2. 184lb Bracket [Big Ten Wrestling Tournament]
1. Heavyweight Bracket [Big Ten Wrestling Tournament]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man teetering on the brink of actually making a profit attempts to play it cool and PERHAPS MAKE A DOLLAR. It won’t last.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Brian Ortega vs. Frankie Edgar
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Cristiane Justino vs.Yana Kunitskaya
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Sergiy Derevyanchenko over Dashon Johnson
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Glory 51
Upset of the Week: Andrei Arlovski over Stefan Struve
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Badr Hari vs. Hesdy Gerges
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