Welcome to UndercarDVR, where we review what you need to see from this week in combat sports. We go fight by fight to see whether it needs to be saved to watch, deleted, or watched in fast forward.
No UFC this weekend, so it kickboxing’s turn to shine. Glory aired Friday in primetime on Spike along with NBC Sports airing a surprisingly entertaining Premier Boxing Championship card.
Get your remote ready.
Glory 24 (October 9)
- Heavyweight Contender Tournament Semifinal: Ben Edwards vs. Jahfarr Wilnis: Pretty standard heavyweight fare here. Wilnis focusing on low kicks because he knows his punches won’t be enough to fell the tough Aussie, so he chops him down. Decent fight, but much better awaits. Verdict: Skip
- Heavyweight Contender Tournament Semifinal: Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Mladen Brestovac: Brestovac was simply outclassed here. Adegbuyi was picking him apart from pillar to post. Although it wasn’t competitive, watch it quickly just to see a legitimate Top-3 heavyweight at work. Verdict: Fast-Forward
- Middleweight Bout: Dustin Jacoby vs. Wayne Barrett: Barrett looked like he was wading through a swamp most of the fight, while Jacoby might be the most improved kickboxer in the world in 2015. This was surprising, but Barrett has been trending downward for a while. Verdict: Skip
- Heavyweight Contender Tournament Finals: Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Jahfarr Wilnis: These two men earned a fan for life in me. After a goddamned fight earlier in the night, these two left every drop of sweat they had in the ring. It might not have been the fight of the year technically, but after what both fighters went through earlier to have this incredible match where literally both men were fighting with everything they had and winging punches and kicks with nothing behind it because they had no energy but wanted to throw a strike that landed…I mean, stand and applaud these two men, because these two men made sure your dollars were spent well. Verdict: Save
- Middleweight #1 Contender Bout: Jason Wilnis vs. Joe Schilling: I can’t wait for the eventual rematch if Glory sets it up, because this fight was awesome. Both men were at their peak, and any time, in any combat sport, when you see two fighters at their absolute peak, you’re in for a treat. This had all the makings of an absolute classic…until Wilnis had an injury…ugh. Fuck. Schilling won the bout, but he didn’t win the fight, and I cannot wait to see the rematch. Verdict: Save
Premier Boxing Champions on NBC Sports Network (October 10)
- Featherweight Bout: Ryan Kielczweski vs. Rafael Vasquez: Just about the best you can ask for an opener on a prospect/journeyman showcase show. Fun and cracking back and forth, this is worth watching or at least leaving on as background noise. Verdict: Save
- Junior Featherweight Bout: Danny Aquino vs. Jonathan Guzman: This wasn’t a bad fight, but more of a mismatch. Depending on what you want to see, use discretion on this. Guzman looked sharp and there were some moments worth pausing for to watch back, but you aren’t missing anything too notable here either. Verdict: Fast-Forward
- Welterweight Bout: Danny O’Connor vs. Gabriel Bracero: Watch it over and over and over again. Or at least favorite the Vine or save the GIF. A fight over in an instant that probably earns Knockout of the Year honors. Be sure to catch this, but not for the weak of heart when it comes to KOs. Verdict: Save
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