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 March 3

12:30am: Danny Garcia vs. Erik Morales II (CBS Sports)
1:00am: Jesus Soto Karass vs. Keith Thurman/Diego Chaves vs. Keith Thurman (CBS Sports)
2:30am: UFC Reloaded: UFC 201 (Fox Sports 2)
2:30am: Julio Diaz vs. Keith Thurman (CBS Sports)
3:00am: Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse (CBS Sports)
4:00am: Danny Garcia vs. Zab Judah (CBS Sports)
5:00am: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter (CBS Sports)
5:30am: UFC Fighter’s Cut: Stephen Thompson (Fox Sports 1)
6:00am: UFC Fight Flashback: Thompson vs. Woodley (Fox Sports 2)
6:30am: UFC 1 on 1 (Fox Sports 2)
7:00am: UFC Unleashed: Welterweights (Fox Sports 2)
7:00am: Rocky Balboa (Flix)
7:00am: ProFlex Fight Night by Ambassador (FREE GoFightLive)
7:45am: Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom (Showtime Extreme)
8:00am: UFC 209 Countdown (Fox Sports 2)
9:00am: UFC Tonight (Fox Sports 2)
10:00am: PBC on FOX: Washington vs. Wilder Prelims (Fox Sports 2)
11:00am: 2017 EIWA Championships (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: M-1 Challenge 75 (m1global.tv)
1:30pm: Rocky Balboa (Flix)
7:00pm: UFC 209 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Bellator 174 Prelims (ESPN3/Spike.com)
7:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 27 (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: UFC Fight Flashback: Thompson vs. Woodley (Fox Sports 1)
8:30pm: UFC Main Event (Fox Sports 1)
8:30pm: Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom (Showtime Extreme)
9:00pm: UFC 1 on 1 : Michael Bisping (Fox Sports 1)
9:00pm: Bellator 174 (ESPN3/Spike)
9:00pm: Lion Fight 35 (AXS)
10:00pm: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter (Showtime Extreme)
11:00pm: 30 For 30: Muhammad And Larry (ESPN Classic)
11:00pm: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter (CBS Sports)
11:05pm: Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse (Showtime Extreme)

Saturday March 4

12:00am: UFC 209 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
12:00am: Danny Garcia vs. Zab Judah (CBS Sports)
1:00am: UFC Main Event (Fox Sports 1)
1:00am: Julio Diaz vs. Keith Thurman (CBS Sports)
1:00am: Lion Fight 35 (AXS)
1:30am: UFC Fight Flashback: Thomphson vs. Woodley (Fox Sports 1)
1:30am: Danny Garcia vs. Erik Morales II (CBS Sports)
2:00am: UFC Fighter’s Cut: Stephen Thompson (Fox Sports 1)
2:00am: Jesus Soto Karass vs. Keith Thurman/Diego Chaves vs. Keith Thurman (CBS Sports)
2:30am: UFC 209 Countdown (Fox Sports 1)
3:00am: 30 For 30: Muhammad And Larry (ESPN Classic)
3:30am: Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse (CBS Sports)
5:00am: UFC 209 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
6:00am: UFC Fighter’s Cut: Stephen Thompson (Fox Sports 2)
6:30am: UFC Fight Flashback: Thompson vs. Woodley (Fox Sports 2)
7:00am: UFC 209 Countdown (Fox Sports 2)
7:00am: Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom (Showtime)
8:00am: UFC 209 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
8:00am: 2017 PJW Junior High State Championships (FloWrestling)
10:00am: 2017 EIWA Championships (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: 2017 Big 12 Wrestling Championships (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: 2017 MAC Wrestling Championships (ESPN3)
2:00pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
4:00pm: Heavy Hitters (ESPN Deportes)
4:00pm: Cage Warriors 81 (UFC Fight Pass)
6:00pm: Bellator 174 (ESPN Deportes)
7:00pm: Dead Serious MMA 24 ($14.99 GoFightLive)
7:00pm: UFC 209 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: UFC 209 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championship (ESPN3)
9:00pm: Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman/Erickson Lubin vs. Jorge Cota (CBS)
10:00pm: UFC 209 ($59.99 Pay-Per-View)
10:00pm: Southpaw (Showtime 2)
10:30pm: 24/7 Golovkin vs. Jacobs (HBO/HBO Latino)

Sunday March 5

1:00am: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
1:00am: UFC 209 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
2:00am: UFC 209 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
3:00am: 30 For 30: Muhammad And Larry (ESPN Classic)
4:00am: UFC 209 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
5:00am: UFC 209 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
6:00am: UFC Unleashed (Fox Sports 2)
6:15am: Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom (Showtime Extreme)
7:00am: UFC 209 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
9:00am: 2017 Big 12 Wrestling Championships (FloWrestling)
9:00am: 2017 PJW Junior High State Championships (FloWrestling)
10:00am: 24/7 Golovkin vs. Jacobs (HBO/HBO Latino)
11:00am: UFC 209 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
12:00pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
12:30pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
1:00pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
2:00pm: 2017 MAC Wrestling Championships (ESPN3)
2:00pm: 2017 Big 12 Championships (Fox Sports 1)
2:30pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
3:00pm: UFC Ultimate Knockouts (Fox Sports 2)
3:00pm: 2017 BigTen Wrestling Championships (BigTen)
4:30pm: SC Featured: Pin Kings (ESPNEWS)
9:00pm: Eddie Bravo Invitational 11 (UFC Fight Pass)
10:00pm: Cinderella Man (Showtime Showcase)

Top-10 Viewing Options: By God, an actual fight weekend! *clears eyes*, the sun! I see it! So bright!

  1. UFC 209: The sheer hilarity that we’ve somehow, in the year of our lord 2017, arrived at a matchup between Dan Kelly and Rashad Evans is simply astounding/hilarious.

  2. Danny Garcia vs. Keith Thurman/Erickson Lubin vs. Jorge Cota: With a stronger supporting card, this could take the top spot, but I’m just amazed this is FINALLY happening.

  3. Lion Fight 35: Soon, Lion Fight will have Jo Nattawut in the ring just taking on all comers like a carnival strongman.

  4. Eddie Bravo Invitational 11: The welterweight tournament doesn’t have a ton of marquee names like the other EBI tournaments, but it does have Gordon Ryan, who is making a habit of wiping out weight classes.

  5. Bellator 174: Honeycutt pulling out hurt the card, and now we’re looking at Brandon Girtz vs. Fernando Gonzalez as our co-main here.

  6. 24/7 Golovkin vs. Jacobs: GGG and Jacobs getting the primetime treatment, which I just assume is Golovkin looking at people and turning them into stone.

  7. Fight To Win Pro 27: Welcome back, F2W, where a couple weeks off feels like a decade.

  8. 2017 Championship Week: It’s the road up nationals, it’s conference championship week!

  9. Garcia vs. Thurman Marathon: Here’s all the game tape you need ahead of Saturday’s CBS showdown.

  10. Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom: I imagine the pressures of fighting for a world title probably aren’t in the same galaxy as the pressure to win that gets you OUT OF FUCKING PRISON does.

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

• Naoko Shibata [vs. Alondra Garcia, March 4, Guadalajara, Mexico]
• David Haye vs. Tony Bellew [March 4, O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom]
• Paulie Malignaggi [vs. Sam Eggington, March 4, O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom]
• Lee Selby [vs. Andoni Gago, March 4, O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom]
• Katie Taylor [vs. Monica Gentili, March 4, O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom]
• Minoru Kimura [vs. Kohei Nishikawa, March 3, Krush 74, Tokyo, Japan]
• Josh Jauncey [72kg Tournament, March 4, Partouche Kickboxing Tour 3, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, France]
• Nathiely Karolina [vs. Tammy Griego, March 3, Fight To Win Pro 27, Austin Sports Arena, Round Rock, Texas]
• Bruno Frazatto [vs. Gabriel Martins, March 3, Fight To Win Pro 27, Austin Sports Arena, Round Rock, Texas]
• Cleber Luciano [vs. Jean Cartagena, March 3, Fight To Win Pro 27, Austin Sports Arena, Round Rock, Texas]
• Jackson Sousa [Black Belt Ultra-Heavyweight Division, March 4, IBJJF London Winter International Open, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, United Kingdom]
• Nathan Orchard [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Richie Martinez [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Vagner Rocha [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Gordon Ryan [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Karen Darabedyan [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Dustin Akbari [Welterweight Tournament, March 5, Eddie Bravo Invitational 11, Florentine Gardens, El Monte, California]
• Cody Pfister [vs. Jonathan Gary, March 3, Bellator 174, WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma]
• Rafael Lovato Jr. [vs. Wayman Carter, March 3, Bellator 174, WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma]
• Justin Wren [vs. Roman Pizzolato, March 3, Bellator 174, WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma]
• Alexis Dufresne [vs. Gabrielle Holloway, March 3, Bellator 174, WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma]
• Alexander Shlemenko vs. Paul Bradley [March 3, M-1 Challenge 75, Olympic Sports Complex, Moscow, Russia]
• Paul Craig vs. Tyson Pedro [March 4, UFC 209, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada]
• Amanda Cooper [vs. Cynthia Calvillo, March 4, UFC 209, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada]
• Albert Morales vs. Andre Soukhamthath [March 4, UFC 209, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada]

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Profit last week, friends!  Two dollars!  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was my Tiny House.

Best Fight of the Weekend: Stephen Thompson vs. Tyron Woodley
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Alexander Shlemenko vs. Paul Bradley
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Katie Taylor over Monica Gentili
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC 209
Upset of the Week: Tyron Woodley over Stephen Thompson
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: David Haye vs. Tony Bellew