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 December 1
6:00am: Thunderdome 23 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
12:00pm: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Cotto vs. Ali Weigh-Ins (FREE Fite.tv)
6:00pm: UFC 218 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Bellator 189 Prelims (Spike.com)
7:00pm: UFC TUF Finale Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: UFC TUF Finale Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
7:30pm: Rider vs. Penn (ESPN3)
7:30pm: Glory 48 Superfight Series (UFC Fight Pass)
7:30pm: Global Legacy Boxing: Thunder at the Falls ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: UFC TUF Finale Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Iowa vs. Illinois (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: American Kombat Alliance: Rite of Passage 2 (FloCombat)
9:00pm: Bellator 189 (Spike/ESPN3)
9:00pm: John Vincent Moralde vs. Toka Kahn Clary/Louis Cruz vs. Nick DeLomba (CBS Sports)
9:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 56 (FloGrappling)
10:00pm: Glory 48 (ESPN3)
10:00pm: UFC TUF Finale (Fox Sports 1)
Saturday December 2
1:00am: UFC TUF Finale Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
10:00am: 2017 Hoosier Duals (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: We Love MMA 35 (FREE Epicentre.tv/Fite.tv)
12:00pm: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open (FloWrestling)
12:00pm: Mix Fighting Championship 23 (Fightboxlive)
12:00pm: King of Kings 52 Prelims ($4.99 Fite.tv)
12:00pm: Fatuma Zarika vs. Catherine Phiri/James Onyango vs. Said Mundi ($9.99 Fite.tv)
12:00pm: Shinobi Fighting Championships 11 (FREE Fite.tv)
2:30pm: King of Kings 52 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: Heavy Hitters: Champions Week (ESPN Deportes)
5:00pm: Extreme Cage Fights 19 (FloCombat)
6:15pm: UFC 218 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
6:45pm: Cotto vs. Ali Prelims (FREE Fite.tv)
7:00pm: UFC 218 Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Triton Fights 5 (FloCombat)
7:00pm: Colosseum Combat XLII ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: Warrior’s Cup XXXIV ($9.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: UFC 218 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: UFC 218 ($59.99 Pay-Per-View)
10:00pm: Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali/Oscar Negrete vs. Rey Vargas (HBO/HBO Latino)
Sunday December 3
1:00am: UFC 218 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
1:15am: UFC 218 Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
7:20am: MAX Muay Thai ($10.99 Fite.tv)
11:00am: Muay Thai Grand Prix 12 ($5 EliteBoxing.tv)
12:00pm: 2017 Pre CAWL Open (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Submission Underground 6 (FloGrappling)
9:00pm: Eddie Bravo Invitational 14 (UFC Fight Pass)
Top-10 Viewing Options: A man utterly bathing in fights this weekend looks forward to his newfound hermit life.
1. UFC 218: *sigh* Oh Frankie, what could have been…nevertheless! A damned fine card and well worth your time.
2. Glory 48: Little short on big names and the main event is for an interim title, but there’s enough intrigue and interesting matchups that it could end up being fantastic.
3. Bellator 189: They couldn’t have found a spot for Marcos Galvao on the main card? C’mon, that’s dirty.
4. UFC TUF Finale: Boy did THAT fall apart. How on Earth do you know FOR MONTHS that you have a title shot coming up and not be at that weight comfortably and safely in advance? How do you blow that?!
5. Eddie Bravo Invitational 14: The Absolutes! Gordon Ryan is going to win this too, isn’t he? Goddammit.
6. Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali/Oscar Negrete vs. Rey Vargas: So bummed. Of all the potential retirement opponents for Cotto in the world? Sadam Ali?? Couldn’t he beat the shit out of Margarito again for our enjoyment?
7. Submission Underground 6: Chael’s not afraid to bring in some of the more, shall we say, motley members of the fight community for SUG. Tim Sylvia?! Ok, then.
8. Fight To Win Pro 56: Consistent and usually packed with great grapplers from all over the world. F2W’s emergence and continued expansion is good for everyone in the fight game.
9. Iowa vs. Illinois: Illinois is slowly working itself into a damned fine program, and Iowa needs no introduction, this is the matchup of the weekend.
10. Mix Fighting Championship 23: Maybe the best Mix card ever? They rarely make their way into this space.
Under The Radar: Five things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.
1. Usually the Spike prelims are nothing worth your time, but Sam Sicilia vs. Marcos Galvao could easily co-main a Bellator card. Great matchup, don’t know why they’re wasting it here.
2. Former Cowboy Defensive End and genuine shithead Greg Hardy is competing in his second pro MMA fight this Friday night for American Kombat Alliance on FloCombat.
3. Terrifying human Thiago Silva is making his kickboxing debut in the co-main event of a Glory event that I’m going to hope has stringent PED testing.
4. At the IBJJF San Antonio Open, in the black belt heavyweight division, we could very well, and likely will, see a rematch between two of the best in the world, Keenan Cornelius and Tanner Rice. Cornelius has a 3-0 career record against Rice, however.
5. Were you wondering what the hell Tim Sylvia was up to? You weren’t? TOO BAD! Because Big Tim is competing in grappling, that’s right, you heard me, grappling, against Fabiano Scherner at Chael Sonnen’s Submission Underground 6.
4×5: Early 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
5. Middleweight Qualification Tournament Semfinal: Robert Thomas (9-5) vs. Wayne Barrett (6-5) [Glory 48]
4. Welterweight Bout: Enriko Kehl (46-13-1) vs. Warren Stevelmans (59-34-5) [Mix Fight Championship 23]
3. Mix Fight Championship Super Middleweight Championship: Darryl Sitchtman (c) (56-13-1) vs. Regian Eersel (31-3) [Mix Fight Championship 23]
2. Interim Glory Featherweight Championship: Anvar Boynazarov (91-23-2) vs. Kevin VanNostrand (12-1) [Glory 48]
1. Glory Women’s Super Bantamweight Championship: Tiffany van Soest (c) (18-2-1) vs. Anissa Meksen (93-3) [Glory 48]
BOXING
5. Featherweight Bout: John Vincent Moralde (19-0) vs. Toka Kahn Cleary (23-1) [CBS Sports Boxing]
4. Featherweight Bout: Deivi Julio Bassa (19-3) vs. Ronny Rios (28-2) [HBO Championship Boxing]
3. Interim WBO World Junior Flyweight Championship: Angel Acosta (16-1) vs. Juan Alejo (24-4-1) [HBO Championship Boxing]
2. WBC World Junior Featherweight Championship: Rey Vargas (c) (30-0) vs. Oscar Negrete (17-0) [HBO Championship Boxing]
1. WBO World Junior Middleweight Championship: Miguel Cotto (c) (41-5) vs. Sadam Ali (25-1) [HBO Championship Boxing]
MMA
5. Middleweight Bout: Chidi Njokuani (17-5) vs. Hisaki Kato (8-2) [Bellator 189]
4. Middleweight Bout: Chris Honeycutt (10-1) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (8-0) [Bellator 189]
3. Heavyweight Bout: Alistair Overeem (43-15) vs. Francis Ngannou (10-1) [UFC 218]
2. Lightweight Bout: Eddie Alvarez (28-5) vs. Justin Gaethje (18-0) [UFC 218]
1. UFC Featherweight Championship: Max Holloway (c) (18-3) vs. Jose Aldo (26-3) [UFC 218]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. AJ Agazarm vs. Nathan Orchard [Submission Underground 6]
4. Fabiano Scherner vs. Tim Sylvia [Submission Underground 6]
3. 155lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Eddie Cummings vs. Jacob Sandoval [Fight To Win Pro 56]
2. Female Black Belt Flyweight No-Gi Championship: Pati Fontes vs. Talita Alencar [Fight To Win Pro 56]
1. Gilbert Burns vs. Jake Shields [Submission Underground 6]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man currently gluing popsicle sticks together in lieu of actual presents attempts to at least be able to afford real glue.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Chidi Njokuani vs. Hisaki Kato
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Fabiano Scherner over Tim Sylvia
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC 218
Upset of the Week: Charles Oliveira over Paul Felder
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali
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