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 15
12:00pm: Saunders vs. Lemieux Weigh-Ins (FREE Fite.tv)
12:00pm: Fight Nights Global 81 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: BAMMA 33 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
3:00pm: Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Road to the Octagon: dos Anjos vs. Lawler (Fox Sports 1)
6:00pm: Warfare MMA 17 (FloCombat)
7:00pm: UFC on FOX Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
7:00pm: Bellator 191 Prelims (Spike.com)
8:00pm: Nebraska vs. NC State (BigTen Network)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 29 (AXS)
9:00pm: Bellator 191 (Spike)
9:00pm: Xcessive Force Fighting Championship 16 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Unified MMA 33 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Fushion Fight League: Season’s Beatings 17 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: Aaron Herrera vs. Jessie Vargas/Diego Gabriel Chaves vs. Jamal Jones (Fox Sports 1)
Saturday December 16
12:00pm: We Love MMA 36 (FREE Epicentre.tv)
12:00pm: Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Hype FC: Rumble in the Cage ($9.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: GMC 13 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
3:00pm: 2017 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (FloGrappling)
4:00pm: UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
5:00pm: UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
6:00pm: KOP 59 (FloCombat)
6:00pm: Valor Fights: Strikefest (FloCombat)
6:30pm: Driller Promotions: A-Town Throwdown XII (FloCombat)
6:45pm: Saunders vs. Lemieux Prelims (FREE Fite.tv)
7:00pm: Fury Fighting Championship 21 (FloCombat)
8:00pm: UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler (Fox)
9:40pm: Billy Joe Saunders vs. David Lemieux/Antoine Douglas vs. Gary O’Sullivan (HBO)
10:00pm: UFC on FOX Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
10:00pm: Victory Fighting Championships 59 (UFC Fight Pass)
Sunday December 17
1:00am: Kunlun Fight 68 ($9.99 EliteBoxing.tv)
2:00pm: Penn State vs. Indiana (BigTen Network)
2:00pm: Nebraska vs. North Carolina (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: 2017 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships (FloGrappling)
Top-10 Viewing Options: A man that’s going to strangle a baby deer if he shorts out one more strand of Christmas lights cools down by watching trauma.
1. UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler: The UFC’s Fox shows have taken a STEEP decline, and while this will be a fun fight for hardcores who follow the UFC, they need bigger names or titles to draw the casuals. I love this card, every fight should deliver, but it’s not bringing new eyeballs.
2. 2017 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships: Tons of huge names coming together this weekend, and luckily, it’s all streamed!
3. Billy Joe Saunders vs. David Lemieux/Antoine Douglas vs. Gary O’Sullivan: For the only middleweight championship not currently in possession by Gennady Golovkin.
4. Aaron Herrera vs. Jessie Vargas/Diego Gabriel Chaves vs. Jamal Jones: Slumming it a little bit for Jessie Vargas, seeing as how the man he knocked out just retired Miguel Cotto.
5. Bellator 191: Really a one-fight show, with Mayday McDonald making his Bellator debut, and it isn’t even live.
6. Legacy Fighting Alliance 29: Camus vs. Simon is an interesting matchup, and Mike Richman is always a fun watch.
7. Kunlun Fight 68: Your best kickboxing option of the weekend, at an unfortunate time and price, however.
8. Penn State vs. Indiana: Hell yeah, some B1G beef on a Sunday afternoon.
9. Victory Fighting Championships 59: Smart play by the UFC to take advantage of their early end time on the FOX card to throw on a card right after.
10. Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions: Womens’ amateur wrestling is on the rise, so the more exposure, the better.
Under The Radar: A few things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.
1. Out in frosty Russia this Friday, heavyweight Alexander Povetkin clashes with Germany’s Christian Hammer to determine who will be Joseph Parker’s next opponent for his WBO world title.
2. Still undefeated, former Bellator Heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov fights this weekend for Fight Nights Global against former KOTC Heavyweight kingpin Tony Johnson Jr.
3. The brother of Kevin Lee, Keith Lee, not to be confused by the indie wrestling standout, made his pro MMA debut in January of 2017, losing a decision, since then, he’s finished two opponents in the first round and has his fourth fight of 2017 for KOP on FloCombat.
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. Lightweight Bout: Antar Kacem vs. Nicolas Vega [Nuit des Challenges 17]
4. Super Heavyweight Bout: Mihajlo Kecojevic vs. Yuksel Ayaydin [Nuit des Challenges 17]
3. Middleweight Bout: Abdallah Mabel vs. Hristo Hristov [Nuit des Challenges 17]
2. WKN World Bantamweight Championship: Carlos Coello vs. Joao Goncalves [WKN: Coello vs. Goncalves]
1. Middleweight Bout: Artur Kyshenko (69-13-1) vs. Yassine Ahaggan (33-6) [Kunlun Fight 68]
BOXING
5. Welterweight Bout: Diego Gabriel Chaves (26-2-1) vs. Jamal James (21-1) [PBC on Fox Sports 1]
4. Welterweight Bout: Aaron Herrera (33-7-1) vs. Jessie Vargas (27-2) [PBC on Fox Sports 1]
3. WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Championship: Antoine Douglas (22-1-1) vs. Gary O’Sullivan (26-2) [HBO Championship Boxing]
2. WBO International Heavyweight/Vacant WBA International Heavyweight Championships: Alexander Povetkin (c) (32-1) vs. Christian Hammer (22-4)
1. WBO World Middleweight Championship: Billy Joe Saunders (c) (25-0) vs. David Lemieux (38-3) [HBO Championship Boxing]
MMA
5. Heavyweight Bout: Tony Johnson Jr. (11-3) vs. Vitaly Minakov (20-0) [Fight Nights Global 82]
4. Bantamweight Bout: Michael McDonald (17-4) vs. Peter Ligier (8-1-1) [Bellator 191]
3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Glover Teixeira (26-6) vs. Misha Cirkunov (13-3) [UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler]
2. Welterweight Bout: Mike Perry (11-1) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (25-3) [UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler]
1. Welterweight Bout: Rafael dos Anjos (27-9) vs. Robbie Lawler (28-11) [UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 149lb Bout: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) vs. #10 Colton McCrystal (NEB) [Nebraska vs. North Carolina]
4. Black Belt Lightweight Tournament [IBJJF World No-Gi Championships]
3. Black Belt Heavyweight Tournament [IBJJF World No-Gi Championships]
2. Black Belt Middleweight Tournament [IBJJF World No-Gi Championships]
1. Black Belt Medium-Heavyweight Tournament [IBJJF World No-Gi Championships]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man gifting his family his own blood before his “bosses” take most of it attempts to get into the black before I really, really, REALLY, get into the red.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Robbie Lawler
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Artur Kyshenko vs. Yassine Ahaggan
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Philip De Fries over James Thompson
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC on FOX: dos Anjos vs. Lawler
Upset of the Week: Mike Perry over Santiago Ponzinibbio
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Tony Johnson Jr. vs. Vitaly Minakov
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