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 February 2
1:00am: Top Rank on ESPN: Main Event (ESPN2)
5:00pm: UFC Fight Night Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 2)
5:30pm: Top Rank on ESPN Weigh-Ins (ESPN2)
7:00pm: Indiana vs. Illinois (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Purdue vs. Michigan State (FloWrestling)
7:00pm: Michigan vs. Nebraska (FloWrestling)
8:00pm: Northwestern vs. Rutgers (FloWrestling)
9:00pm: Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA 48 (AXS)
9:00pm: Iowa vs. Minnesota (BigTen)
9:00pm: Air Force vs. West Virginia (FloWrestling)
9:00pm: Xtreme Fight Night 346 (FREE Fite.tv)
10:00pm: Junior Younan vs. Ronald Ellis/Samuel Teah vs. Wellington Romero (Showtime)
10:00pm: 559 Fights 62 (FloCombat)
Saturday February 3
1:00pm: CWS Fight Night 3 ($9.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: Northern Iowa vs. Oklahoma State (ESPNU)
7:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN3)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida Prelims (Fox Sports 2)
8:00pm: Penn State vs. Ohio State (BigTen)
8:00pm: Fresno State vs. Stanford (FloWrestling)
9:00pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPNEWS)
9:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 61 (FloGrappling)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida (Fox Sports 1)
10:15pm: Gilberto Ramirez vs. Habib Ahmed/Jerwin Ancajas vs. Israel Gonzalez (ESPN/ESPN3)
Sunday February 4
1:00am: Kunlun Fight 69 ($7.99 EliteBoxing.tv/Fite.tv)
1:00am: Pancrase 293 (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00am: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
11:00am: Iowa vs. Northwestern (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Indiana vs. Purdue (FloWrestling)
1:00pm: Michigan State vs. Nebraska (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Illinois vs. Rutgers (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: Wyoming vs. Oklahoma (FloWrestling)
3:00pm: South Dakota State vs. Iowa State (FloWrestling)
Top-10 Viewing Options: A man who can’t wait to tune in to see refs getting footballs signed by Tom Brady on third down attempts to relieve some anger beforehand by watching the fighting men and women.
1. Gilberto Ramirez vs. Habib Ahmed/Jerwin Ancajas vs. Israel Gonzalez: Top Rank on ESPN getting the nod this week. Two legitimate world title fights and a decent enough card.
2. UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida: Let alone that Machida is shot and I have no interest in watching him in 2018, but they make up for it with a complete ass undercard.
3. Penn State vs. Ohio State: Two of the best programs, maybe the two best in the country, in a huge Big Ten matchup.
4. Kunlun Fight 69: Nice card here, with a fantastic 70kg tournament. Easily the best kickboxing/muay thai of the weekend.
5. Fight To Win Pro 61: Not really star-studded, but F2W is going hard these few weeks, so they’re appreciated.
6. Pancrase 293: A decent amount of good Japanese fighters, but no standouts, just about what you’d expect from Pancrase.
7. Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA 48: Featuring Travis Wiuff, maybe the most journeyman heavyweight on Earth not named Travis Fulton.
8. Junior Younan vs. Ronald Ellis/Samuel Teah vs. Wellington Romero: Mediocre outing from ShoBox, really.
9. Top Rank on ESPN: Main Event: ESPN could use a pre-fight show, they certainly have the infrastructure and talent, this will have to do.
10. Super Bowl 52: Fuck the Patriots. Always and forever.
Under The Radar: A few things to keep an eye on away from the headlines.
- Few kickboxing, or hell, ANY four-man tournaments can match up with what Kunlun Fight is bringing to the table. Superbon, Marat Grigorian, Sergii Kuliaba, Dzianis Zuev is an awesome lineup, and it’s not even a headliner.
- A bonafide #1 vs. #2 going down in State College, as Bo Nickal and Myles Martin throw down in a highly anticipated Ohio State vs. Penn State bout.
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: Gabriel Varga (15-5) vs. Tie Ying Hua (38-8) [Glory of Heroes 10]
4. 70kg Bout: Buakaw Banchamek (232-23-12) vs. Nayanesh Ayman (51-11-9) [Kunlun Fight 69]
3. Kunlun Fight 70kg Tournament Semifinals: Dzianis Zuev (21-6) vs. Marat Grigorian (52-10-1) [Kunlun Fight 69]
2. Welterweight Bout: Enriko Kehl (46-13-2) vs. Yodsanklai Fairtex (197-71-4) [Wu Lin Feng]
1. Kunlun Fight 70kg Tournament Semifinals: Sergii Kuliaba (23-5) vs. Superbon Banchamek (101-34) [Kunlun Fight 69]
BOXING
5. Vacant USBA Super Middleweight Championship: Junior Younan (13-0) vs. Ronald Ellis (14-0-1) [ShoBox]
4. WBC World Flyweight Championship: Daigo Higa (c) (14-0) vs. Moises Fuentes (25-4-1)
3. IBF World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Jerwin Ancajas (c) (28-1-1) vs. Israel Gonzalez (21-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
2. WBO World Super Middleweight Championship: Gilberto Ramirez (c) (36-0) vs. Habib Ahmed (25-0-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
1. WBA/IBF World Cruiserweight Championships: Murat Gassiev (c) (25-0) vs. Yunier Dorticos (c) (22-0) [World Boxing Super Series]
MMA
5. Bantamweight Bout: Iuri Alcantara (35-9) vs. Joe Soto (18-6) [UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida]
4. Vacant CES MMA Heavyweight Championship: Greg Rebello (23-8) vs. Travis Wiuff (75-21) [CES MMA 48]
3. Flyweight King of Pancrase: Senzo Ikeda (c) (11-6-1) vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (9-1) [Pancrase 293]
2. Women’s Flyweight Bout: Priscila Cachoeira (8-0) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (14-3) [UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida]
1. Bantamweight Bout: John Dodson (19-9) vs. Pedro Munhoz (15-2) [UFC Fight Night: Anders vs. Machida]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 220lb Black Belt Bout: Antonio Braga Neto vs. Joao Assis [Fight To Win Pro 61]
4. 174lb Bout: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. Mark Hall (Penn State) [Ohio State vs. Penn State]
3. Black Belt Masters Lightweight Championship: Baret Yoshida vs. Cleber Luciano [Fight To Win Pro 61]
2. 184lb Bout: Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. Myles Martin (Ohio State) [Ohio State vs. Penn State]
1. 155lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: AJ Agazarm vs. Chai Sirisute [Fight To Win Pro 61]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Back on the losing end of things. Feels comfortable. Feels right and familar. Like a warm hug. A hug that gets your thumbs broken.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Murat Gassiev vs. Yunier Dorticos
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Bo Nickal vs. Myles Martin
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Gilberto Ramirez over Habib Ahmed
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Upset of the Week: Yunier Dorticos over Murat Gassiev
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Eryk Anders vs. Lyoto Machida
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