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 July 6
4:00am: Best of the Best Boxing Series ($12.99 Fite.tv)
5:00am: ShootBoxing Girls S-Cup: 48kg World Championship (Shootboxing.org)
8:00am: The Battle Muay Thai (YouTube)
1:00pm: Boyka Athens Warrior Spirit ($4.99 EliteBoxing.tv)
6:00pm: Ramirez vs. O’Connor Weigh-Ins (ESPN+)
6:00pm: UFC 226 Weigh-Ins (Fox Sports 1)
6:00pm: Fight To Win Pro 79 (FloGrappling)
6:30pm: UFC TUF Finale Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: UFC TUF Finale Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: UFC TUF Finale Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
9:00pm: LA Fight Club (FREE Fite.tv)
10:00pm: UFC TUF Finale (Fox Sports 1)
Saturday July 7
1:00am: UFC TUF Finale Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 2)
1:15am: UFC TUF Finale Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
5:00am: OneFC: Battle for the Heavens (OneFC App)
5:00am: MAX Muay Thai (Facebook)
7:20am: The Champion Muay Thai (YouTube)
8:30am: Battle Arena 51 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: Lion Fight 43 (FloCombat)
2:00pm: Fight Festival ($9.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: ISKA US Open World Championship Semifinals (ESPN3)
6:30pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN+)
6:30pm: UFC 226 Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: ISKA US Open World Championship Finals (ESPN3)
7:00pm: UFC 226 Pre-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: UFC 226 Prelims (Fox Sports 1)
8:00pm: Diamond Rock Promotions: Night of Knockouts ($14.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Danny O’Connor/Egidijus Kavaliauskas vs. Juan Carlos Abreu (ESPN)
10:00pm: UFC 226 ($64.99 Pay-Per-View)
Sunday July 8
1:00am: UFC 226 Post-Fight Show (Fox Sports 1)
1:15am: UFC 226 Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
7:20am: MAX Muay Thai (YouTube)
Top-10 Viewing Options: At long last, UFC 226 is here! The wait is ov–excuse me, I’m being handed something–aaaaand Holloway is out. Fuck everything.
1. UFC 226: OH COME THE FUCK ON!
2. UFC TUF Finale: The damned Style Bender in action!
3. Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Danny O’Connor/Egidijus Kavaliauskas vs. Juan Carlos Abreu: Weak weekend for boxing, which actually comes on a monster UFC weekend, so this is a solid, if unspectacular card in the middle of it.
4. OneFC: Battle for the Heavens: ONE keeps integrating muay thai and kickboxing into their cards, and they’re doing so on a free app!
5. Lion Fight 43: Muay Thai Grand Prix pulled a savvy move by hosting and sponsoring European Lion Fight cards. Helps their titles, their brand, and American in-roads.
6. ShootBoxing Girls S-Cup: 48kg World Championship: WATCH RENA WRECK SOME SHIT!
7. Fight To Win Pro 79: Not a ton on tap, but the only grappling option of the weekend.
8. ISKA US Open World Championship Finals: ISKA events on ESPN have been a staple for some time, and good to see high-level karate being given a platform.
9. UFC 226 Post-Fight Show: Win, lose, or draw, some major shakeups and stories will have been written.
10. UFC TUF Finale Pre-Fight Show: With the TUF house for sale, maybe this is the last Ultimate Fighter?
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 Grand Prix Bout: Liam Nolan vs. Ramal Aslanov (33-4) [King of Kings 58]
4. Light Heavyweight Bout: Andre Meunier vs. Ibrahim El Bouni (36-6-1) [OneFC: Battle for the Heavens]
3. Lightweight Bout: Fabian Hundt vs. Superbon Banchamek (103-34) [All Star Fight 5]
2. Middleweight Bout: Thongchai Sitsongpeenong (137-37) vs. Vladimir Moravcik (80-7-1) [All Star Fight 5]
1. Welterweight Bout: Buakaw Banchamek (235-24-12) vs. Michael Krcmar (33-13) [All Star Fight 5]
BOXING
5. WBC Continental Americas Junior Lightweight Championship: Andy Vences (c) (20-0-1) vs. Frank De Alba (22-3-2) [Top Rank on ESPN]
4. Heavyweight Bout: Andy Ruiz Jr. (30-1) vs. Kevin Johnson (32-9-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
3. Vacant WBA World Cruiserweight Championship: Beibut Shumenov (17-2) vs. Hizni Altunkaya (30-1) [KZ Productions]
2. NABF Welterweight Championship: Egidijus Kavaliauskas (c) (19-0) vs. Juan Carlos Abreu (19-3-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
1. WBC World Junior Welterweight Championship: Jose Carlos Ramirez (c) (22-0) vs. Danny O’Connor (30-3) [Top Rank on ESPN]
MMA
5. Welterweight Bout: Mike Perry (11-3) vs. Paul Felder (15-3) [UFC 226]
4. Middleweight Bout: Brad Tavares (17-4) vs. Israel Adesanya (13-0) [UFC TUF Finale]
3. Heavyweight Bout: Derrick Lewis (19-5) vs. Francis Ngannou (11-2) [UFC 226]
2. UFC Featherweight Championship: Max Holloway (c) (19-3) vs. Brian Ortega (14-0) [UFC 226]
1. UFC Heavyweight Championship: Stipe Miocic (c) (18-2) vs. Daniel Cormier (20-1) [UFC 226]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 215lb Black Belt Bout: Chad Fields vs. Jordan Sullivan [Fight To Win Pro 79]
4. 220lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: George Oiler vs. Michael Bernhard [Fight To Win Pro 79]
3. Super Heavyweight Black Belt Bout: Chris Larkin vs. Dustin Ware [Fight To Win Pro 79]
2. 190lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Dante Leon vs. Joe Baize [Fight To Win Pro 79]
1. 170lb Black Belt Bout: Bill Cooper vs. Vitor Oliveira [Fight To Win Pro 79]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: A man eager to watch fights and lose cash attempts to keep all of his fingers for one more week.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Mike Perry vs. Paul Felder
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Raphael Assuncao vs. Rob Font
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Jose Carlos Ramirez over Danny O’Connor
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: UFC 226
Upset of the Week: Daniel Cormier over Stipe Miocic
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Gokhan Saki vs. Khalil Rountree
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