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 August 21
6:30am: ONE: No Surrender III (ONE App)
12:00pm: SENSHI 6 (FREE Fite.tv)
3:00pm: Jose Miguel Fandino vs. Sergio Martinez/Kiko Martinez vs. Noe Martinez Raygoza ($9.99 Fite.tv)
4:00pm: Alvarez vs. Smith Jr. Weigh-Ins (ESPN+)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
5:30pm: Fight To Win 150 (FloGrappling)
7:30pm: Bellator 244 Prelims (DAZN/YouTube)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 88 (UFC Fight Pass)
10:00pm: Best of Combate Americas (AXS)
10:00pm: Bellator 244 (Paramount Network/DAZN)
11:35pm: Axel Aragon Vega vs. Saul Juarez/Henry Lebron-Gonzalez vs. Luis Porozo (Telemundo)
Saturday August 22
2:00pm: Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte/Delfine Persoon vs. Katie Taylor (DAZN)
5:30pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+)
7:30pm: Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr./Rob Brant vs. Vitalii Kopylenko (ESPN+)
8:00pm: Sebastian Formella vs. Shawn Porter/Nathaniel Gallimore vs. Sebastian Fundora (Fox)
8:00pm: Saturday Fight Live: Mayweather vs. Ortiz (DAZN)
8:30pm: UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Munhoz (ESPN)
9:00pm: Atlas Fights 55 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
11:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
11:15pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
Sunday August 23
2:15am: Pancrase 317 (YouTube)
4:45am: Rise 141 (Abema TV)
Top-10 Viewing Options: Boxing rules the roost this weekend, starting Friday afternoon until Saturday night with a steady stream of sweet science.
1. Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte/Delfine Persoon vs. Katie Taylor: Matchroom Fight Camp has already been absolutely terrific, and they’re ratcheting up a couple notches this weekend.
2. UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Munhoz: God love Frankie Edgar, and he may be my favorite male fighter ever, but watching him in 2020 trying to make bantamweight with that horrific haircut is painful.
3. Bellator 244: Bader Two-Belts defends his light heavyweight title, slowly, grindingly, and yawn-inducingly, but defend it he will.
4. Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr./Rob Brant vs. Vitalii Kopylenko: Sure, deep card, not very top-heavy, but quality. The real draw here? Clay goddamned Collard: Prospect-Destroyer.
5. ONE: No Surrender III: ONE’s last No Surrender in the series wraps up the Bantamweight muay thai semifinals.
6. Sebastian Formella vs. Shawn Porter/Nathaniel Gallimore vs. Sebastian Fundora: Very lackluster card here from the folks at PBC. Formella’s never fought outside of Europe, so this is just a stay-busy for Showtime Shawn.
7. Fight To Win 150: Slight week of grappling this weekend, with F2W being the only game in town.
8. Legacy Fighting Alliance 88: LFA clocking in with their usual offering. Friday on Fight Pass and a vacant title fight.
9. Saturday Fight Live: Mayweather vs. Ortiz: The New Day’s Big E jumps in as guest commentator of one of the oddest fights I’ve ever seen.
10. Jose Miguel Fandino vs. Sergio Martinez/Kiko Martinez vs. Noe Martinez Raygoza: In the mood for some over-the-hill Spanish greats? Do I have the card for you!
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. Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai Bout: Ayaka Miyauchi vs. Marie Ruumet [ONE: No Surrender III]
4. Featherweight Bout: Hideki Sasaki (10-3) vs. Shohei Asahara (5-6-1) [RISE 141]
3. Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai Bout: Brooke Farrell (4-3) vs. Wondergirl Fairtex [ONE: No Surrender III]
2. Flyweight Muay Thai Bout: Mongkolpetch Petchyindee (31-14-2) vs. Sok Thy (221-36-12) [ONE: No Surrender III]
1. Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament Semi-Final: Kulabdam Sor.Jor.Piek-U-Thai (67-18-2) vs. Sangmanee Sor Tienpo (101-25-6) [ONE: No Surrender III]
BOXING
5. Super Middleweight Bout: Clay Collard (8-2-3) vs. Maurice Williams (7-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]
4. Light Heavyweight Bout: Eleider Alvarez (25-1) vs. Joe Smith Jr. (25-3) [Top Rank on ESPN]
3. Vacant WBC Silver Welterweight Championship: Sebastian Formella (22-0) vs. Shawn Porter (30-3-1) [PBC on FOX]
2. Interim WBC/Vacant WBC Diamond World Heavyweight Championships: Dillian Whyte (c) (27-1) vs. Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1) [Matchroom Fight Camp]
1. WBA/WBC/WBO/IBF World Women’s Lightweight Championships: Katie Taylor (c) (15-0) vs. Delfine Persoon (44-2) [Matchroom Fight Camp]
MMA
5. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos (7-1-1) vs. Mizuki Inoue (14-5) [UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Munhoz]
4. Women’s Featherweight Bout: Jessica Miele (9-3) vs. Julia Budd (13-3) [Bellator 244]
3. Light Heavyweight Bout: Alonzo Menifield (9-1) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (24-14) [UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Munhoz]
2. Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship: Ryan Bader (c) (27-5) vs. Vadim Nemkov (11-2) [Bellator 244]
1. Bantamweight Bout: Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) vs. Pedro Munhoz (18-4) [UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Munhoz]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. 160lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Eddie Gallagher vs. Marcus Dempsey [Fight To Win 150]
4. 175lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: John Combs vs. Ruben Rivera [Fight To Win 150]
3. 175lb Black Belt No-Gi Bout: David Garmo vs. Kody Steele [Fight To Win 150]
2. 185lb Black Belt Bout: Marcio Andre vs. Ronaldo Junior [Fight To Win 150]
1. 215lb Black Belt Bout: Romulo Barrall vs. Tanner Rice [Fight To Win 150]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: After taking an absolute BATH on the Braekhus-McCaskill fight (thanks, judges!), I try to recapture some of that coin.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Delfine Persoon vs. Katie Taylor
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Eleider Alvarez vs. Joe Smith Jr.
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Shawn Porter over Sebastian Formella
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Top Rank on ESPN
Upset of the Week: Ovince Saint Preux over Alonzo Menifield
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Pedro Munhoz vs. Frankie Edgar
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