Your Weekend in Combat Sports

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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 June 18

2:00pm: Tribute to the Kings Weigh-In (FREE Fite.tv)
3:00pm: Golden Boy on DAZN Weigh-Ins (DAZN)
4:00pm: The DAZN Boxing Show (DAZN)
6:00pm: Fight To Win 174 (FloGrappling)
6:30pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
7:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
8:00pm: XFN Kickboxing 371 (UFC Fight Pass)
8:00pm: Who’s Number One: Jones vs. Ruotolo (FloGrappling)
9:00pm: Gamebred Fighting Championship ($19.99 Fite.tv)

 

Saturday June 19

11:30am: Universum Boxing: Sturm vs. Kraft ($14.99 Fite.tv)
1:00pm: Angel Luna vs. Adan Ochoa/Jaime Hayes vs. Olivia Gerula (UFC Fight Pass)
3:30pm: Jaime Munguia vs. Kamil Szeremeta/Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Gabriel Rosado (DAZN)
4:00pm: UFC Fight Night Prelims (ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)
7:00pm: UFC Fight Night: Ige vs. Korean Zombie (ESPN2)
7:00pm: Tribute to the Kings: Preshow (FREE Fite.tv)
7:00pm: Third Coast Grappling 7 Prelims (FREE Fite.tv)
7:30pm: Top Rank on ESPN Prelims (ESPN+)
8:00pm: All-Access: Davis vs. Barrios (Showtime)
8:00pm: Third Coast Grappling 7 ($16.99 Fite.tv)
8:30pm: Rage in the Cage OKC 81 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel/Cody Crowley vs. Gabriel Maestre (Showtime)
9:00pm: Tribute to the Kings ($39.99 Fite.tv)
10:00pm: Michael Dasmarinas vs. Naoya Inoue/Erica Farias vs. Mikaela Mayer (ESPN/ESPN+)
10:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
11:00pm: UFC Fight Night Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)

 

Sunday June 20

12:30am: State of Boxing Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
5:30pm: Loma Reloaded (ESPN2)
5:30pm: Fury Fighting Championship 47 (UFC Fight Pass)

 

Top-10 Viewing Options: Even with Teofimo Lopez’s Triller card getting postponed, boxing rules the roost this weekend in a landslide.

 

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  1. Michael Dasmarinas vs. Naoya Inoue/Erica Farias vs. Mikaela Mayer: Top Rank and ESPN have started to put some promotional momentum behind Inoue, and rightfully so, he might be the most exciting fighter in the world in any discipline.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  2. UFC Fight Night: Ige vs. Korean Zombie: It’s a one-fight card, but a hell of a fight it is.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  3. Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel/Cody Crowley vs. Gabriel Maestre: Montiel will be game, but this could be a real mauling.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  4. Who’s Number One: Jones vs. Ruotolo: Interesting choice to put this and F2W on against each other, but alas, this is the better card, but not by a ton.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  5. Fight To Win 174: See above.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  6. Jaime Munguia vs. Kamil Szeremeta/Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Gabriel Rosado: It’s not the right we want to see Munguia in, but it’s probably his last before he fights for middleweight gold.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  7. All-Access: Davis vs. Barrios: Showtime rolls out the always-excellent All-Access.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  8. XFN Kickboxing 371: Your only kickboxing option of the weekend.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  9. Tribute to the Kings: Anderson Silva takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing bout that if for some ungodly reason Chavez can’t pull out, should probably walk into the ocean until the bubbles stop.

Your Weekend in Combat Sports  10. Gamebred Fighting Championship: If you had to pick any fighter that would be involved in bare-knuckle MMA, who would you guess? If you said Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, you’re goddamned right!

 

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

5-3: N/A

2. Welterweight Bout: Brian Foster (3-1) vs. Peter Stanonik (7-0) [XFN 371]

1. Heavyweight Bout: Randy Blake (39-4) vs. Rob Morrow [XFN 371]

 

BOXING

5. WBO World Women’s Junior Lightweight Championship: Mikaela Mayer (c) (14-0) vs. Erica Anabella Farias (26-4) [Top Rank on ESPN]

4. Welterweight Bout: Cody Crowley (19-0) vs. Gabriel Maestre (3-0) [PBC on Showtime]

3. WBO Intercontinental Middleweight Championship: Jaime Munguia (c) (36-0) vs. Kamil Szeremeta (21-1) [Golden Boy on DAZN]

2. WBC World Middleweight Championship: Jermall Charlo (c) (31-0) vs. Juan Macias Montiel (22-4-2) [PBC on Showtime]

1. WBA Super/IBF World Bantamweight Championships: Naoya Inoue (c) (20-0) vs. Michael Dasmarinas (30-2-1) [Top Rank on ESPN]

 

MMA

5. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Kanako Murata (12-1) vs. Virna Jandiroba (16-2) [UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige]

4. Lightweight Bout: Joaquin Silva (11-2) vs. Rick Glenn (21-6-1) [UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige]

3. Heavyweight Bout: Aleksei Oleinik (59-15-1) vs. Sergey Spivak (12-2) [UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige]

2. Welterweight Bout: Khaos Williams (11-2) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (8-2) [UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige]

1. Featherweight Bout: Chan Sung Jung (16-6) vs. Dan Ige (15-3) [UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Ige]

 

GRAPPLING/WRESTLING

5. Black Belt Superfight: Cole Franson vs. Kade Ruotolo [Who’s Number One: Jones vs. Ruotolo]

4. Black Belt Superfight: Raquel Canuto vs. Tubby Alequin [Fight To Win 174]

3. Black Belt Superfight: Junny Ocasio vs. Mikey Musumeci [Who’s Number One: Jones vs. Ruotolo]

2. Black Belt Superfight: Lucas Barbosa vs. Tex Johnson [Fight To Win 174]

1. Black Belt Superfight: Craig Jones vs. Tye Ruotolo [Who’s Number One: Jones vs. Ruotolo]

 

Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Good for Brandon Moreno, horrible on my wallet!

 

Best Fight of the Weekend: Chan Sung Jung vs. Dan Ige
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Junny Ocasio vs. Mikey Musumeci
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Naoya Inoue over Michael Dasmarinas
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Top Rank on ESPN
Upset of the Week: Chan Sung Jung over Dan Ige
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Anderson Silva vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

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