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 16
4:00am: 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series (FloWrestling)
11:00am: 2021 World Team Trials Last Chance Qualifier (FloWrestling)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
2:00pm: Castano vs. Charlo Weigh-Ins (Facebook/YouTube)
4:00pm: The DAZN Boxing Show (DAZN)
5:00pm: Max on Boxing (ESPN2)
5:30pm: UFC Live (ESPN2)
5:30pm: Road to ADCC Press Conference (FloGrappling)
6:00pm: Fight To Win 177 (FloGrappling)
6:05pm: UFC Fight Night Pre-Fight Show (ESPN+)
7:00pm: Bellator 262 Prelims (YouTube)
7:00pm: SFT 27 ($14.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Bellator 262 (Showtime)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 111 (UFC Fight Pass)
Saturday July 17
4:00am: 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series (FloWrestling)
6:00am: K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka (Abema TV)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
11:00am: King of Kings Fight Series in Adana ($3.53 KOKfights.tv)
1:00pm: Mix Fight 48 ($9 EliteBoxing.tv)
2:00pm: KSW 62 ($11.99 Fite.tv)
2:00pm: The Beginning: Noirhommme vs. Iglesias ($14.99 Fite.tv)
2:30pm: Road to ONE: Germany ($14.99 Fite.tv)
7:00pm: UFC on ESPN Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+)
7:30pm: Rock Rapids Rumble: Cruz vs. Gray ($14.99 Fite.tv)
8:00pm: Road to ADCC (FloGrappling)
8:00pm: Ring of Combat 73 ($19.99 Fite.tv)
9:00pm: Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo/Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Khiary Gray (Showtime)
10:00pm: UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises (ESPN)
Sunday July 18
1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Show (ESPN+)
1:00am: UFC on ESPN Post-Fight Press Conference (UFC Fight Pass)
1:00am: RISE World Series: Dead or Alive 53kg Tournament ($16.99 Fite.tv)
11:00am: 2021 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Qualifier (FloWrestling)
6:00pm: Submission Underground 25 (UFC Fight Pass)
9:00pm: Legacy Fighting Alliance 112 (UFC Fight Pass)
Top-10 Viewing Options: Let’s make it a whole week without a fighter threatening the death of another’s family, huh?
1. Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo/Bakhram Murtazaliev vs. Khiary Gray: For the undisputed junior middleweight championship of the world! Hell yes, unification bouts!
2. UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises: One of the toughest fighters to ever step in the cage, male or female, Miesha Tate returns to the Octagon after nearly five years away.
3. K-1 World GP 2021 in Fukuoka: Big kickboxing weekend, but K-1 is really leading the way here. Headlined by the great Gonnapar Weerasakreck defending his lightweight title.
4. Bellator 262: Juliana Velasquez defends her flyweight title, and boy, that’s just about it.
5. Road to ADCC: The best grappling event of the weekend, headlined by ADCC champions Kaynan Duarte vs. Matheus Diniz.
6. Legacy Fighting Alliance 112: LFA does gown to Brazil for a doubleheader! This is the better offering of the two, featuring a welterweight grand prix.
7. Submission Underground 25: Would be higher if they didn’t lose their Boehm vs. Fowler Absolute title fight.
8. King of Kings Fight Series in Adana: KOK usually puts on a good show, and the price is very, very good.
9. KSW 62: As consistent as the day is long.
10. 2021 Saint-Laurent-du-Var Beach Wrestling World Series: That’s right, 4 am beach wrestling! Nothing homoerotic about it at all!
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. Welterweight Bout: Koki vs. Rukiya Anpo (19-7) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]
4. Super Welterweight Bout: Abiral Ghimire (11-2) vs. Hiromi Wajima (14-4) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]
3. Cruiserweight Bout: K-Jee (20-11) vs. Ryo Aitaka (22-8) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]
2. Lightweight Bout: Fumiya Osawa (26-18-1) vs. Koya Urabe (51-10) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]
1. K-1 Lightweight Championship: Gonnapar Weerasakreck (c) (109-29-3) vs. Taio Asahisa (17-7) [K-1 World Grand Prix 2021 in Fukuoka]
BOXING
5. WBC Women’s World Junior Bantamweight Championship: Lourdes Juarez (c) (31-2) vs. Diana Laura Fernandez (23-3)
4. WBA Regular World Cruiserweight Championship: Ryad Merhy (c) (29-1) vs. Zhaoxin Zhang (10-1-1)
3. Middleweight Bout: Amilcar Vidal (12-0) vs. Immanuwel Aleem (18-2-2) [PBC on Showtime]
2. Interim WBA Lightweight Championship: Rolando Romero (c) (13-0) vs. Anthony Yigit (24-1-1) [PBC on Showtime]
1. WBA Super/WBC/WBO/IBF World Junior Middleweight Championships: Brian Carlos Castano (c) (17-0-1) vs. Jermell Charlo (c) (34-1) [PBC on Showtime]
MMA
5. Featherweight Bout: Billy Quarantillo (15-3) vs. Gabriel Benitez (22-8) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]
4. Lightweight Bout: Jeremy Stephens (28-18) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (18-1) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]
3. Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Marion Reneau (9-7-1) vs. Miesha Tate (18-7) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]
2. Bellator Women’s Flyweight Championship: Juliana Velasquez (c) (11-0) vs. Denise Kielholtz (6-2) [Bellator 262]
1. Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev (19-1) vs. Thiago Moises (15-4) [UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises]
GRAPPLING/WRESTLING
5. Black Belt Superfight: Edwin Najmi vs. Jeremy Kennedy [Submission Underground 25]
4. Team Impact vs. Team BTT [Submission Underground 25]
3. Black Belt Superfight: Andy Varela vs. Pedro Marinho [Submission Underground 25]
2. Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Lucas Barbosa vs. William Tackett [Road to ADCC]
1. Black Belt No-Gi Bout: Kaynan Duarte vs. Matheus Diniz [Road to ADCC]
Bold, Yet Probably Fruitless Predictions: Betting against Conor McGregor has made me a nice chunk of change over the last few years.
Best Fight of the Weekend: Brian Carlos Castano vs. Jermell Charlo
Most Underrated Fight of the Weekend: Rolando Romero vs. Anthony Yigit
If My Life Depended on One Pick: Bakhram Murtazaliev over Khiary Gray
Best Card Top-to-Bottom: Road to ADCC
Upset of the Week: Billy Quarantillo over Gabriel Benitez
Most Disappointing Fight of the Weekend: Juliana Velasquez vs. Denise Kielholtz
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