Hey fight friends, another week has come and gone, and that means it is time for weekend combat sports! There are three big cards crammed into two nights, so let’s dive right into the action.
FRIDAY
The British Invasion is here! Bellator MMA returns with a UK-heavy card to Connecticut. The prelim action will begin at 7:00 PM ET on Bellator.com, and I recognize at least one name on the prelims, Tamdan “Barncat” McCrory, who returned to MMA last year after a five-year absence.
The main card starts at 9:00 PM ET on Spike TV, and there are some very interesting fights here. We’ve got “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal returning to moneyweight to take on Cheick Kongo, there’s Rameau Sokoudjou facing Linton “The Swarm” Vassell at light heavyweight, and the main event is undefeated Liam McGeary challenging for the Bellator light heavyweight title as he takes on Emanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton.
The exact same night, across the country in Los Angeles, the top WMMA promotion, Invicta FC, will be putting on Invicta 11. The entire event will be available on UFC’s Fight Pass, so either make sure your subscription is paid up or you are starting your free trial. The prelim card will begin at 10:00 PM ET, so the overlap between Bellator main card and Invicta prelims won’t be major. The only name that stands out on the prelims is Christine Stanely, who I selected as my 2014 Knockout of the Year.
The main card features more people I’ve heard of, and the fights look really great. Irene Aldana will be taking on one of Josh Barnett’s catch wrestling disciples, Colleen Schneider in a bantamweight contest, the undefeated DeAnna Bennett will look to impress both Invicta and UFC matchmakers as she takes on Norma Rueda Center, and in what might be my favorite fight on the entire card, Alexa Grasso and Mizuki Inoue will throw down at strawweight. The main event is a featherweight title fight as Charmaine Tweet challenges Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. I’m super hyped, and you should be, too. WATCH INVICTA!
SATURDAY
Saturday is the big one for the weekend. UFC 184 comes to us live from Los Angeles. The prelims begin at 7:00 PM ET on Fight Pass, unless there’s another weight-cut related issue that scratches a fight and moves things up. The rest of the prelims will be on Fox Sports 1 starting at 8:00 PM ET. There’s a potentially fun heavyweight fight there, as Derrick Lewis takes on Ruan Potts, plus Mark Munoz welcomes Roan Carneiro to the middleweight division.
The main card will start at 10:00 PM ET only on pay-per-view! Tony Ferguson faces Gleison Tibau in a lightweight bout, while Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck will throw bombs at each other in the welterweight division.
The co-main event is a women’s bantamweight contest between Raquel “Rocky” Pennington and the debuting, undefeated Holly Holm. The main event is a women’s bantamweight title fight between “Alpha” Cat Zingano, the undefeated challenger, and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, the undefeated champion. As much as it pains me to write this, someone’s 0 has got to go!
