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Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
EPISODE: 1 Welterweights Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki Yoshida; lightweights Joe Stevenson and Spencer Fisher; rematch between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
EPISODE: 2 Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien; Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck; Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni; Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin II Highlights of UFC 147 in Brazil.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
FOX 7 Fight Flashback Ultimate Fighter upset winner Kelvin Gastelum in studio.
5:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Fighters that successfully transition from UFC to Pride.
6:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 3: This is My Zone B.J. and his coaches are unhappy with Team B.J. Penn's effort; Gabe Ruediger goes to extreme measures to cut weight.
7:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
EPISODE: 1 Welterweights Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki Yoshida; lightweights Joe Stevenson and Spencer Fisher; rematch between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Bad Blood
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz Bitter enemies Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz do battle in an outside of the Octagon.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Fighter's Cut - Tito Ortiz relives two of his most famous fights.
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 133
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
Welterweights Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida face off in UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fights for the Troops at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C. Read more -
Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
6:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet West: UFC Central Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider Hendricks on the Brink Johny Henricks all-access account of his UFC 158; Alexander Gustafsson provides a tour of his home; Cain Velasquez's Harley Davidson photo shoot.
6:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Best Of Sonnen Chael Sonnen all-access account of his UFC on FOX; the greatest trash talker of them all; Sonnen mic'd up for his real time reaction to the legendary fight between Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson.
7:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Matt Brown's journey; the Signature Moves of Travis Browne; Miesha Tate mic'd up for the historic Ronda Rousey vs Liz Carmouche; Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar off the cuff about fight films.
7:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 126
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Fight Night
UFC 124: Relive all the action from UFC: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis in Seattle.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez - Preview of all the action ahead in FOX UFC Saturday Henderson vs. Melendez at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 126
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 144: Relive the action from UFC 144 Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez - Preview of all the action ahead in FOX UFC Saturday Henderson vs. Melendez at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 126
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Shogun Grand Prix Mauricio Rua's epic run in the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament.
9:00 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
EPISODE: 1 Welterweights Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki Yoshida; lightweights Joe Stevenson and Spencer Fisher; rematch between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC's Road to the Octagon
A look at the most anticipated fights in the upcoming UFC event on Saturday, April 20th.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 5 Episode 1: It's Like Anarchy Here Read more -
Wednesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Wednesday
3:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Liz Carmouche prepares for her UFC debut; All-access for the UFC 157 promo shoot; Dustin Poirier's pursuit of the featherweight championship; and Michael Bisping on the UK's rich combat sports history.
3:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
5:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Champion's Roundtable With Jay Glazer
Jay Glazer chats all things UFC.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 2: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Ambush Fourteen middleweights move into the house and training begins; a fighter gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness; two fighters face off in the first preliminary fight.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 3: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Embrace the Suffering A fighter responds after being called out; coach Sonnen gives advice to a fighter lacking confidence; coach Jones bonds with his team during a house visit; two fighters deliver explosive action.
9:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Behind the scenes at Alistair Overeem's photo shoot; 24 year old Erik Koch; Rashad Evans defines the warrior code; Anthony Pettis shows off his signatures moves.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Michael McDonald celebrates his birthday; Sacramento's Team Alpha Male; Dan Henderson recounts his career; UFC's finest describe the feeling of a knockout
10:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Best of Jon Jones, Jon Jones & Rashad Evans face-off looking ahead to UFC 145; All access with Jones and Evans.
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Liz Carmouche prepares for her UFC debut; All-access for the UFC 157 promo shoot; Dustin Poirier's pursuit of the featherweight championship; and Michael Bisping on the UK's rich combat sports history.
11:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview for FUEL TV 7: Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald in London.
2:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Liz Carmouche prepares for her UFC debut; All-access for the UFC 157 promo shoot; Dustin Poirier's pursuit of the featherweight championship; and Michael Bisping on the UK's rich combat sports history.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
3:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Prelims
Longtime lightweight rivals Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout, and featherweights Ross Pearson and Cub Swanson.
6:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 12
A historic collection of matchups.
6:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview for FUEL TV 7: Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald in London.
7:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Liz Carmouche prepares for her UFC debut; All-access for the UFC 157 promo shoot; Dustin Poirier's pursuit of the featherweight championship; and Michael Bisping on the UK's rich combat sports history.
7:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
Inside the day-to-day lives of first-ever UFC female champion Ronda Rousey, and her challenger Liz Carmouche.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian.
8:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 12
A historic collection of matchups.
8:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
Season 17 Episode 2: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Ambush Fourteen middleweights move into the house and training begins; a fighter gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness; two fighters face off in the first preliminary fight.
8:00 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
9:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 11
The best collection of knock outs ever caught on camera and featuring some of today's biggest stars in MMA.
10:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet West: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen
Season 17 Episode 2: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen: Ambush Fourteen middleweights move into the house and training begins; a fighter gets emotional after his team shows serious doubts about his readiness; two fighters face off in the first preliminary fight.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Fighters that successfully transition from UFC to Pride.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
12:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 11
The best collection of knock outs ever caught on camera and featuring some of today's biggest stars in MMA.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Demetrious Johnson takes on John Dodson for the flyweight title; Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira; Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone; Ricardo Lamas vs. Erik Koch. From Chicago. Read more -
Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
3:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 9
A historic collection of matchups.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
4:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 8
The best collection of knock outs ever caught on camera and featuring some of today's biggest stars in MMA.
4:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama; B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes; George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Best of 2012: The Year in Review
Relive the thrilling action of the best bouts, the greatest knockouts and submissions.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Prelims
Longtime lightweight rivals Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout, and featherweights Ross Pearson and Cub Swanson.
3:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC's Road to the Octagon
UFC's main event fighters train for their upcoming bout inside the Octagon.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 79: St-Pierre vs. Hughes Georges St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes; Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva..
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Preview all the official news, views, and action for FOX 6: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson.
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 100
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Featuring Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama; B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes; George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon.
9:00 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida from UFC on FOX; Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard from UFC 136.
10:00 p.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator MMA Live
Season 1 Episode 2: EPISODE: 2 Ben Askren defends his Welterweight World Championship title against Karl Amoussou; Muhammed Lawal vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala, light heavyweight quarterfinal match . From Thackerville, Okla.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 17 Episode 1: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen - Enter the OctagonTwenty-eight middleweights arrive in Las Vegas for a shot at a UFC contract; coaches Chael Sonnen and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones evaluate the winners of 14 elimination fights.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
12:00 a.m. ET SpikeTV: Bellator MMA Live
Season 1 Episode 2: EPISODE: 2 Ben Askren defends his Welterweight World Championship title against Karl Amoussou; Muhammed Lawal vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala, light heavyweight quarterfinal match . From Thackerville, Okla. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
3:00 a.m. ET AXS: AXS TV Fights It's Showtime 60
From Sao Paulo, Brazil.
4:00 a.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Wired
Joe Rogan hosts this UFC highlight show featuring some of the best bouts from years past.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1 Part one of The Top 50 Moments of 2012. From one-punch knockouts to amazing submissions to come-from-behind victories, UFC TONIGHT's Kenny Florian takes us through moments 50-26 in this week's special.
5:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Prelims
Longtime lightweight rivals Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout, and featherweights Ross Pearson and Cub Swanson.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Gustafsson; Lauzon; Rogan; Arianny Alexander Gustafsson's San Diego training; Joe Lauzon's signature moves; Arianny Celeste poses.
9:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: X-Fighters 2011 Highlights
Spain
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle; Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim; Brendan Schaub vs Mirko Cro Cop; Rashad Evans vs Tito Ortiz.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1 Part one of The Top 50 Moments of 2012. From one-punch knockouts to amazing submissions to come-from-behind victories, UFC TONIGHT's Kenny Florian takes us through moments 50-26 in this week's special.
6:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Champion's Roundtable With Jay Glazer
Jay Glazer chats all things UFC.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
8:00 p.m. ET The Score: Bellator Fight Night
Bellator Fighting Championships is the world’s fastest growing MMA organization. “Bellator” is Latin for warrior and was created by sports marketing visionary Bjorn Rebney. The core belief of the organization is that title shots must be earned, not given. Fighters compete in single-elimination tournaments for a shot at the Bellator title and a $100,000 prize.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC Rio: Jose Aldo defends his Featherweight title against undefeated Chad Mendes.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Presents Benson Henderson: Rising Up
Benson Henderson's mother, brother, girlfriend, coach and Benson, himself, reveal the motivations and desires that drive him. Read more -
Fisher: UFC 155 Division Now Features More Control, Less Finishing
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Spencer Fisher, a five-year veteran of the UFC lightweight division, on “Beatdown” last week describing his view that the weight class has shifted toward an emphasis on wrestling and control:
Read more
“Tell me about it, but I guess that’s my problem at the end of the day. Yeah, I think so for sure. I think people rely more on holding you down and gaining points than finishing fights. That’s a shame, but that’s what’s happened now. Until they change that, it’s going to be up to me to be able to keep that fight standing or dictate it on the ground. I’ve said in the past it’s up to me to keep the fight standing, but for God’s sake, if you’re going to take me down to the ground, don’t lay on me for three rounds. Pass my guard, beat me up -- I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t lay on top of me. I’m not going to do it. I’m going to look to finish. I’m going to look to pass and finish every fight I get into. I’m going to try to at least. I’m not the type of guy who’s going to hit a guy and run from him either. It’s a fight, and that’s what I’ve come to do.” -
Primer: UFC 104
By: Jake Rossen
D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
In 2007, when Pride folded into the origami shape for failure, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua took his 16-2 record to the UFC, where he was expected to beat his chest atop a pile of corpses. Instead, he was thoroughly battered by Forrest Griffin and barely eked out a win against a man fifteen years his senior in Mark Coleman. Knocking out Chuck Liddell, the new statistical norm for that fighter, resulted in confidence that the “old ‘Shogun’” had returned. It also resulted in a title shot. Not exactly a walk through the gates of fire, but okay.
I remain skeptical, mostly because “old ‘Shogun’” is a nightmare of punctuation and I loathe typing it, but also because he’s looked good for roughly five minutes out of a 35-minute UFC career. Oddsmakers believe he has only a 33% chance of defeating Lyoto Machida, whose base style of karate should have given him only a .005% chance of success in the sport. So maybe odds aren’t everything.
What: UFC 104: Machida vs. ‘Shogun,’ an 11-bout card from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view, with a live preliminary show airing on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.
Why You Should Care: Because Machida is the closest thing we’ve got to a profound, peerless martial artist; because whether “Shogun” has found his old form or not, he will make it exciting; because Ben Rothwell is going to force Cain Velasquez to scramble and work like hell to overcome his size; because judo remains an under-represented style in MMA and Yoshiyuki Yoshida can counter Anthony Johnson’s stand-up with the highly technical ploy of dumping him on his head.
Fight of the Night: Machida’s unblemished record raises stakes for every second he’s in the ring; “Shogun” will stay in his face.
Sleeper Fight of the Night: Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher: three rounds of Fisher getting scooped up and then working overtime on the feet to compensate.
Pre-emptive Complaint: Chael Sonnen vs. Yushin Okami might be a concentrated effort to keep blood pressure among viewers steady; Okami, talented as he is, makes Ricardo Arona look like Jet Li.
Hype Quote of the Show: “I just saw what he wrote about me and I am going to punch him in the face for that, plain and simple.” -- Fisher on Stevenson’s verbal warfare. At least he’s not in Fisher’s head. Read more
