Greetings fellow fight fans!
This Saturday the combat keeps on coming with a Saturday that might give your thumb carpal tunnel from the amount of remote control switching you will have to do to catch all the live action. Lets run it all down.
SATURDAY APRIL 16th
Boxing
Premier Boxing Champions: Errol Spence, Jr. vs. Chris Algieri & Gary Russell, Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland
As PBC keeps setting the trends in fighting with the best matchups on TV, they share the broadcast on two networks this weekend.
Up first is top welterweight Errol Spence, Jr. who takes on his biggest challenge to date in Chris Algieri. These two are definitely a great matchup as Algieri is best known for facing and besting a dangerous Ruslan Provodnikov in the Barclays Center.
Spence, Jr., (19-0), who has the buzz-worthy ferocity that demands the boxing fan base’s attention, has lacked in opponents willing to trade their 0 or their bankable name to romp with him. Algieri (21-2) answered the challenge and this is sure to be a thriller.
Later that night, WBC Featherweight champion, Gary Russell, Jr. (26-1) makes his first title defense against Patrick Hyland. After a year layoff due to injury, Russell is back in action in what makes for an interesting fight on paper.
Hyland (31-1) comes from a fighting family like Russell, whose three other brothers are also named Gary Russell after their coach and father.
Worry not as the times are staggered to insure your ability to watch all the action.
Catch Errol Spence, Jr vs. Chris Algieri live on NBC at 8:30pm EST followed by Gary Russell, Jr. vs. Patrick Hyland live on Showtime at 11pm EST.
Mixed Martial Arts
UFC Fight Night Tampa: Teixeira vs. Evans
This card saw the scrapping of its co-main event, Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson 2 when Machida was pulled for failing a drug test. However, the show continues with its main event of Glover Teixeira vs. Rashad Evans.
Teixeira (24-4) returns to action after his TKO victory over Patrick Cummins last November and Fight of the Night winning submission victory over Ovince Saint Preux before that.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Evans (19-4-1) is attempting to rebound after his unanimous decision loss to Ryan Bader at UFC 192 last October. The Light Heavyweight division is still the one to watch and this fight could make things interesting in terms of contenders for the man on top of the mountain, current champion Daniel Cormier.
The new co-main event, Rose Namajunas (5-2) vs. Tecia Torres (7-0), brings together two warriors that have shared the cage before. The two fought before in the all-female promotion, Invicta FC and Torres took the unanimous decision. With Namajunas on a two-fight win streak and all her wins coming by submission, this pairing might be different if she can finish Torres, whose undefeated streak has been all unanimous decision victories.
UFC Fight Night Tampa can be seen live on FOX.
Bellator 152 Torino
Coming live from Torino, Italy, Bellator returns to action with a mix of veterans and up-and-comers to balance out MMAs Saturday plate.
In the Lightweight main event, Kevin Souza (15-4) takes on Patricky Pitbull Freire (15-7), who is coming off a 1st round KO victory over Ryan Couture, son of Randy Couture in January.
Rounding out the card, veteran Alessio Sakara (16-12) returns to the big stage against Brian Rogers (12-8) in a Light heavyweight matchup. Also, up-and-coming featherweight A.J. McKee, (3-0), the son of former fighter and trainer Antonio McKee, faces Danilo Belluardo.
Bellator 152 comes at you live on Spike TV at 10pm EST.
