(Photo by Brandon Magnus/DWTNCS)
After an epic UFC 225 card, the world’s largest MMA promotion takes a week off, but that doesn’t mean the upcoming week is bereft of combat.
On Friday, Dinis Paiva (11-6) and Andre Ewell (12-4) will square off for the vacant Classic Entertainment and Sports bantamweight crown in the CES MMA 50 headliner at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. The evening’s main card, which also includes three-time UFC veteran Ron Stallings, will be televised on AXS-TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Elsewhere, Cage Warriors 94 will go down at Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday. The card will see Brian Bouland (6-1) lock horns with Ilia Topuria (5-0) for the European promotion’s vacant bantamweight title. The five-bout main card can be viewed on digital streaming service UFC Fight Pass beginning at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT.
Meanwhile, Absolute Championship Berkut heads down under for ACB 88 with a bill topped by UFC veterans Chris Camozzi (24-13) and Thiago Silva (20-7) at the Sleeman Sports Complex in Brisbane, Australia. Dedicated fans can watch the card on the ACB YouTube channel beginning at 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT.
Looking ahead to early next week, Season 2 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series returns with its second card of the summer on, of course, Tuesday. The five-bout card airs on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Matt Sayles (6-1) and Yazan Hajeh (6-0). All 10 competitors on the card will be vying for a UFC contract.
And just prior to the following weekend, Professional Fighters League heads to the Chicago Theater for its second event on Thursday, June 21. The recently rebranded promotion features a regular season followed by a playoff which will eventually award $1 million to champions in six weight classes. PFL 2 will be headlined by a lightweight clash pitting former Bellator MMA champion Will Brooks against Luiz Firmino. Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison will also make her MMA debut on the card, which airs on NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET.
