Best Sports on TV and Stream this Weekend (October 13-16, 2023)

With another week of thrilling sport under our belt, it’s time to get ready for even more bumper action this weekend. With the NBA season still yet to start, there’s some great action in tennis, MMA, and soccer, along with one of the biggest social media sporting events of the year. Let’s go through what we have in store for us this weekend.

ATP Tour: Shanghai Masters (October 4th-15th)

With this year’s ATP Tour reaching its conclusion soon, we have a few more big tournaments coming up around the world, with the battle for number 1 in the rankings up for grabs. The tour has come to China, with the Shanghai Masters starting last week and providing a spectacle for fans in the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

We are currently going through the round of 32 stage, with top seed Carlos Alcaraz on a mission to win this title to get closer to world number 1 Novak Djokovic’s ranking points tally. He comes up against Brit Daniel Evans, with the 30th seed being in fine form this year after finally making his breakthrough into the top 50 a couple of years ago.

However, second seed Daniil Medvedev is already out after a shocking straight-set loss to Sebastian Korda in the round of 32 yesterday. The Russian has been one of the standout names on the tour this year, but the amount of tournaments he has played could be catching up with him, with Medvedev looking tired in his loss.

Third seed Holger Rune was also knocked out in even more devastating fashion, going down 6-0 6-2 to unseeded Brandon Nakashima in the round of 64. Rune will be bitterly disappointed that he won’t get a chance to compete for the title, but he was really off-colour in his defeat.

Fourth and fifth seeds Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the big challengers to Alcaraz for this final week of the tournament, with Rublev already in the round of 16 after winning against Adrian Mannarino and Tsitsipas going up against Ugo Humbert later today.

Boxing: KSI vs. Fury / Paul vs. Danis (October 14th)

If you are a boxing fan, chances are that you’ve heard of social media influencers putting on their own shows in recent years. Names like Jake Paul have made the transition into boxing successfully in recent years, recently beating UFC legend Nate Diaz on points and winning knockout of the year for his knockout of a former UFC champion in Tyron Woodley.

SEE HOW TO WATCH KSI VS. FURY ON TV HERE

However, the first time he came up against a professional boxer, Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy Fury, he lost. It may have been a split decision, but the fight was actually far less close than the scorecard showed.

Step forward KSI, a British YouTuber and music artist who was one of the originators of the influencer boxing scene in 2018. He has fought multiple opponents in the last year (including two on one night last year), and has shown admirable speed and power for a non-professional. He will go up against Fury this weekend in an event that is becoming huge on social media.

Fellow influencer Logan Paul is also making his boxing comeback on the card in his first fight since going 8 rounds with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. His opponent is Bellator fighter and Conor McGregor’s friend Dillon Danis, who has never boxed before.

This fight should be an easy win for Paul, but the buildup has been a lot more viral than the main event due to the personal and insulting nature of the feud between the two, with lawsuits pending and families being included. It’s going to be a hell of a spectacle, that’s for sure.

International Soccer: Germany @ USA (October 14th)

With most national soccer leagues taking a break for the next week or so, this weekend sees the return of international soccer, with USA in action against soccer giants Germany.

Germany have won the FIFA World Cup a total of 4 times, just one behind Brazil, and they have mostly been one of the top teams of the 21st century. Team USA have not found success on the highest stage yet, but they are building their team for the future, with the World Cup taking place in the US in 2026.

But although the German team have been historically successful, they failed badly in their previous two World Cups, crashing out in the group stages both times and suffering an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Japan in the most recent edition in 2022.

They have since brought in some young players, such as Florian Wirtz and Felix Nmecha, in order to try and build a new generation and transition to future success. Legendary forward Thomas Müller is one of the only remaining members of the 2014 World Cup winning squad, and his experience mixed with the youth in the team should be a tough combination.

Germany recently won 4-1 against their World Cup conquerors Japan and then won 2-1 against 2022 runners-up France (albeit with star attacker Kylian Mbappé on the bench), a sign that their new generation is a team to be reckoned with.

But Team USA have a team that’s growing in confidence all the time. After qualifying from their World Cup group in 2022 and losing to a strong Netherlands team 3-1 in the round of 16, they have won the CONCACAF Nations League, beating Canada 2-0 in the final, but then were downed in the semifinals of the Gold Cup against Panama, albeit on penalties.

Their trajectory is trending upwards though, and their recent thrashings of Uzbekistan and Oman just show how much stronger USA is than the weaker international teams. Star attacker Christian Pulisic and young talent Ricardo Pepi will be key to their successes in the next couple of years, and if they can start strongly against Germany, you wouldn’t bet against them to spring an upset.

UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza (October 14th)

UFC Fight Night returns this weekend with an lineup of bouts that promises non-stop action. At the forefront is a featherweight clash between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Yusuff, with his fast hands and knockout power, has been on a tear lately, proving himself as one of the division's most promising talents. On the other hand, the veteran Barboza, known for his devastating leg kicks and striking mastery, aims to halt Yusuff's momentum and assert his own claim in the stacked featherweight division.

In the co-main event, flyweights Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo go head-to-head. Maia, with her solid grappling background, looks to take the fight to the ground and showcase her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess. Araujo, on the contrary, will rely on her striking and agility to keep the fight standing and target a decisive finish.

Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez is the third marquee matchup of the night. Both fighters have been making waves in the bantamweight division and are eager to climb the rankings. With Martinez's diverse striking and Yanez's relentless aggression, this bout could very well steal the show.

Author: Dan Anderson