Big Weekend Preview

No name-reading this weekend. No speculation about "upsides" or breakdowns of footwork or seven rounds of taking heads filling time. The NFL Draft is over, and while we at B/R are big fans of the event, it's time to get back to real action ... like drinking mint juleps while wearing a crazy hat and watching horses run around a dirt track. 

Facetiousness aside, the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby is this weekend, which makes your next 48-hours away from work awesome enough as is. But throw in a couple big brawls and some postseason stick and ball sports, and you've got the makings of an epic time on the couch or at the sports bar. 

UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs. Miller

When: Saturday, 8 p.m. (ET)

TV: FOX

Why You Should Watch: It's a Pay-Per-View level event – that you get to watch for free. Hard to argue there. And, love them or hate them, anytime a Diaz brother is attached to a card, you know you're set for some excitement. Trash-talking, taunting, dropping the hands to preen, it's all possible when Nate Diaz takes on Jim Miller in the main event of this event, which also has a lot more to offer. 

Mayweather vs. Cotto

When: Saturday, 7 p.m. (ET)

TV: Pay-Per-View

Why You Should Watch: Look, it's not Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, which does make this fight about 10,000 times less exciting. But even at 10,000 times less exciting, it's still promises to be a great way to watch some fists fly on Saturday if MMA isn't your thing. My drivel aside, let's have a B/R Boxing Featured Columnist take over here for a moment. The floor is yours, Briggs Seekins:

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Mayweather Jr., 42(26)-0, will challenge Miguel Cotto, 37(30)-2(2), for Cotto's WBA "super" world light middleweight title. Mayweather was the majority consensus number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world on the most recent Ring Magazine poll.

At 35, Mayweather appears to still be at the top of his game. But age, and the odds, catch almost every fighter eventually. Against a world class talent like Cotto, his fabled "O" is at some risk. 

"

 

NHL Playoffs

When: All weekend

TV: NBC Family of Networks

Why You Should Watch: It's hard to argue with postseason Hockey. The hits, fights, goals, saves – it all seems bigger, as it should. When the coolest trophy in sports (no argument is valid against this) is on the line, the play gets cranked up a few notches accordingly. 

NBA Playoffs

When: All Weekend

TV: ABC, ESPN, TNT

Why You Should Watch: We'll, if you're a sports fan, you're probably watching already. Even though the NBA playoffs take what seems like years to crown a champion, they're at least very entertaining years. This weekend should see some of the "barely qualified" teams get rightfully bounced, which paves the way for entertaining weekends to come. 

138th Kentucky Derby

When: Saturday, Post Time: 6:24 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBC

Why You Should Watch: Because it's the Kentucky Derby, that's why. It only takes a few minutes, yet can provide more entertainment than an entire NBA playoff series. Bleacher Report's all over the race coverage-wise, including long-shots. 

My money's on Sabercat (30:1), mainly just because of the name.