[Get Exclusive Tips on our Patreon, Ad-Free]
December is a big month for fans of all sports, especially football.
The college bowl games begin and there will be football on nearly every day towards the end of the month. It is also the last month of the NFL regular season so we can really start seeing teams as they prepare to make their run at the Super Bowl.
For UFC, there are some big events as well with the Ultimate Fighter Finale, UFC 218, UFC 219 and a UFC on Fox event. Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar will headline UFC 218 in what should be a great fight.
The last WWE big event of the year will take place on December 17th with a Smackdown only event called Clash of Champions. Typically that event sees all titles on the line.
Here’s a full breakdown of events taking place in December 2017.
Basketball:
The NBA’s Christmas game tradition will continue this year with five games throughout the day.
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics
Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
Boxing:
There are some pretty big fights this month highlighted by Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali.
December 2nd: Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali
December 9th: Orlando Salido vs. Miguel Berchelt
December 16th David Lemieux vs. Billy Joe Saunders
December 17th: Tony Bellew vs. David Haye
Cricket:
December 2nd-6th: Australia vs. England, second Ashes Test
December 14th-18th: Australia vs. England, third Ashes Test
December 26th-30th: Australia vs. Englad, fourth Ashes Test
Football:
December is a big month in the NFL as the final four weeks of the regular season will take place. Weeks 15 and 16 will feature Saturday games as well. While Week 17 will feature only Sunday games as teams jockey for playoff spots.
The NCAA Bowl games also start in December on the 16th with five bowl games. The major bowl games will start on the 29th with the Cotton Bowl. December 30th with see the Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl.
Dec. 16 | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA |
AutoNation Cure Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
|
Las Vegas Bowl | Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV |
|
Gildan New Mexico Bowl | Dreamstyle Stadium Albuquerque, NM |
|
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL |
|
Dec. 19 | Boca Raton Bowl | FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL |
Dec. 20 | Frisco Bowl | Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX |
Dec. 21 | Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl | Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL |
Dec. 22 | Bahamas Bowl | Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID |
|
Dec. 23 | Birmingham Bowl | Legion Field Birmingham, AL |
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX |
|
Dollar General Bowl | Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL |
|
Dec. 24 | Hawaiʻi Bowl | Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI |
Dec. 26 | Cactus Bowl | Chase Field Phoenix, AZ |
Quick Lane Bowl | Ford Field Detroit, MI |
|
Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl | Cotton Bowl Stadium Dallas, TX |
|
Dec. 27 | Walk-On’s Independence Bowl | Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA |
New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY |
|
Texas Bowl | NRG Stadium Houston, TX |
|
Foster Farms Bowl | Levi’s Stadium Santa Clara, CA |
|
Dec. 28 | Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD |
Camping World Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
|
Valero Alamo Bowl | Alamodome San Antonio, TX |
|
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl | SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA |
|
Dec. 29 | Belk Bowl | Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC |
Hyundai Sun Bowl | Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX |
|
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN |
|
Dec. 29 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | AT&T Stadium |
Dec. 30 | PlayStation Fiesta Bowl | University of Phoenix Stadium |
Capital One Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium | |
Dec. 30 | TaxSlayer Bowl | EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL |
AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN |
|
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl | Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ |
|
Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL |
Citrus Bowl | Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL |
Golf:
December 7th-10th: Joburg Open, European Tour
Hockey:
Lots of big hockey games this month as the season is starting to heat up. A big one to watch out for is the NHL 100 Classic, an outdoor game taht will be played at the TD Place Stadium in Ottawa.
Unlike the NBA, the league actually goes on “Christmas break” and there will be no games December 24th to the 26th. New Year’s Eve will be a big night though with eight games on the schedule.
December 16th: The NHL 100 Classic – Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
Horse Racing:
December 26th: King George VI Chase
Mixed Martial Arts:
The Ultimate Fighter finishing off their 26th leads off a full month of MMA action.
December 1st: Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale
December 1st:: Bellator 189: Budd vs. Blencowe
December 2nd: UFC 218: Holloway vs. Edgar
December 9th: Bellator 190: Carvalho vs. Sakara
December 15th: Bellator 191
December 16th: UFC on Fox 26: Lawler vs Dos Anjos
December 30th: UFC 219
Rugby:
December 2nd: Rugby league – World Cup final
December 2nd: Rugby union – Wales vs. South Africa
Soccer:
December 1st: Final draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia (Moscow)
Wrestling:
December 17th: Clash of Champions (Smackdown)