'Countdown to UFC Fight Night 103: Rodriguez vs. Penn' debuts Sunday on FS1

The UFC’s traditional pre-event show returns Sunday with the debut of “UFC Fight Night 103: Rodriguez vs. Penn” on FS1.

The 30-minute special previews the card’s headlining bout between rising featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and former two-division champion and UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn (16-10-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC).

It’s a rare edition of the “Countdown” preview show given it’s not based on a pay-per-view event, but rather one that is airing on FS1.

Rodriguez is an honorable mention selection in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings and is looking for the highest-profile win of his career. Penn is coming out of retirement to fight for the first time since July 2014.

“Countdown” airs at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) on FS1, and replays air throughout the week.

UFC Fight Night 103 takes place Jan. 15, a Sunday, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. The main card airs on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC Fight Night 103 card includes:

MAIN CARD (FS1, 10 p.m. ET)

• Yair Rodriguez vs. B.J. Penn
• Marcin Held vs. Joe Lauzon
• Court McGee vs. Ben Saunders
• Jimmie Rivera vs. Marlon Vera

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 8 p.m. ET)

• John Moraga vs. Sergio Pettis
• Augusto Mendes vs. Frankie Saenz
• Aleksei Oleinik vs. Viktor Pesta
• Tony Martin vs. Alex White

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)

• Nina Ansaroff vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger
• Drakkar Klose vs. Devin Powell
• Walt Harris vs. Chase Sherman
• Joachim Christensen vs. Bojan Mihajlovic
• Cyril Asker vs. Dmitrii Smoliakov

For more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.