'Countdown to UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson' debuts Monday on FOX Sports 1

The UFC’s traditional pre-event show returns Monday with the debut of “Countdown to UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson” on FOX Sports 1.

The one-hour special previews the card’s headlining bout between UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who’s ranked No. 2 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA light heavyweight rankings (and No. 3 pound-for-pound), and No. 4-ranked Alexander Gustafsson (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

“Countdown” airs at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on FOX Sports 1, and replays air throughout the week.

UFC 192 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Cormier won the vacant 205-pound title in May with a submission of Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. The belt was up for grabs between the two after former champion Jon Jones was stripped of the title following his alleged involvement in an April hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque, N.M. Jones remains indefinitely suspended by the UFC during the pending legal process. Cormier will be defending the title for the first time.

Gustafsson actually is coming off a loss to Johnson in January. He had a shot at Jones two years ago, but lost a close decision at UFC 165. Despite the loss to Johnson in front of his home fans in Sweden, he was given the first crack at Cormier.

Also featured on the show, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and fellow top contender Tyron Woodley (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meet in a critical fight for the 170-pound division. And Season 8 “Ultimate Fighter” winner Ryan Bader (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) meets “TUF 2” winner Rashad Evans (19-3-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC), who returns after a layoff of nearly two years.

The full UFC 192 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Champ Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson – for light heavyweight title
• Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley
• Ryan Bader vs. Rashad Evans
• Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov
• Jessica Eye vs. Julianna Pena

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

• Ali Bagautinov vs. Joseph Benavidez
• Daniel Hooker vs. Yair Rodriguez
• Alan Jouban vs. Albert Tumenov
• Angela Hill vs. Rose Namajunas

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

• Islam Makhachev vs. Adriano Martins
• Chris Cariaso vs. Sergio Pettis
• Derrick Lewis vs. Viktor Pesta
• Sage Northcutt vs. Francisco Trevino

For more on UFC 192, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.