As a reminder, “Countdown to UFC Fight Night 82,” which previews Saturday’s event, debuts tonight on FOX Sports 1.
The half-hour special airs at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT).
Saturday’s event, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, originally was named UFC 196 and was supposed to feature a rematch between heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and ex-titleholder Cain Velasquez. However, when both fighters eventually pulled out of the bout and a replacement couldn’t be found, the pay-per-view lineup shifted to FOX Sports 1, and former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and fellow contender Stephen Thompson (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) moved from the co-headliner to the main event.
Tonight’s “Countdown” special focuses on those two 170-pound contenders, who are ranked No. 2 (Hendricks) and No. 13 (Thompson) in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings.
The night’s co-headliner is also expected to get some attention during the “Countdown” special. In that bout, No. 13 heavyweight Roy Nelson (20-12 MMA, 7-8 UFC) takes on No. 15 Jared Rosholt (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
The full UFC Fight Night 82 card includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET)
For more on UFC Fight Night 82, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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