'Countdown to UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson 2' debuts Sunday on FS1

The UFC’s traditional pre-event show returns Sunday with the debut of “Countdown to UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson 2” on FS1.

The one-hour special previews the card’s headlining bout between UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping (29-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) and challenger Dan Henderson (32-14 MMA, 9-8 UFC). Bisping puts his belt on the line for the first time.

Bisping, the UFC’s first British champion, is No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings after defeating Anderson Silva and then dethroning Luke Rockhold. He’ll fight in his home city in the rematch with No. 14-ranked Henderson, who knocked him out at UFC 100 more than seven years ago.

“Countdown” airs at 12:30 a.m. ET (9:30 p.m. PT) on FS1, and replays air throughout the week.

UFC 204 takes place Oct. 8 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. In North America, the event is slotted for its normal broadcast times. But for fans in Manchester, the event kicks off at 11:30 p.m., and the main card begins at 3 a.m.

The full UFC 204 card includes:

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

• Champ Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson – for middleweight title
• Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Jimi Manuwa vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Stefan Struve
• Mirsad Bektic vs. TBA

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

• Iuri Alcantara vs. Brad Pickett
• Ian Entwistle vs. Rob Font
• Davey Grant vs. Damian Stasiak
• Leon Edwards vs. Albert Tumenov

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Mike Perry vs. Danny Roberts
• Adriano Martins vs. Leonardo Santos
• Marc Diakiese vs. Reza Madadi

For more on UFC 204, check out the UFC Rumors section of the card.