UFC on FOX 7 receives three-hour 'UFC Prelims' special on FX

April’s highly anticipated “UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez” event will feature a three-hour, six-fight “UFC Prelims” special on FX prior to the evening’s FOX-televised main card.

UFC and FX officials recently announced the plans, which include the newly booked Darren Elkins vs. Chad Mendes fight in the featured role of the “UFC Prelims” portion of the night.

Featuring a lightweight title fight between current champion Benson Henderson and former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez, UFC on FOX 7 takes place April 20 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

UFC on FOX 7 marks the third consecutive FOX-broadcast event that featured a three-hour “UFC Prelims” special on FX. The cable channel generally airs a two-hour special prior to all UFC pay-per-view events.

UFC on FOX 7 has featured a few late changes in the lineup as Jordan Mein, Darren Elkins and T.J. Dillashaw were brought in as replacement opponents during the past week for Dan Hardy, Clay Guida and Francisco Rivera, respectively. However, the lineup is still loaded with intriguing fights from top to bottom. Interestingly, the night’s main card sees four Strikeforce imports face off with four UFC veterans in the former home arena of the now-shuttered promotion.

The latest UFC on FOX 7 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez – for lightweight

• title

• Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir
• Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson
• Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 5 p.m. ET)

• Darren Elkins vs. Chad Mendes
• Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck
• Francis Carmont vs. Lorenz Larkin
• Myles Jury vs. Ramsey Nijem
• Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama
• Jorge Masvidal vs. Tim Means

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 3:35 p.m. ET)

• T.J. Dillashaw vs. Hugo Viana
• Roger Bowling vs. Anthony Njokuani
• Clifford Starks vs. Yoel Romero

For more on UFC on FOX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Chad Mendes)