UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will put his belt and his impressive 15-fight winning streak on the line in his home country on Saturday night at UFC 163.
Aldo will square off against “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, who has won 11 of his 16 professional fights by knockout or submission. The two will collide in the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view from Rio de Janeiro.
But before this weekend’s much-anticipated title fight, a number of other big names will show off their skills in the Octagon, including former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Here we’ll get you set for Saturday’s action.
What: UFC 163 main card
Where: HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro
When: Saturday, Aug. 3 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: PPV
Prelims on Facebook and FX
As usual, fans who don’t want to shell out $50 or $60 for Saturday’s PPV can catch a handful of preliminary fights for free on Facebook and FX.
All you have to do is click “Like” on the official UFC Facebook page and you can watch all three scheduled bouts on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. ET: Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde (welterweight), Ednaldo Oliveira vs. Francimar Barroso (light heavyweight) and Rani Yahya vs. Josh Clopton (featherweight).
Beginning at 8 p.m. ET on FX, four more preliminary fights will be broadcast in the lead-up to the PPV.
Ian McCall will square off against Iliarde Santos in a flyweight bout with the potential to thrill. Meanwhile, welterweights Sergio Moraes and Neil Magny will also be on display prior to a women’s bantamweight showdown between Brazil’s Amanda Nunes and “The German Tank” Sheila Gaff.
The prelims will conclude with a matchup between light heavyweights Vinny Magalhaes and Anthony Perosh.
UFC 163
The UFC will save its best for last on Saturday night. August’s first event will feature five intriguing fights, but none with more at stake than the main event pitting Aldo vs. Jung.
Aldo has defended his UFC title four consecutive times, while Jung has looked lethal in his past three victories, two of which came via submission, the other was a knockout win over Mark Hominick at UFC 140.
That said, the second-to-last fight of the night also has potential. “The Dragon,” Lyoto Machida, will look to win his third straight fight when he takes on American Phil Davis, who has lost just once in 13 professional bouts.
The main card will also featured a pair of middleweight bouts. The first will see Brazilian Thales Leites take on England’s Tom Watson, while the second will be an all-Brazilian affair between The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira and Thiago Santos.
The PPV will kick off shortly after 10 p.m ET with a catchweight clash between John Lineker and veteran Jose Maria.
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