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In a rematch of a 2012 Strikeforce fight, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson will meet in the main event inside the Spectrum Center on Saturday night. Rounding out the main card (the complete list of fights can be found here) will be Dennis Bermudez vs Andre Fili, Jordan Rinaldi vs Gregor Gillespie and Drew Dober vs. Frank Camacho.
The first preliminary card, which starts at 4 p.m. ET, can be watched online via UFC Fight Pass, which offers a free 7-day trial.
The second prelim (5 p.m. ET) will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, while the main card (8 p.m.) will be on Fox. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch both FS1 and Fox online, on your phone or on another streaming device by signing up for a free trial of one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
FuboTV: Fox (live in select markets) and Fox Sports 1 are both included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and then you can watch Fox or FS1 on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
DirecTV Now: Fox (live in select markets) and Fox Sports 1 are included in all four of DirecTV Now’s channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, and you can then watch on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: Fox (live in select markets) and Fox Sports 1 are included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
Preview
Jacare, one of the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts in the world and a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, had strung together a pair of Performance of the Night showings against Vitor Belfort (first-round TKO in May 2016) and Tim Boetsch (first-round submission in February 2017) before a loss to Robert Whittaker resulted in a torn pectoral muscle and would ultimately challenge his dedication to MMA.
“About five months after surgery for the pectoral, my appendix exploded,” said Souza. “So I went to surgery and stayed in the hospital for about 10 days. I was really having some second thoughts about coming back to MMA. It was a pretty hard moment for me.”
More than nine months since that defeat, Jacare will return to the Octagon to take on Derek Brunson, a man he defeated via first-round, first-minute KO back in August of 2012.
Still, Jacare isn’t taking Brunson for granted. After losses to Whittaker and Anderson Silva, the 34-year-old North Carolina native has shown his dangerous ability in the last two fights, stopping Dan Kelly and Lyoto Machida each via punches in the first round.
“My last fight against Derek Brunson was a long time ago,” he said. “He has changed a lot in recent years. He is way better now. I’m focused on the new Derek Brunson.”
With both fighters ranked inside the Top 10 in the middleweight rankings, this bout is likely to have significant impact on the division. Even if it doesn’t, it should be a really entertaining battle between two men with great early-stoppage ability.