Getty Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will take on fellow UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN+ 8 on Saturday at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
The early prelims (5:30 p.m. ET) will be televised on ESPN2, the prelims (7 p.m. ET) will be on ESPN, and Jacare vs Hermansson and the main card (9 p.m. ET) will be exclusively on ESPN+. Here’s how to watch a live stream of all the fights online:
How to Watch UFC Sunrise Main Card Online
The main card won’t be on regular cable TV anywhere in the US, but you can watch a live stream of those fights via ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage to dozens of sporting events, including UFC, every week.
You can start a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of Jacare vs Hermansson and the main card on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
How to Watch UFC Sunrise Preliminary Cards Online
The prelims will be televised on ESPN (second prelims) and ESPN2 (early prelims), but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of both channels on your computer, phone, or streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include ESPN and ESPN2.
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN and ESPN2.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the fights on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
UFC Sunrise 2019 Preview
Souza (26-6 MMA record, 9-3 in the UFC) was on track to take on Jared Cannonier before the promotion pitted Cannonier against Anderson Silva at UFC 237. The 39-year-old Brazilian then agreed to fight Yoel Romero, whose UFC Fort Lauderdale five-round main event with Paulo Costa had been dashed by a withdrawal.
Then Romero got pneumonia.
Souza accepted a fight against Hermansson (19-4, 7-2) when the promotion promised him a shot at the UFC middleweight title, a meeting with the winner of an unbooked unification fight between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
“They really wanted this fight, they insisted a lot,” the eight-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championship gold medalist said, according to MMA Fighting. “It was a negotiation and we accepted it. I talked to everyone. I talked to Mick Maynard, who talked to Dana White and Hunter (Campbell), everyone there. Everyone in the UFC promised me the belt if I won, and that’s something no one ever did to me before. They really wanted this fight.”
Souza added: “I was ready to fight Romero, was really happy with that rematch. I was excited to possibly go five rounds with him, but he had that [illness]. … It’s not an easy [illness], many people die of it, so he has to take care of himself. I wish him a good recovery. And then ‘Borrachinha’ (Costa) came. I liked it, was happy about it. ‘Borrachinha’ is a young guy, really strong. I didn’t like it at first, but then I agreed to it. They told me he had agreed to it, but in the end he changed his mind. He said he was too heavy and only had four weeks to prepare and changed his mind. Well, okay then.
“And then Hermansson … I took a little time before I agreed to it, more than a week — to me, it felt like a month. But we agreed to it.”
Hermansson didn’t get any such assurances from the UFC.
“I don’t got any promises at all,” the 30-year-old Swede said, according to MMA Junkie. “‘Jacare’ is a really legit opponent. He’s super, super dangerous. There is only the best guys in the division that have been able to beat him, and if I beat him I think I’m one of the best guys in the division. I’m going to do it and I’m going to show everybody that I belong here, that I belong at the top and a title shot will come eventually.”
Hermansson bested David Branch via guillotine choke at UFC on ESPN 2, just 28 days before his bout with Souza.