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A middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier will headline UFC Fight Night 160 in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Neither the prelims (11 a.m. ET) or the main card (2 p.m. ET) will be on TV in the US, but you can watch the entirety of both cards live on ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of UFC and other live sporting events, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and other original content for $4.99 per month.
You can either sign up for a month of ESPN+ right here, or if you plan on also ordering the upcoming UFC 243: Whittaker vs Adesanya, you can purchase a year of ESPN+ and the UFC 243 PPV for a special bundle price of $79.98 (normally $109.98).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch a live stream of Hermansson vs Cannonier and all the UFC Copenhagen fights 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.
UFC Copenhagen 2019 Preview
Hermansson (20-4 in MMA, 7-2 in the UFC) is riding a four-fight winning streak, having bested Thales Leites, Gerald Meerschaert, David Branch, and Ronaldo Souza.
Seemingly one victory from a title bout, the 31-year-old Swede surprised fight fans by accepting a matchup with Cannonier (12-4, 5-4), who enters the tilt ranked ninth in the division.
“At the end of the day, I wanted to stay active and I wanted to headline this card,” Hermansson said in August, according to MMA Fighting. “When they couldn’t get me [Kelvin] Gastelum and I knew that [Yoel] Romero was fighting [Paulo] Costa, I was just kind of like, ‘Who is the next one?’ [UFC] told me that I would get Cannonier.
“He’s a dangerous opponent. A lot of people, especially the fans, are asking me why I’m doing this. Instead of just being like, ‘Yes, this is great! We’re going to have you in Copenhagen,’ instead they’re saying, ‘You shouldn’t take this fight!'”
Hermansson and Cannonier rarely go the distance — they’ve each heard the final bell in just two out of nine UFC fights.
“I don’t like to turn down fights and also, the UFC need a main event there. As I’ve said before, I want to be that guy in Scandinavia that has that place,” Hermansson said, per MMA Fighting. “Also, I think it’s beneficial for me to get another main event to build my name and get even more recognition worldwide from UFC fans. I think that’s important for the UFC — before they throw me into a title fight I think they want to be able to put me in a big fight that allows me to continue to build my name.”
Cannonier has won two straight bouts since he moved down to middleweight, securing TKO victories over Branch and Anderson Silva.
The 35-year-old began his UFC tenure as a heavyweight, splitting his first two fights before a move down to light heavyweight. He went 2-3 at 205 pounds, prompting his shift to middleweight.
“I never consciously envisioned it, but I always knew that it was a possibility because I believe that any and everything is possible,” Cannonier said of sliding from heavyweight to middleweight in a span of two and a half years, according to UFC.com. “With the fact that I knew I wasn’t a match for heavyweight and I knew I would go down, at the time I was more set on light heavyweight and not necessarily middleweight. But I never discounted the idea.”