Last weekend's UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Clark lost its original headliner between Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes one day before the fight because the latter tested positive for COVID-19. However, the rest of the card more than made up for it. Anthony Lionheart Smith emerged victorious over Devin Clark via submission in the first round in the main event.
This week's UFC Fight Night event (UFC Vegas 16) is headlined by a crucial middleweight encounter between Jack The Joker Hermansson and The Italian Dream Marvin Vettori.
The winner of Saturday's five-round middleweight bout is likely to go on to challenge Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. The co-headliner of the night features a light heavyweight clash between Ovince Saint Preux and Jamahal Hill.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Preview: Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori
Jack Hermansson has a career record of 21-5 and stands at 8-3 inside the Octagon. Hermansson is currently ranked #4 in the UFC middleweight rankings, and out of his 21 career wins, 11 came via knockout, six through submission, and four by way of decision.
The Joker has one win and one loss in his last two fights. He suffered a knockout loss against Jared Cannonier at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier back in September 2019.
Hermansson then bounced back with a solid performance against Kelvin Gastelum, picking up the win via submission in the first round at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 in July this year.
Marvin Vettori is on the quest to become the first Italian champion in UFC history. Vettori has an overall career record of 15-4-1 and stands at 5-2-1 inside the Octagon. Vettori has nine submission finishes in his career, and knockout artist Hermansson must be wary of the Italian's ground game heading into the fight.
In his previous appearance, Marvin Vettori submitted Karl Roberson via rear-naked choke in the first round of their middleweight encounter at UFC on ESPN: Eye vs. Calvillo on June 13, 2020.
The Italian Dream has three wins, one defeat, and one draw in his last five outings and will be looking to extend his winning streak to four in a row against Hermansson this Saturday.
Check out the fight card, start time, TV channel, and live streaming details of UFC Vegas 16 below.
The full fight card for UFC Vegas 16
Main card
Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori (Middleweight)
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jon Jones (Light Heavyweight)
Montana De La Rosa vs. Taila Santos (Women's Flyweight)
Roman Dolidze vs. John Allan Arte (Light Heavyweight)
Movsar Evloev vs Nate Landwehr (Featherweight)
Preliminary card
Gabriel Benitez vs. Justin Jaynes (Lightweight)
Louis Smolka vs. Jose Alberto Quiñónez (Bantamweight)
Matt Wiman vs. Jordan Leavitt (Lightweight)
Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden (Flyweight)
Ilia Topuria vs. Damon Jackson (Featherweight)
Gian Villante vs. Jake Collier (Heavyweight)
When and where does UFC Vegas 16 happen?
Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020 (Sunday, December 6 for Indian viewers)
US time: Saturday, 4:00 pm ET (Preliminary card), 7:00 pm ET (Main card)
Indian time: Sunday, 5:30 am IST (Preliminary card), 8:30 am IST (Main card)
Location: UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Where and how to watch UFC Vegas 16?
The event will be broadcasted live on UFC Fight Pass under the paid subscription. You can also watch UFC Fight Night's main card: Hermansson vs. Vettori on Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 3 in India.
In the United States, the main card will air on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes in English and Spanish, respectively, and on simulcast on ESPN+.
How to watch live streaming of UFC Vegas 16?
The preliminary card for UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori will begin from 4:00 pm ET on December 5, Saturday, and the main card starts from 7:00 pm ET in the United States. The event will also be aired on UFC Fight Pass, ESPN 2, and on simulcast on ESPN+.
The preliminary card kicks off at 5:30 am IST on December 6, Sunday, while the main card commences from 8:30 am IST in India. Live streaming for the event can be viewed on UFC Fight Pass and the Sony LIV app. UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori can also be streamed on Airtel TV and Jio TV.