Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns overseas this afternoon (Sat., June 20, 2015) for an international UFC Fight Pass mixed martial arts (MMA) event as UFC Fight Night 69: "Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne" goes down live from the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany.
Catch all the action LIVE with a main card start time of 3 p.m ET (for up-to-date UFC Fight Night 69 results click here).
Below is everything you need to know to stay on top of the Fight Night event in Berlin.
Who: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Penne
What: UFC Fight Night 69
When: Sat., June 20, 2015, beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Fight Pass
Where: O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany
How To Watch: UFC Fight Pass main card at 3 p.m ET; Fight Pass "Prelims" under card at 12 p.m ET.
Live UFC Fight Night 69 results: Play-by-play coverage stream right here
Why It Matters: After six straight weeks of UFC action, it is becoming more and more difficult to answer "why UFC Fight Night __" matters, and with UFC Fight Night 69 featuring very little for casual fans to get excited for, it makes this task even more arduous.
So why should you watch UFC Fight Fight 69? The obvious answer is to catch a glimpse of Joanna Jedrzejczyk in action. The Polish champ dominated her last foe, Carla Esparza, in order to win the title, and you should expect some major violence in her first title defense against Jessica Penne.
What's Hot: Other than the main event? Not much. We are digging deep here, but I am interested to watch Niklas Bäckström take on Noad Lahat, and Mairbek Taisumov battle Alan Patrick.
What's Not: The UFC Fight Night 69 main card is simply atrocious. Outside the intriguing main event, fight fans will have to watch aging featherweights collide when Dennis Siver welcomes Tatsuya Kawajiri to Germany in the co-main event. As if that wasn't bad enough, Peter Sobotta battles UFC debutant Steve Kennedy on the main card as well. Honestly, it is as if Joe Silva and Sean Shelby didn't even try for this event.
Original Card vs Actual Card:
There were a ton of changes to UFC Fight Night 69, but almost nothing could have saved this mediocre fight card. The real loss was the planned main event between former title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira.
When the Swede withdrew from the fight due to an injury, the bout was scrapped altogether, and now "Gus" will be fighting Daniel Cormier for the UFC title next.
Once UFC brass lost the main event, Joanna Jędrzejczyk was slated to defend her title for the first time against Jessica Penne.
Coming off an eight second knockout win in his UFC debut, Makwan Amirkhani was scheduled to battle Diego Rivas at the event. Ultimately, Rivas was pulled from the card, and Masio Fullen stepped up to take on Amirkhani in Berlin.
Sergio Moraes was scheduled to fight Peter Sobotta in Berlin, but an injury to the Brazilian gave newcomer Steve Kennedy the opportunity to debut inside the Octagon.
Derek Brunson was expected to take on Krzysztof Jotko in a middleweight affair, but a rib injury forced Brunson off the card just about two weeks from the event. Uriah Hall was quickly slated to face off against Jotko, but visa issues forced Hall off the card as well. Jotko will not be fighting in Berlin today.
Alan Omer was set to face off against Mike Wilkinson, but an injury to the Brit gave Arnold Allen the chance to make his UFC debut on short notice.
New Blood:
Magomed Mustafaev (vs. Piotr Hallman): Get ready to welcome another top notch Russian prospect to the UFC ranks in Berlin this afternoon when Magomed Mustafaev battles Piotr Hallman on the "Prelims." The Russian boasts an 11-1 record, with seven (technical) knockouts and four submissions to his name. Mustafaev has yet to fight any UFC level competition, so he will have a lot to prove in Berlin.
Arnold Allen (vs. Alan Omer): The 9-1 Englishman will be making his UFC debut on short notice, and he will look to earn his eighth career finish. "Almighty" has not fought anyone of note just yet, but he is a veteran of the Cage Warriors promotion.
Lukasz Sajewski (vs. Nick Hein): The 24-year old Pole is undefeated at 13-0, and holds an impressive victory over Bellator standout Marcin Held. "Wookie" has seven submissions to his credit, alongside two (technical) knockout wins.
Steve Kennedy (vs. Peter Sobotta): "The Steamrolla" makes his UFC debut on short notice, and at 32, the Aussie has to make an immediate impact inside the Octagon. Taking on a veteran in Sobotta, Kennedy will look for his 23rd career victory, but it may be difficult to pick up his 18th career finish.
How The "Prelims" Look: Not good.
I don't want to say flat out bad because there are a few intriguing fights, but if you missed this "Prelims" card altogether, it wouldn't be a travesty by any means.
Fighters to watch include Makwan Amirkhani, Magomed Mustafaev, Niklas Backstrom, Alan Patrick, and that is about it.
Interest Level: 3/10
This is one of the worst cards in a long while, but the last time I gave an event such a low rating was UFC Fight Night 68, which turned out to be one of the most exciting events in quite some time.
Look, UFC Berlin will offer up a pretty enticing title fight, some high profile prospects, and even a featherweight co-main event that will have some fight fans intrigued.
While it lacks any major names or pivotal bouts outside the title fight, this event has the potential to be a diamond in the rough, and that is about the best thing we could hope for.
Check out the full UFC Fight Night 69 card right here:
UFC Fight Pass Main Event:
115 lbs.: UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Penne
UFC Fight Pass Main Card (3 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Dennis Siver
170 lbs.: Steve Kennedy vs. Peter Sobotta
155 lbs.: Nick Hein vs. Lukasz SajewskiUFC Fight Pass "Prelims" (12 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Masio Fullen
155 lbs.: Alan Patrick vs. Mairbek Taisumov
145 lbs.: Alan Omer vs. Arnold Allen
145 lbs.: Niklas Backstrom vs. Noad Lahat
185 lbs.: Scott Askham vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr.
155 lbs.: Piotr Hallmann vs. Magomed Mustafaev
135 lbs.: Taylor Lapilus vs. Yuta Sasaki
See you then!