Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to Chicago, Illinois tonight (Sat., July 23, 2016) as the United Center plays host to UFC on FOX 20 event featuring a women's bantamweight scrap between former division champ Holly Holm and Valentina Shevchenko
Catch all the action LIVE with a main card start time of 8 p.m. ET (for up-to-second UFC on FOX 20 results click here).
Below is everything you need to know to stay on top of the FOX card in Chicago.
Who: Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko
What: UFC on FOX 20
When: Sat., July 23, 2016, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass
Where: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
How To Watch: Main card at 8 p.m ET on FOX Sports; FOX Sports 1 "Prelims" undercard at 6 p.m. ET; and UFC Fight Pass early "Prelims" at 4 p.m. ET.
Live UFC on FOX 20: Play-by-play coverage here.
Why It Matters: Ever since Ronda Rousey got knocked out by Holm at UFC 193, the women's bantamweight title has been switching owners every time it's on the line. Holly lost it in her first title defense against Miesha Tate at UFC 196. A few months later, "Cupcake" coughed it up to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200. Now, Holm looks to get another chance at getting it back should she get through the always-gritty Shevchenko. If not, well then Valentina can make a case for her own shot at the strap if she can manage to defeat the former champion.
What's Hot:
The co-main event is sure to be fire, as it will see the return of Gilbert Melendez taking on Edson Barboza, who is coming off a huge win over Anthony Pettis. What makes this fight a must-see, is the fact that both men have a knack for putting on dazzling performances thanks to their preference to duke it out in the center of the cage. Simply put, this is going to be "Fight of the Night."
What's Not:
The rest of the main card leaves a lot to be desired. But, the card took a big hit when Anthony Johnson was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Glover Teixeira for personal reasons.
Original Card vs Actual Card:
As mentioned above, "Rumble" was all geared up to face Glover in the co-headlining act in a hard-hitting affair that would have likely produced the next challenge for light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. But, UFC on FOX 20's loss is UFC 202's gain, as the match has been rescheduled to take place at the pay-per-view (PPV) event on Aug., 20.
Ryan LaFlare was also expected to face Alexander Yakovlev, but he was replaced by Kamaru Usman after he came down with an injury.
New Blood:
Bojan Mihajlović will be making his Octagon debut against Francis Ngannou. Dmitry Smolyakov -- another heavyweight -- will also be stepping into the eight-walled cage for the first time against Luis Henrique.
Injuries:
Ryan LaFlare was bounced with an undisclosed injury, while Anthony Johnson was forced out due to personal reasons.
How The "Prelims" Look:
The prelims looks pretty decent, as Felice Herrig makes her return to take on Kailin Curran after more than a year away. Also, Godofredo Pepey and Darren Elkins duking it out in a featherweight matchup could be fireworks.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
This portion is typically reserved for fighters who could be fighting for their jobs today, rather than contenders or title challengers needing victory. Let's take a look at those who need to pull it together:
Gilbert Melendez has had a rough two year stretch. Prior to getting handed a one-year suspension for failing a drug test for UFC 188, "El Nino" suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career to Anthony Pettis and Eddie Alvarez.
Not a good look for a man who was expected to win the UFC lightweight strap after he came over from Strikeforce, In fact, Melendez is only 1-3 since making his Octagon debut in 2013 with his lone win coming over Diego Sanchez.
A fight that saw him get floored and nearly submitted.
Interest Level 7/10
The main and co-main events are two great bouts that could catapult one into a title fight (Holm vs. Shevchenko) and the other into the title hunt (Barboza).
Is it weird that I'm more interested in seeing some of the prelims rather than the rest of the main card? Nevertheless, there are more sleeper bouts taking place on FOX Sports 1 and Fight Pass that could have people talking come Sunday morning.
Check out the full UFC on FOX 20 card right here:
UFC on FOX 20 Main Event:
135 lbs.: Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko
UFC on FOX 20 Main Card (8 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Bojan Mihajlovic
115 lbs.: Felice Herrig vs. Kailin CurranUFC on FOX 20 "Prelims" (6 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Eddie Wineland vs. Frankie Saenz
145 lbs.: Darren Elkins vs Godofredo Pepey
170 lbs.: Kamaru Usman vs. Alexander Yakovlev
155 lbs.: Mitchell Prazeres vs. J.C. CottrellUFC on FOX 20 "Prelims" on UFC Fight Pass (4 p.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Alex Oliveira vs. James Moontasri
170 lbs.: George Sullivan vs. Hector Urbina
155 lbs.: Jim Alers vs. Jason Knight
155 lbs.: Luis Henrique vs. Dmitry Smolyakov
For more UFC on FOX 20 news and notes click here.