UFC Fight Night 56 start time and schedule: Who is fighting tonight, when and why

Fight day has arrived (again)!

Get all the info you need with our UFC Fight Night 56: "Shogun vs St. Preux" fight day preview for the FOX Sports 1 event, which goes down later this evening (Sat., Nov. 8, 2014) with an intriguing offering from Brazil.

All the action happens LIVE from Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlandia, Brazil, with a FOX Sports 1 start time of 10:30 p.m. ET (for up-to-date UFC Fight Night 56 results click here). Below is everything you need to know about the mixed martial arts (MMA) fiesta going down in Uberlandia!

Who: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Ovince St. Preux
What: UFC Fight Night 56
When: Sat., Nov. 8, 2014, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET on FS1
Where: Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlandia, Brazil
How To Watch: FS1 main card at 10:30 p.m ET; UFC on FOX Sports 2 "Prelims" under card at 8 p.m ET; and UFC Fight Pass early "Prelims" at 7:30 p.m. ET. 
Live UFC Fight Night 56 results: Play-by-play coverage stream

Why It Matters: If you have been an avid fan of MMA for more than five to seven years, then you undoubtedly know the history behind former UFC Light Heavyweight champion and former Pride FC legend Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If you are new to the sport, go watch Shogun's legendary career play out on UFC Fight Pass before tonight's event. Shogun is one of the most beloved warriors in the history of MMA, and regardless of retirement beckoning after going 1-3 in his last four, you simply can not miss a Shogun Rua fight.

Other than the main event, the co-main event features the most consequential bout of the evening. In what is likely the No. 1 contendership for the Flyweight division, Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall takes on the heavy-handed Brazilian John "Hands of Stone" Lineker. With all the hype leading in to this fight, thanks in large part to McCall, it is likely the most anticipated bout during this two event weekend.

UPDATE: McCall is sick and the co-main event has been scrapped. Read full details here.

What's Hot: While this card is certainly top-heavy when it comes to name fighters, there are quite a few intriguing match ups other than the main and co-main event. Several Ultimate Fighter (TUF) products such as Warlley Alves, Wagner Silva, and Dhiego Lima will throw down in enticing bouts throughout the evening. Brazilian Bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida makes his long awaited UFC debut, and women's strawweights will throw down in a "Fight of the Night" contender as Juliana Lima takes on Nina Ansaroff.

What's Not: This card took quite the metaphorical punch in the gut thanks to the injury bug last week when British slugger Jimi Manuwa bowed out of his main event fight against Shogun Rua due to a broken leg. With so little time to find a suitable replacement, the UFC opted to give No. 10 ranked Ovince St. Preux another crack at a main event slot. While this is certainly not going to be the stand up affair many had hoped for, it remains to be seen whether or not the two Light Heavyweights can put on a show.

New Blood:

-- Thomas Almeida (vs. Tim Gorman) 17-0, including 13 (technical) knockouts and three submission victories. Former Legacy Fighting Championship Bantamweight champion. Recently defeated Caio Machado.

-- Jorge Oliveira (vs. Dhiego Lima) 7-0, including five (technical) knockouts and two submission victories. Holds no notable victories.

-- Diego Rivas (vs. Rodolfo Rubio) 5-0, including one (technical) knockout and three submission victories. Holds no notable victories.

-- Rodolfo Rubio (vs. Diego Rivas) 12-6, including three (technical) knockouts and nine submission victories. Holds no notable victories.

-- Nina Ansaroff (vs. Juliana Lima) 6-3, including four (technical) knockouts and one submission victory. Former Invicta FC combatant. Has split decision loss to Carla Esparza and majority decision loss to Barb Honchak. Recently defeated Munah Holland.

-- Leon Edwards (vs. Claudio Silva) 8-1, including four (technical) knockouts and two submission victories. Former BAMMA Welterweight champion. Holds no notable victories.

Original Card vs. Actual Card: As previously mentioned, this card was definitely struck by the injury bug, but none was bigger than Jimi Manuwa pulling out of the main event just about ten days before the scheduled fight. The other injuries and replacements were minor, but let's break down what we could have seen to what we will actually be seeing tonight.

Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante was slated to take on Ovince St. Preux at the event, but after an injury to Cavalcante, the UFC replaced him with Francimar Barroso. The St. Preux vs Barroso bout was subsequently scrapped when St. Preux was promoted to the main event slot once Jimi Manuwa was injured.

TUF 19 runner-up Dhiego Lima was expected to face off against Pawel Pawlak tonight, but after an injury to Pawlak, Jorge Oliveira jumped on the opportunity to make his UFC debut.

How The "Prelims" Look: The "Prelims" undercard is nothing more than mediocre. With very little name value for casual fans, a ton of people will likely skip straight to the FS1 main card at 10:30 p.m. ET.

With that being said, the harcore MMA fans who sit through the "Prelims" could be treated to several exciting fights, finishes, and UFC debuts. With four fighters making their UFC debuts on the "Prelims", fans can catch an early glimpse of who is a "pretender" and who could potentially be a "contender".

If you are picking and choosing the bouts to watch, definitely do not miss Thomas Almeida's UFC debut. The highly touted Brazilian is the first fight scheduled on the FS2 "Prelims" as he takes on Tim Gorman, so make sure to catch all the violence Almeida brings into the Octagon.

Who Needs a Win Badly:

-- Charlie Brenneman (vs. Leandro Silva) After winning four straight on the regional circuit, Brenneman returned to the Octagon this past January, but has lost both outings by brutal finishes. If Brenneman can not pick up the victory against Silva tonight, he will likely receive his pink slip once again from the UFC offices.

Interest Level: 6/10

This event would have gotten much more interest had Jimi Manuwa not gotten injured last week, but that is just the way the cookie crumbles in MMA. Regardless, the main event should still be interesting to watch, and the co-main event could be a legitimate "Fight of the Year" contender while determining who gets the next crack at UFC champion Demetrious Johnson.

With a wealth of prospects on the undercard, as well as several TUF products looking for marquee victories, this card has the potential to be a hidden gem even without major name recognition.

Enjoy the show!

Check out the full UFC Fight Night 56: "Shogun vs St. Preux"  fight card below:

Main Event:

205 lbs.: Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince St. Preux

FOX Sports 1 Main Card (10 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: John Lineker vs. Ian McCall -- CANCELED
170 lbs.: Warlley Alves vs. Alan Jouban
170 lbs.: Leon Edwards vs. Claudio Silva
115 lbs.: Nina Ansaroff vs. Juliana Lima

FOX Sports 2 Prelims (8 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Diego Rivas vs. Rodolfo Rubio
185 lbs.: Caio Magalhaes vs. Trevor Smith
170 lbs.: Dhiego Lima vs. Jorge Oliveira
155 lbs.: Charlie Brenneman vs. Leandro Silva
135 lbs.: Thomas Almeida vs. Tim Gorman

Fight Pass Prelims (7:30 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Colby Covington vs. Wagner Silva

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 56 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches, which are scheduled to begin TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m. ET, right on through the FOX Sports 2 prelims at 8 p.m. ET, and finally the FOX Sports 1 main card scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. ET.

See you then!