UFC Fight Night 106 start time, TV schedule, who is fighting tonight at ‘Belfort vs Gastelum'

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the hurt business tonight (Sat., Mar. 11, 2017) for UFC Fight Night 106: "Belfort vs. Gastelum," which takes place inside Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, live on FOX Sports 1. The promotion's latest mixed martial arts (MMA) card, headlined by a middleweight showdown pitting Vitor Belfort against Kelvin Gastelum, will also feature a light heavyweight showdown between Mauricio Rua and Gian Villante.

What UFC is on tonight? UFC Fight Night 106: “Belfort vs Gastelum.”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC Fight Night 106? Vitor Belfort vs. Kelvin Gastelum is the main event.
When does UFC Fight Night 106 start? Tonight (Sat., March 11, 2017) beginning at 7 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.
Where will UFC Fight Night 106 take place? Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
How can I watch UFC Fight Night 106? FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 10 p.m. ET. "Prelims" undercard start time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, and UFC Fight Pass early "Prelims" start time at 7 p.m. ET.
Where can I get UFC Fight Night 106 updates and results? Get full play-by-play coverage and live updates here!

What’s Hot:

Is the best yet to come for Belfort? We’ll find out soon enough, as “The Phenom” adamantly claimed just that during a recent interview, putting on perhaps a bit more pressure for him to perform and deliver come fight night. It won’t be easy, as he’ll be facing a young lion looking to further up his stock with a win over a living legend. And if Gastelum looks half as good as he did against Tim Kennedy in his middleweight debut back at UFC 206, Belfort could be in for a rough ride.

What’s Not:

Rua has won two straight, though they haven't exactly been staple wins, defeating a declining Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria and Corey Anderson. Still, picking up three-straight victories inside the Octagon is no easy feat, and he’ll look to do that against Villante, who doesn’t exactly scream “superstar” or “big name.” The matchmaking is rather odd, as I would’ve preferred to see “Shogun” take on a much more established veteran like Glover Teixeira.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

Luis Henrique da Silva was set to face Ion Cutelaba, but the bout was removed after “Hulk” suffered an undisclosed injury. Davi Ramos stepped up to face Sergio Moraes after Moraes’ original foe, Max Griffin, was forced out with an injury.

Injuries:

Godofredo Pepey and Kyle Bochniak were set to throw down, but they each suffered injuries which forced the cancellation of the fight. Has that ever happened before? The aforementioned Griffin and Cutelaba also fell victim to the injury bug.

New Blood:

Ramos will look to make the most of his last-minute opportunity to make his debut inside the Octagon, while Paulo Henrique Costa looks to stay undefeated (8-0) when he faces a struggling Garreth McLellan.

How The “Prelims” Look:

I am really digging the Francisco Trinaldo vs. Kevin Lee Lightweight bout as Trinaldo has been on an absolute tear, winning seven straight against some stiff competition, though he hasn’t gotten the love from the UFC PR machine, so you probably didn’t know. If he can get through Lee, I’d like to see the promotion give him his props and match him up against a top-level, big named foe next. Also, Josh Burkman -- who is 1-4-1 since returning to UFC — will look to snap out of his funk when he faces Michel Prazeres.

Interest Level: 7/10

It’s a pretty decent card that also features an intriguing lightweight scrap between Edson Barboza and Beniel Dariush. Barboza wants another crack at Tony Ferguson and a win over Dariush can help get him there. Also, the women will be on full display as former bantamweight title challenger Bethe Correia looks to score back-to-back wins when she meets Marion Reneau, while Tim Means and Alex Oliveira look to settle their unfinished business.

But the heavy hitters will look to show that they are far from done in their storied careers, as Belfort looks to stop the bleeding of a two-fight losing streak and “Shogun” aims for his third-straight victory for the first time since 2007.

Yes, really.

Full UFC Fight Night 106 fight card:

UFC Fight Night 106 Main Event

185 lbs.: Vitor Belfort vs. Kelvin Gastelum

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

205 lbs.: Mauricio Rua vs. Gian Villante
155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Beneil Dariush
125 lbs.: Ray Borg vs. Jussier Formiga
135 lbs.: Bethe Correia vs. Marion Reneau
170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Alex Oliveira

FOX Sports 1 “Prelims” (8 p.m. ET)

155 lbs.: Kevin Lee vs. Francisco Trinaldo
170 lbs.: Sergio Moraes vs. Davi Ramos
135 lbs.: Joe Soto vs. Rani Yahya
155 lbs.: Josh Burkman vs. Michel Prazeres

UFC Fight Pass “Prelims” (7 p.m. ET)

145 lbs.: Rony Jason vs. Jeremy Kennedy
185 lbs.: Paulo Henrique Costa vs. Garreth McLellan

For more on UFC Fight Night 106 click here.