Bengaluru, August 31: The Ultimate Fighting Championship visit China on Saturday (August 31) for a debut event in Shenzhen, where the promotion hosts UFC Fight Night 157 at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Arena.
The event is headlined by a strawweight championship showdown, as newly crowned champion Jessica Andrade looks to defend her title for the first time when she takes on no. 6-ranked contender Weili Zhang.
Andrade (20-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is the no. 15-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is on a mission to build her legacy as the new champion by stopping Zhang's 19-fight win streak.
Welcome to fight week!
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2019
🇨🇳 #UFCShenzhen | 6amET | On ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/PkFpRo3DPX
Meanwhile, Zhang (19-1, fighting out of Beijing, China) is the highest-ranked Chinese UFC athlete in history and has had 16 of 19 wins via finish, including nine by KO and seven by submission, with ten first-round finishes.
In the co-main event of the evening, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos takes on Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout.
The former comes into the weekend's fight on an impressive seven match winning streak with the most recent outing ending in a first-round submission win over Curtis Millender. Hometown's Jingliang, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak with his most recent result being a third-round KO of David Zawada.
The body kick 😳@UFCJingliang can send you packing! #UFCShenzhen pic.twitter.com/wxuVTyXxOP
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2019
Also on the main card features, a flyweight bout between Kai Kara-France & Mark De La Rosa, a featherweight bout between Lu Zhenhong & Movsar Evloev, and finally a women's flyweight clash between Wu Yanan and Mizuki Inoue.
9️⃣ first round finishes!
— UFC (@ufc) August 28, 2019
Song Kenan looks to tally another at #UFCShenzhen pic.twitter.com/30JaWW7T6h
Meanwhile, in the preliminary card, we will see a lot of local talent on show as well as the likes of Kenan Song, Derrick Krantz, Andre Soukhamthath and more in action.
Here is all you need to know about UFC Fight Night 157:
When and where is UFC Fight Night 157 taking place?
The event takes place on Saturday (August 31) at the the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Arena.
What time does UFC Shenzhen start?
The preliminary card starts at 12.30 PM IST; 7 AM GMT; 3 PM Local Time. The main card, meanwhile, starts at 3.30 PM IST; 10 AM GMT; 6 PM Local Time.
Where to watch UFC Fight Night 157 in India?
The main card will be shown live via Sony TEN 2 and streamed live via Sony LIV. The preliminary card, however is only streamable using UFC Fight Pass.
Here is the scheduled fight card for UFC Shenzhen:
Main Card
1. Women's Strawweight title bout: Jessica Andrade (c) vs. Weili Zhang
2. Welterweight bout: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Li Jingliang
3. Flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Mark De La Rosa
4. Featherweight bout: Lu Zhenhong vs. Movsar Evloev
5. Women's Flyweight bout: Wu Yanan vs. Mizuki Inoue
Preliminary Card
1. Welterweight bout: Kenan Song vs. Derrick Krantz
2. Middleweight bout: Anthony Hernandez vs. Jun Yong Park
3. Bantamweight bout: Su Mudaerji vs. Andre Soukhamthath
4. Light Heavyweight bout: Da Un Jung vs. Khadis Ibragimov
5. Lightweight bout: Damir Ismagulov vs. Thiago Moises
6. Women's Bantamweight bout: Karolline Rosa Cavedo vs. Lara Fritzen Procopio
7. Bantamweight bout: Batgerel Danaa vs. Heili Alateng