UFC Fight Night 164: Blachowicz vs. Jacare preview, fight card, India time and TV info

Bengaluru, November 15: After witnessing Zabit Magomedsharipov edging Calvin Kattar in a close contest last weekend in Moscow, the Ultimate Fighting Championship travel to South America to host UFC Fight Night this weekend.

The Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil is all set to host UFC Fight Night 164: Blachowicz vs. Jacare, which as the name reveals will be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between No.6 ranked Jan Blachowicz and hometown's No. 8 ranked Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

In the co-main event, former light heavyweight champion and Brazil's Mauricio "Shogun" Rua takes on submission specialist Paul Craig.

Also on the main card features, a lightweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Jared Gordon, a couple of middleweight bouts, Antonio Arroyo versus Andre Muniz and Markus Perez versus Wellington Turman.

In the preliminary card, we will see many athletes of Brazil like Douglas De Silva Andrade, Renan Barao, Warlley Alves, Sergio Moraes, Ricardo Ramos and Francisco Trinaldo in action.

Meanwhile, some top talents in the UFC like James Krausse, Bobby Green, Randy Brown, Veronica Macedo and Tracy Cortez will also be involved.

Here is all you need to know about UFC Fight Night 164:

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— UFC (@ufc) 15 November 2019

Venue, Time and TV info

When and where is UFC Fight Night 164 happening?

The event takes place on Saturday (November 16) at the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Due to time difference, the event will take place on Sunday (November 17) morning in India.

What time does UFC Sao Paulo start? (India Time)

The preliminary card kicks off at 3.30 AM IST (November 17); 10 PM GMT (November 16); 7 PM Local Time (November 16). The main card, meanwhile, will start at 6.30 AM IST (November 17); 1.30 AM GMT (November 17); 10 PM Local Time.

How to watch UFC Fight Night 164 in India?

Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 2HD will telecast the main card live, while Sony LIV will live stream the event. The preliminary card, however, can only be streamed using UFC Fight Pass in India.

Main Event preview: Blachowicz vd. Jacare

After fellow contenders Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson each turning in impressive performances in recent weeks, Jan Blachowicz will look to up his game for a title shot as he welcomes Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza to the light heavyweight division.

The Polish veteran is on the back of a impressive knock out win over Luke Rockhold on the same night Jon Jones successfully defended his title against Thiago Santos.

But with the division on a fastlane after Reyes and Anderson registered massive victories, now Blachowicz will need to register another impressive win to state his case for the first title shot in 2020. And in his last six fights, he has lost just once and that was to Thiago Santos earlier this year in February. So, the Pole will hope that was just one off and build on winning streak.

Souza, on the other hand, is venturing up to the light heavyweight ranks after many years in the Top 5 at middleweight. And Jacare will hope to replicate the likes of Santos and Anthony Smith, and not the one Rockhold and Chris Weidman went down.

The Brazilian veteran was well below par against surging replacement opponent Jack Hermansson, so perhaps a change in division and an immediate opportunity to get into the championship mix will reinvigorate the long-time contender. He will also look to improvise his run as he has alternated wins and losses in his last six fights.

Co-main event preview: Rua vs. Craig

"Shogun" Rua makes his return to action for the first time in just under a year for a showdown with short-notice Scottish replacement Paul Craig.

Rua has maintained a light schedule over the last number of years, competing five times in the last five years, posting four wins, including a split decision win over Anderson.

In his recent outing, the former PRIDE standout collected a third-round stoppage victory over Tyson Pedro. That win showed that he still has a lot to offer despite being in the twilight of his career.

Craig, on the other hand, steps in to replace Sam Alvey. The submission specialist who has struggled to find consistency inside the UFC cage will hope to grab this opportunity.

His UFC record for now stands at 4-4 and the 31-year-old has still not gone the distance in any of his fights. He, however, enters the weekend's bout on the back of a first-round submission victory over Vinicius Moreira in September. So, both fighters will look to land a finish as they hope to deliver a statement to the 205 pound division.