FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Stouffer Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 [email protected]

UFC LIGHTWEIGHT MAKES TV DEBUT CALLING SOME FIGHTS WITH JON ANIK AND DOMINICK CRUZ FOR FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ROCKHOLD VS. BRANCH

Kenny Florian and Yves Edwards Serve as FOX Sports Studio Analysts with Host Karyn Bryant

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports announces today that current UFC Paul Felder (@felderpaul) makes his TV analyst debut with blow-by-blow announcer Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) and current No. 1-ranked bantamweight Dominick Cruz (@DominickCruz) calling fights live from for FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ROCKHOLD VS. BRANCH on Saturday, Sept. 16. Felder joins Anik and Cruz to call several bouts on the main card. Victor Davila (@mastervic10) and Mario Delgado (@mariodelgadorzm) have the call in Spanish on FOX Deportes.

Retired UFC contenders Kenny Florian (@KennyFlorian) and Yves Edwards (@thugjitsumaster) work as FOX Sports desk analysts alongside host Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) for FS1’s Friday and Saturday UFC programming, while reporter Heidi Androl (@HeidiAndrol) interviews fighters on-site.

A hard-hitting lineup of explosive fights is on its way to Pittsburgh on Saturday headlined by a matchup between former 185-pound champion and current No. 3-ranked (15-3) and surging contender and No. 9-ranked David Branch (21-3). Rockhold returns for the first time in more than a year against Branch, who extended his current win streak to 11 with a victory in May over Krzysztof Jotko.

The three-hour main card begins Saturday on FS1 and FOX Deportes at 10:00 PM ET and features five more action-packed bouts. Welterweight striking machines (10-1) and Thiago Alves (26-11) collide, while former Olympian Hector Lombard (34-7-1, 2NC) faces fellow middleweight Anthony Smith (27-12). Undefeated (9-0) and Jason Gonzalez (11-3) lock horns in a lightweight scrap. No. 13-ranked Kamaru Usman (10-1) fights Sergio Moraes (12-3-1), while Justin Ledet (8-0, 1NC) and Zu Anyanwu (14-4) open the main card with a heavyweight bout.

The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on FS1 and FOX Deportes with four additional bouts. Lightweights Tony Martin (12-3) and Olivier Aubin-Mercier (10-2) collide. Anthony Hamilton (15-7) fights Daniel Spitz (5-1) in a heavyweight tilt. No. 10- ranked middleweight Krzysztof Jotko (19-2) faces No. 14-ranked Uriah Hall (13-8), while bantamweights Luke Sanders (11-1) and Felipe Arantes (18-7-1, 2NC) open the PRELIMS.

Saturday’s coverage begins on FS1 at 7:00 PM ET with the FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW, featuring Bryant, Florian, Edwards and Androl. The action wraps up immediately following the main event with the FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW. The UFC WEIGH-IN SHOW takes place Friday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 PM ET on FS1 with the same studio crew.

On UFC TONIGHT Wednesday, Sept. 13 (8:00 PM ET) on FS1, hosts Florian and Daniel Cormier interview Rockhold and Branch before Saturday’s fight and preview the middleweight showdown. A new episode of : A NEW WORLD CHAMPION premieres at 10:00 PM ET and is followed by the companion show TUF TALK at 11:00 PM ET.

Leading up to the fights, UFC fighters offer unique, behind-the-scenes clips on FOX Sports PROcast and on the FOX UFC social pages. Follow @UFConFOX on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates throughout the #UFCPittsburgh fights this Saturday.

Viewers can live stream the UFC shows on FOX Sports GO, available in English or Spanish through the FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The shows are available on desktop at FOXSportsGO.com and through the app store or on connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs are also available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

For notes, coverage, bios, photography and more, visit the FOX UFC page on FOX Sports Press Pass.

FOX SPORTS UFC PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

DATE TIME (ET) EVENT NETWORK* Wednesday, 8:00 PM UFC TONIGHT SHOW FS1 Sept. 13 Wednesday, 10:00 PM THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FS1 Sept. 13 Wednesday, 11:00 PM TUF TALK FS1 Sept. 13 Friday, 7:00 PM FS1 UFC WEIGH-IN SHOW FS1 Sept. 15 Saturday, 7:00 PM FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW FS1 Sept. 16 Saturday, 8:00 PM FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS FS1 / FOX Sept. 16 Deportes Saturday, 10:00 PM FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ROCKHOLD VS. FS1 / FOX Sept. 16 BRANCH Deportes Saturday, 1:00 AM FS1 UFC FIGHT NIGHT POSTFIGHT SHOW FS1 Sept. 16 *All programs available on FOX Sports GO and FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83

--FOX SPORTS--