Submission Specialists Maia & Shields Headline UFC Fight Night On Fox Sports 1 Wednesday, Oct. 9

Two Nights of UFC^® Action Across FOX Sports 1 & 2, FOX Deportes

LOS ANGELES, CA – With 19 submission wins between them, Demian Maia and Jake Shields are two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) premier grapplers. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, these welterweight contenders meet in an anticipated showdown in Barueri, Brazil for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. SHIELDS, headlining five hours of live fights on FOX Sports 1. Preliminary bouts start at 5:00 PM ET, while the main event kicks off at 7:00 PM ET, all leading up to an exciting episode of historic season 18 of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM ROUSEY VS. TEAM TATE (10:00 PM ET).

“For a grappling fan, this is a real dream matchup,” says UFC analyst Joe Rogan. “Jake Shields is one of the very best American submission Jiu-jitsu fighters and Demian Maia is perhaps the most-decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighter in MMA today. Both guys started at 185 pounds. Jake Shields was the 185-pound Strikeforce champion. Demian Maia had good success at 185, but at 170 looks nearly unstoppable.”

UFC on FOX analyst Chael Sonnen faced Maia in 2009, and believes a win over Shields could propel Maia into title contention. “If he wins, he’d be 4-0 in the division and could be on a collision course with current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.”

In the main event, No. 4 ranked Maia (18-4) attempts to extend his three-fight win streak against Shields (28-6-1, 1NC). Plus, Erick Silva (15-3, 1NC) faces Dong Hyun Kim (17-2-1, 1NC) in a welterweight clash. Light heavyweight Thiago Silva (15-3, 2NC) takes on Matt Hamill (12-4), while Fabio Maldonado (19-6) and Joey Beltran (14-8, 1NC) clash in another 205-lbs bout. Submission specialist Rousimar Palhares (23-5) makes his 170-lbs debut against surging welterweight Mike Pierce (17-5) who brings a four-fight win streak into the contest. The main card is rounded out by No. 5 ranked bantamweight Raphael Assuncao (19-4) versus No. 9 ranked TJ Dillashaw (9-1).

Jon Anik and Kenny Florian call all fights from Brazil.

Coverage of UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. SHIELDS begins Tuesday, Oct. 8 (3:00 PM ET) on FOX Sports 2 with the live UFC WEIGH-IN. Karyn Bryant hosts the show, with Sonnen and former UFC light heavyweight Brian Stann providing analysis. Heidi Androl interviews fighters on-site in Brazil.

Fight day kicks off with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW on Wednesday, Oct. 9 (4:00 PM ET) with host Jay Glazer, Sonnen and Stann previewing all the bouts from the FOX Sports studios in Los Angeles. The online prelims stream on FOX Sports’ digital arm, FOXSports.com, starting at 4:30 PM ET. The live UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin at 5:00 PM ET, while the action wraps up later that evening with the UFC POSTFIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE on FOX Sports 2 at 12:00 AM ET.

Additionally, FOX Sports’ Spanish-language network FOX Deportes has live coverage of the prelims and main card fights.

In the week leading up to fight night, FOXSports.com features extended coverage of UFC FIGHT NIGHT, including interviews with the main fighters and a live blog during the fights. Follow @UFConFOX on Twitter and use the hashtag #UFCFightNight for the latest updates.

Watch UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and Rogan preview UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. SHIELDS: http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=e4821b48-0256-434c-a847-60727b76f5e4

Following the fights from Brazil, all eyes turn toward another exciting episode of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM ROUSEY VS. TEAM TATE, featuring teams coached by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey and arch-rival Miesha Tate.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. SHIELDS Fight Card

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA VS. SHIELDS: FOX SPORTS PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE