UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON FOX SPORTS 1: MCGREGOR vs. SIVER on Sunday, Jan. 18

FOX Sports 1 presents UFC^® FIGHT NIGHT ON FOX SPORTS 1: MCGREGOR vs. SIVER on Sunday, Jan. 18 (10:00 PM ET), headlined by a clash of top-ranked featherweights, as No. 5 Conor McGregor (16-2) battles No. 10 Dennis Siver (22-9, 1NC). This highly anticipated bout caps off more than six hours of live coverage on FOX Sports 1 that evening.

The UFC returns to Boston a little over a year after the record-setting UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SHOGUN vs. SONNEN, which featured the brash, trash talking light heavyweight Chael Sonnen defeating the former champion Shogun Rua with a surprise submission victory. Currently that show stands as the most-watched UFC FIGHT NIGHT on FOX Sports 1 with 1.78-million viewers – a feat that the charismatic Irishman McGregor hopes to top.

McGregor (16-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) has quickly climbed the ranks of the featherweight division with an undefeated record in the UFC that includes three first-round knockouts. A win over Siver (22-9, 1NC, fighting out of Mannheim, Germany) will see him rewarded with a title shot in 2015. To get past the 18-fight UFC veteran who has collected seven “Fight Night” bonus awards along the way, McGregor needs to be firing on all cylinders.

UFC on FOX analyst Brian Stann believes McGregor’s confidence gives him an edge. “McGregor is a guy who really buys into his own hype and his confidence. His own belief in himself actually elevates the level of skill that he has when he gets in the Octagon. If Dennis Siver wants a shot at this fight, he’s got to make Conor doubt himself early.” Click here for a video preview of this fight: http://www.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=379741763839

In addition to the McGregor vs. Siver headliner, the main card features three more exciting matchups, including a key clash between former UFC lightweight champion and fifth-ranked Benson “Smooth” Henderson (21-4) and No. 3 Donald Cerrone (26-6, 1NC). The Ultimate Fighter season 17 finalist Uriah Hall (10-4) faces Louis Taylor (11-3), while The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes winner Norman Parke (21-2-1) battles veteran Gleison Tibau (39-10) to kick off the main card on FOX Sports 1. Mike Goldberg (@MFG16) and Joe Rogan (@JoeRogan) call the fights live from Boston’s TD Garden.

The three-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS feature six exciting fights, as Cathal Pendred (15-3-1) faces Sean Spencer (12-3) in a welterweight bout. Boston native John Howard (22-10) defends his home turf against fellow welterweight Lorenz Larkin (14-4, 1NC), while The Ultimate Fighter: China season 1 winner Zhang Lipeng (9-7-1) fights lightweight Chris Wade (8-1). Flyweights Patrick Holohan (10-1-1) and Shane Howell (13-8) battle it out, preceded by Johnny Case (19-4) and Frankie Perez (9-1) in a lightweight scrap. Charles Rosa (9-1) and Sean Soriano (8-2) open the PRELIMS with a bantamweight bout.

Sunday night’s action begins on FOX Sports 1 at 6:00 PM ET with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW hosted by veteran combat sports journalist Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) with analysts Daniel Cormier (@DC_MMA) and Gilbert Melendez (@GilbertMelendez). Former lightweight champion and current No. 2 ranked featherweight Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) joins the crew and makes his debut as an analyst. Coverage wraps up at 12:00 AM ET on FOX SPORTS LIVE, as the same group recaps the fights. Four-time MMA Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani interviews fighters on-site in Boston.

The UFC WEIGH-IN SHOW is on Saturday, Jan. 17 (4:00 PM ET) on FOX Sports 2 and features Anik alongside Edgar, Cormier and Melendez.

Leading up to the UFC FIGHT NIGHT, FOX Sports 1 premieres three separate specials featuring McGregor. On Thursday, Jan. 8 (7:30 PM ET), UFC FIGHTER’S CUT: CONOR MCGREGOR features the Irishman providing a firsthand perspective to several of his biggest fights to date. That show is followed at 8:00 PM ET by UFC PRESENTS THE NOTORIOUS: CONOR MCGREGOR, which follows the featherweight’s rapid rise in the first six months of his UFC career starting with his April, 2013 UFC debut. With his humble beginnings, brash trash talk and the fighting talent to back it up, McGregor quickly became a must-watch in the MMA world.

On Monday, Jan. 12 (7:30 PM ET) UFC RISING: CONOR MCGREGOR premieres on FOX Sports 1. The show showcases the emerging stars of the Octagon and right now no star is shining brighter than the brash McGregor. While his attitude makes the world take notice, explore how he backs it up, breaking down his best performances in The Film Room and his overwhelming athleticism in The Lab. Then take a look at what’s next for this featherweight supernova.                       

Leading up to Saturday’s main event, FOXSports.com offers comprehensive coverage of UFC FIGHT NIGHT with fight analysis and interviews with the featured fighters. Fans can monitor FIGHT NIGHT action with the live blog and keep score with FightTrax, the app that tracks all the fight action in real time. Follow @UFConFOX on Twitter and use the hashtag #UFCBoston for the latest updates.

The live UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MCGREGOR VS. SIVER action and related studio programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 are available to customers of participating pay TV providers via FOX Sports GO and FOX Soccer 2Go apps, and on the web through FOXSportsGO.com. FOX Sports GO is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Windows devices. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store. Fans can also follow minute-by-minute commentary via @UFCONFOX and @UFC Twitter accounts using #UFCFIGHTNIGHT.

Watch the UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MCGREGOR vs. SIVER promo:  http://youtu.be/jJQlrZKwrbw

FOX SPORTS UFC PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

UFC FIGHT NIGHT ON FOX SPORTS 1: MCGREGOR vs. SIVER Fight Card