Spike TV's "UFC Prelims" special returns for UFC 123, skipped for UFC 124

Spike TV's latest "UFC Prelims" special is slated for Saturday's UFC 119 event, but another one-hour preliminary-card broadcast has been added to the schedule.

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with a source close to the event that November's UFC 123 event also will get a two-bout "UFC Prelims" special prior to the night's pay-per-view main-card broadcast.

However, December's UFC 124 event won't.

UFC 123 takes place Nov. 20 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit. No specific fights have been chosen for the "UFC Prelims" special, which precedes the night's main card on PPV. However, leading candidates include officially announced bouts of Dennis Hallman vs. Karo Parisyan, Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris and Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin. Previously reported but currently unofficial fights of Matt Brown vs. Rory MacDonald and Paul Kelly vs. Gabe Ruediger are also possibilities.

UFC 124, meanwhile, won't get a "UFC Prelims" broadcast. The Dec. 11 event takes places at Montreal's Bell Centre, and with a welterweight title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and top contender Josh Koscheck, could be one of the year's biggest events. However, it also coincides with the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, which airs the same night on Spike TV.

The UFC and Spike TV contracted 10 "UFC Prelims" specials for 2010. This weekend's UFC 119 special is the year's eighth, next month's UFC 121 broadcast is the ninth, and UFC 123 will be the 10th.

The UFC first offered a PPV teaser broadcast for UFC 103, when the UFC went head-to-head with a boxing PPV broadcast featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. The specials proved effective enough at generating last-minute PPV buys that officials from the UFC and the organization's longtime cable partner decided to make them a regular offering.

Ratings have ranged from 1.1 million viewers (UFC 118) to a series high 1.7 million with February's UFC 109 event.

For the latest on UFC 123 and UFC 124, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

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Reminder: "Countdown to UFC 119" debuts tonight on Spike TV

As a reminder, the UFC's traditional pre-event preview show returns tonight with the debut of "Countdown to UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop."

The one-hour-plus special debuts at 10:47 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV and spotlights the UFC 119 headliner between former heavyweight champ Frank Mir and fellow contender Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Replays air Wednesday (11 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday (1 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET/PT) on Spike TV.

In addition to the headliner, which puts the winner closer toward the crowded top of the heavyweight division, "Countdown to UFC 119" focuses on the event's co-headliner between light-heavyweight contenders Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ryan Bader. Although the UFC's 205-pound division is just as filled with contenders as the heavyweights, UFC president Dana White said Nogueira vs. Bader could have title implications.

The full UFC 119 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Frank MirRyan Bader vs. Antonio Rogerio NogueiraChris Lytle vs. Matt SerraEvan Dunham vs. Sean SherkMelvin Guillard vs. Jeremy StephensPRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe DoerksenJoey Beltran vs. Matt MitrionePRELIMINARY CARD
Pat Audinwood vs. Thiago TavaresSteve Lopez vs. Waylon LoweT.J. Grant vs. Julio PaulinoMark Hunt vs. Sean McCorkleFor more on UFC 119, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

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Spike TV's "Brocktober" includes UFC 116 replay, UFC 121 "Primetime" special

Spike TV officials have dubbed next month "Brocktober" and have crammed a variety of Brock Lesnar-related programming into a four-week span.

The lineup includes a new three-part "UFC Primetime: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" pre-UFC 121 special that debuts Oct. 6.

Additionally, Spike TV airs a replay of July's UFC 116 pay-per-view event, a blockbuster show that was headlined by champ Lesnar and interim title-holder Shane Carwin, on Oct. 20.

UFC 121 takes place Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Lesnar puts his heavyweight belt on the line against top contender Cain Velasquez in the pay-per-view headliner.

The "Primetime" special debut airs at 11 p.m. ET/PT, and new episodes come out Oct. 13 (11 p.m.) and Oct. 20 (9:30 p.m.). The UFC 116 replay airs from 7-9:30 p.m.

Also on the calendar is the UFC's tradition pre-event "Countdown" show. "Countdown to UFC 121" debuts Oct. 18 at 11:30 p.m., and replays are set for Oct. 20 (1:30 a.m.), Oct. 21 (12:30 a.m.) and Oct. 23 (1 p.m.).

Also sprinkled throughout the month are "UFC All Access: Brock Lesnar" replays (Oct. 7 at 1 a.m. and Oct. 9 at 2 p.m.) and "UFC Unleashed" specials. They include Lesnar vs. Heath Herring from UFC 87 (Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.), Lesnar vs. Randy Couture at UFC 91 (Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.), Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II at UFC 100 (Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. and Oct. 23 at 8 p.m.) and Lesnar vs. Mir I at UFC 81 (Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.).

For complete coverage of UFC 121, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Brock Lesnar)

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