Beginning next month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Spike TV roll out three-part "UFC Primetime: GSP vs. Hardy" series that previews UFC 111 and its March 27 headliner between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy.
As we reported earlier this month, new 30-minute episodes air each Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning on March 10.
Spike TV has since confirmed a number of replay dates for each part of the series.
Part I, which debuts March 10, re-airs March 12 (11 p.m.), March 19 (11 p.m.), March 26 (11 p.m.) and March 27 (1 p.m.).
Part II, which debuts March 17, re-airs March 19 (11:30 p.m.), March 26 (11:30 p.m.) and March 27 (1:30).
Part III, which debuts March 24, re-airs March 25 (2:30 a.m.), March 26 (midnight) and March 27 (2 p.m. and 6 p.m.).
UFC 111 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Two preliminary-card fights air on Spike TV, and then the night's main card, including St-Pierre vs. Hardy and an interim heavyweight title fight between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir, airs on pay-per-view.
Different from the UFC's traditional "Countdown" shows, "UFC Primetime" goes more in depth and focuses on some of the biggest fights of the year. One popular "Primetime" special, for example, focused on the highly anticipated second meeting between St-Pierre and B.J. Penn, which took place at UFC 94 in January 2009.
The UFC 111 special follows Hardy as he prepares for his bout in his home country of England. The cameras also focus on St-Pierre has he holds his fight camp in Canada and the U.S.
St-Pierre (19-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC), widely regarded as one of the sport's top pound-for-pound fighters, carries a six-fight winning streak into the upcoming contest. By March, the Canadian will have been on the shelf for eight months while recovering from a groin injury suffered in a July title defense over Thiago Alves. Hardy (23-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC), meanwhile, owns a seven-fight win streak that includes a perfect 4-0 mark in the UFC. The British slugger defeated Mike Swick in November at UFC 105 to earn his title shot.
