Florida’s Jacare vs. Hermansson Moved From ESPN To ESPN+

Next weekend’s (Sat., April 27, 2019) UFC on ESPN+ 8 from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, has been moved from ESPN to ESPN+.

Amidst the all-out chaos of last weekend’s unbelievable UFC 236, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn pointed out that the UFC announced the upcoming event’s broadcast was shifted from cable to ESPN’s streaming service:

Flew under the radar a bit, but UFC announced on Saturday's broadcast that #UFCFtLauderdale main card on April 27 has been changed from a televised card on ESPN to streaming on ESPN+.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) April 15, 2019

The event has undergone some big changes at the top. Former headliner Yoel Romero recently withdrew from his rematch with Jacare Souza in the main event. Rising star Jack Hermansson stepped in as a result.

But the UFC obviously felt that the fight wasn’t big enough for an ESPN-aired event. The card was originally slated to be called UFC on ESPN 3. The initial two cards to air on big ESPN were headlined by Francis Ngannou vs. Cain Velasquez and Justin Gaethje vs. Edson Barboza.

With the shift, UFC on ESPN+8 will air on a strange viewing split. The early prelims will be on ESPN 2, the regular prelims will be on ESPN, and the main card will then stream on ESPN+.