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The seventh championship unification bout in UFC history will unfold Saturday at UFC 212 when featherweight champ Jose Aldo meets interim titleholder Max Holloway in the headliner at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Aldo (26-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will look to start his second reign as the145-pound king in a positive manner when he takes on Holloway (17-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), who brings one of the longest winning streaks in UFC history into the pay-per-view fight. FS1 and UFC Fight Pass carry the prelims.
For more on the numbers behind the championship clash, as well the other 11 bouts scheduled for the UFC’s second trip to Brazil this year, check out these 65 pre-fight facts about UFC 212.
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Main event
Aldo is the only two-time UFC featherweight titleholder in history and one of seven overall in company history to have two reigns in a single weight class.
Jose Aldo
Aldo competes in his 18th UFC/WEC featherweight bout, the second most appearances in combined divisional history behind Cub Swanson (21).
Aldo’s 16 victories in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Aldo’s 15-fight UFC/WEC winning streak before losing to Conor McGregor at UFC 194 is the second longest in the combined history of the two organizations behind Anderson Silva (16).
Aldo’s nine stoppage victories in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Aldo’s nine knockdowns landed in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.
Aldo has landed 86.1 percent (137 of 159) leg-kick attempts in his UFC/WEC career.
Aldo defends 69.7 percent of opponent significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Gabriel Benitez (70.7 percent).
Aldo defends 92.3 percent (84 of 91) of opponent takedown attempts in UFC/WEC featherweight competition, the highest rate in combined divisional history.
Max Holloway (right).
Holloway competes in his 16th UFC featherweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Holloway, 25, becomes the youngest fighter to make 17 UFC appearances.
Holloway, at 23, became the youngest fighter in UFC history to earn 10 victories with the organization at UFC Fight Night 74 in August.
Holloway enters the event on a career-high 10-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since August 2013.
Holloway’s 10-fight winning streak in UFC competition is third longest among active fighters in the company behind Jon Jones (13), Demetrious Johnson (12) and Georges St-Pierre (12).
Holloway’s nine-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Holloway’s 12 victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Holloway’s seven stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Holloway’s five knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for with Chad Mendes for second most in divisional history behind McGregor (six).
Holloway’s seven knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Holloway is one of two fighters in UFC/WEC featherweight history to land 100 or more significant strikes in three fights. Nam Phan accomplished the feat three times during his UFC tenure.
Holloway’s submission of Cub Swanson at the 3:58 mark of Round 3 at UFC on FOX 15 is the second latest submission ever in a three-round UFC featherweight bout behind Charles Rosa’s submission of Sean Soriano at UFC Fight Night 59.
Co-main event
Claudia Gadelha (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) competes in her sixth UFC strawweight bout, tied for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (eight).
Claudia Gadelha
Gadelha has alternated wins and losses over her five-fight UFC career.
Gadelha has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
Gadelha’s 26 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has all three of her UFC victories by decision. She hasn’t earned a stoppage since May 2014.
Remaining main card
Vitor Belfort (25-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) becomes the 11th fighter in UFC history to make 25 or more octagon appearances.
Vitor Belfort
Belfort is 8-4 with one no-contest since he dropped to the middleweight division in September 2007.
Belfort’s three-fight winless skid is tied for the longest of his more than 20-year career. He’s 1-3 with one no-contest in his past five bouts overall.
Belfort has suffered losses only to fighters who have won a tournament championship or held an undisputed title in the UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce.
Belfort’s 14 stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied with A. Silva for most in company history.
Belfort’s 13 first-round stoppage victories in UFC competition are the most in history.
Belfort’s 12 knockout victories in UFC competition are the most in history.
Belfort’s four UFC knockout victories stemming from a head kick are tied for second most in company history behind Donald Cerrone (six).
Nate Marquardt (35-17-2 MMA, 13-10 UFC) competes in his 22nd UFC middleweight bout, tied with Michael Bisping and Chris Leben for most appearances in divisional history.
Nate Marquardt
Marquardt fell to 3-4 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in June 2014. He’s 3-7 in his past 10 bouts overall.
Marquardt’s 13 victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Yushin Okami for third most in divisional history behind Bisping (16) and A. Silva (14).
Marquardt’s nine stoppage victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Leben for second most in divisional history behind Silva (11).
Marquardt’s 11 knockdowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are second most in divisional history behind A. Silva (13).
Marquardt’s four knockdowns landed against Dean Lister at UFC Fight Night 8 stand as the most ever in a UFC middleweight fight. His four knockdown performance is also tied for second largest in UFC history, behind only Forrest Petz’s five knockdowns of Sammy Morgan at UFC Fight Night 6.
Marquardt’s 32 takedowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Rafael Natal (36) and Chael Sonnen (35).
Marquardt lands 61.5 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Cezar Ferreira (69.2 percent).
Marquardt’s 17 career losses are the most of any active member of the UFC roster.
Oluwale Bamgbose (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by first-round knockout.
Paulo Borrachinha (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all nine of his career victories by stoppage.
Erick Silva (19-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has earned all seven of his UFC victories by stoppage.
Erick Silva
Silva’s average fight time of 6:28 in UFC welterweight competition is the shortest among active fighters in the weight class.
Silva’s seven stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Matt Hughes (11), Matt Brown (11), Thiago Alves (nine) and Josh Koscheck (eight).
Silva’s six first-round stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Koscheck for second most in divisional history behind Hughes (seven).
Silva’s five submission victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Hughes and Gunnar Nelson for second most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (six).
Silva landed all 18 significant strikes thrown in his 52-second knockout of Takenori Sato at UFC Fight Night 36. That’s the most in UFC history for a fighter who didn’t miss a strike.
Silva is the only fighter in UFC history to have three fights with the organization without absorbing a single strike.
Silva has been awarded seven fight-night bonuses for UFC welterweight bouts, tied with Carlos Condit for second most in divisional history behind Lytle (10).
Yancy Medeiros (13-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by submission.
Medeiros has received a fight-night bonus in four of his past six UFC appearances.
Preliminary card card
Raphael Assuncao (24-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is 8-1 since he dropped to the UFC bantamweight division in August 2011.
Raphael Assuncao
Assuncao’s eight victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Urijah Faber (10) and T.J. Dillashaw (10).
Assuncao has earned six of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Assuncao defends 69.9 of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the third highest rate in divisional history behind Vaughan Lee (71.5 percent) and Dominick Cruz (70.9 percent).
Marlon Moraes (18-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) enters the event on a 13-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since November 2011.
Antonio Carlos Junior
Antonio Carlos Junior (7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is 3-1 with one no-contest since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in June 2015.
Carlos Junior’s submission of Leonardo Augusto Leleco at 4:46 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 94 stands as the second latest finish in a three-round UFC middleweight fight. Garreth McLellan holds the record for his victory at 4:58 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 76.
Eric Spicely (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by first-round submission in a total fight time of 5:12.
Johny Eduardo (28-10 MMA, 3-2 UFC) makes just his fourth UFC appearance since May 2012.
Iuri Alcantara (34-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is 7-3 with one no-contest since he dropped to the UFC bantamweight division in January 2013.
Alcantara defeated Luke Sanders at UFC 209 despite a -107 total strike differential (134 to 27), the second-largest deficit for a winner by stoppage in UFC history behind A. Silva’s comeback against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 (-256).
Deiveson Alcantara (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished eight of this wins in Round 1.
For more on UFC 212, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
FightMetric research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
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