Jose Aldo is a name which might have mellowed down in the hullabaloo of the meteoric rise of Conor McGregor. However, if we look back at UFC history, as Joe Rogan mentions, Aldo is definitely one of the greatest 145 pound-ers to walk the face of this earth.
The veteran featherweight fighter is starting afresh after a nightmarish 12-second defeat against McGregor at UFC 194 in December 2015. Aldo, 30, currently holds the featherweight title belt after a win over Frankie Edgar at UFC 200.
Prior to that, McGregor has decided to move to the lightweight division and relinquish the lower-weight division belt.
However, Aldo knows he is not yet the full master of the featherweight division as Max Holloway holds the interim featherweight title. At UFC 212 this Saturday June 3, the belt unifies, with the winner being declared as the king of the UFC featherweight division.
YOUR #UFC212 MAIN EVENT! Undisputed champ @JoseAldoJunior | Interim champ @BlessedMMA | Who’s the best 145er?! pic.twitter.com/tVeJRdbrOh
— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2017
Aldo is absolutely the favourite taking part into the match, considering his level of experience and the plenty of support that will boost him in his hometown fight in Brazil. The onus lies definitely on Holloway, who is 17-3-0 in his MMA career, to bring out his A-level game or lose significantly to the former numero uno pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Co-main event: Claudia Gadelha vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Yet another Brazilian fighter -- Gadelha -- is looking forward to making an impact at home in her strawweight division fight against the other Polish fighter in the division, besides the champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The victor will no doubt get a title shot, possibly against the winner of an upcoming bout between Joanna and Rose Namajunas.
The Co-Main event! @ClaudiaGadelha_ vs @KarolinaMMA to see who is the No. 1 strawweight contender! #UFC212 pic.twitter.com/6i6EL6DEB5
— UFC (@ufc) June 2, 2017
Missed chance for Anderson Silva
Brazil's Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) legend Silva was slated to face Kevin Gastelum in the middleweight division, but it had to be cancelled as Gastelum tested positive for Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC).
Luke Rockhold did step up to fight Silva, but the legend insisted on fighting Uriah Hall, Nick Diaz or Yoel Romero. However, a contract could not be reached. Therefore, Anderson Silva remained the loser in the end!
UFC 212: Main card
| Fighter 1 | Fighter 2 | Weight class | |
| Jose Aldo (C) | v | Max Holloway (IC) | Unified featherweight championship |
| Claudia Gadelha | v | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Women's strawweight |
| Vitor Belfort | v | Nate Marquardt | Middleweight |
| Paulo Borrachinha | v | Oluwale Bamgbose | Middleweight |
| Erick Silva | v | Yancy Medeiros | Welterweight |
UFC 212 schedule
- Date: June 3
- Time: 10 pm EST (7:30 am IST, 2 am GMT (Sunday)]
- Venue: Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Where to watch live
India - Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD.
US, Canada - PPV.
Brazil - Combate.
UK, Ireland - BT Sport 2.
Australia - Main Event.
New Zealand - Sky Sports Arena.
Live streams - UFC TV, YouTube (not available in the UK, Brazil, and India).
