UFC 155 preview: 20 fun facts about ‘Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2' in Las Vegas on Dec. 29

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view (PPV) for the first time since mid-November this Saturday night (Dec. 29, 2012) with its annual New Year's Eve weekend event, UFC 155: "Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2."

A heavyweight championship rematch between title-holder Junior dos Santos and former champion Cain Velasquez serves as the main event, while several pivotal bouts that have divisional implications at stake are featured on the under card.

With the event just days away and anticipation growing for the UFC's final event of 2012, let's take a few minutes to review some event-related facts about UFC 155.

Check them out:

1. Chris Leben returns to mixed martial arts (MMA) competition after a one-year suspension for prescription painkillers.
2. In a combined 43 career victories, Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller have finished 30 opponents by submission.
3. All nine of Todd Duffee's career fights (seven wins, two losses) have ended by (technical) knockout.
4. Alan Belcher and Yushin Okami face off in a rematch of their August 2006 meeting at UFC 62. The fight was both men's Octagon debut and Okami won by unanimous decision.
5. Alan Belcher's fight against Yushin Okami will be the first time since 2009 where "The Talent" has fought more than one fight in a calendar year.
6. Joe Lauzon has only gone to a decision once in his 29-fight career.
7. According to FightMetric, Junior dos Santos has only been taken down three times in his nine-fight UFC career. Dos Santos has spent less than 20-seconds on the ground in his UFC career.
8. Michael Johnson will attempt to win a fourth consecutive fight for the first time in his career.
9. Leonard Garcia has a record 3-6-1 in his last 10 fights. All three of his wins came by way of split decision.
10. Jim Miller has never been knocked out in his 25-fight career.
11. Todd Duffee returns to the UFC after a three-year and four month absence.
12. Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez face off in a rematch of their November 2011 meeting at UFC on FOX 1. Dos Santos won the fight by knockout in 64-seconds to win the UFC heavyweight championship.
13. Myles Jury (10-0) has won all of his professional fights by TKO or submission in the first round. Jury's longest career fight is four minutes and three seconds.
14. Nine of the 10 wins in the career of Cain Velasquez are via (T)KO.
15. Joe Lauzon has won 11 UFC post-fight bonuses in his career, second behind UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
16. Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez and Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami are the only main card bouts to remain intact from the originally scheduled event.
17. Jim Miller enters UFC 155 on the heels of a submission loss to Nate Diaz. Miller has never lost two-straight fights in his career.
18. Myles Jury is the only undefeated fighter on the card.
19. Junior dos Santos will attempt to tie Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia and Brock Lesnar for the most heavyweight title defenses in UFC history at two.
20. Tim Boetsch is 5-1 since returning to the UFC in 2010. Boetsch has an undefeated record in the middleweight division (4-0).

That's a wrap for this set of fun UFC facts.

Did you learn anything new/interesting? Do any of the facts change your perspective on Saturday's fights?

Let us know below!