UFC 212: Max Holloway, 'Fighter To Watch' tonight in Brazil

Extended win streaks are hard to come by in MMA, especially when it comes to an ultra-talented promotion like UFC. That’s why Max Holloway’s main event tilt opposite UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo later tonight (Sat., June 3, 2017) at UFC 212 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is so damn interesting. Holloway has won 10-straight fights inside of the Octagon en route to claiming the interim 145-pound title last year at UFC 206, which is why he’ll be your “Fighter to Watch” at UFC 212 when he aims to extend his streak to 11 against the best featherweight ever.

For many, Holloway’s evolution and divisional ascension have been a long time coming. The Hawaiian busted onto the scene when he was just a youngster and only had four professional fights under his belt before making his UFC debut in 2012. Since then, Holloway has compiled a UFC record of 13-3, losing to only Conor McGregor, Dennis Bermudez, and Dustin Poirier. Holloway has never looked better and has shown a tremendous ability to seek out finishes during his current win streak. In fact, he became the first fighter to ever finish Anthony Pettis when he stopped the former UFC lightweight champion via third-round TKO back in December. On top of that, “Blessed” has secured four other knockouts and two submission wins since his last Octagon loss to McGregor in 2013.

The point is that Holloway has proven to be one of the very best fighters in the game today, let alone the UFC’s stacked featherweight division. He has developed into one of the more precise and consistent strikers on the roster, while displaying an elevated ability to stay off his back (hasn’t been taken down in his last seven appearances). So even though Aldo is back on top at 145 pounds after defeating Frankie Edgar at UFC 200, Holloway is just as hot. All things considered, Holloway may be Aldo’s toughest test to date outside of “Notorious.”

If Holloway is able to capitalize on this huge opportunity and steal gold from Aldo in Brazil, the promotion would be silly not to attack the Hawaiian MMA market with “Blessed” in the driver’s seat. You also have to wonder if Holloway’s 11-fight win streak would be enough to attract McGregor back to the division. After all, Holloway remains the only featherweight to ever take the Irishman the distance.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 212 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.