Currently ranked fifth at 135 pounds, Aldana holds a 14-6 record over the past seven years, most recently defeating Macy Chiasson by knockout at UFC 279 in September 2022. Aldana’s victory came in the form of an upkick to the body, only the third such KO in UFC history, and the only one targeted at the body.

Aldana deals more damage via striking attacks than nearly any fighter in UFC history. She connects with 5.61 significant strikes per minute, the fourth highest rate in bantamweight history. Aldana also ranks third all-time in takedown defense and fourth all-time in women’s bantamweight history in strike defense at 61%.

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Winning this fight and earning Mexico’s fourth championship of the year will be no easy task for Aldana, as Nunes looks to build on her legacy and continue her reign atop the division.

Nunes, the most decorated fighter in women’s UFC history, holds the records for most wins at 15 and for most title fight wins at 10. Aldana understands the magnitude of this challenge, and she believes that she will rise to the occasion.

“I’m honored to share the Octagon with her,” Aldana said of her matchup with Nunes. “But, at this point, I feel very happy that it came at this time, because I feel so ready for that. I’m just enjoying the moment. I’m happy with the pressure.”

Middleweight veterans and recent title challengers cross paths on the road back to the top of the division here.

Vettori started his UFC career going 2-2-1 in his first five fights, but is 7-2 since, with his losses coming to Israel Adesanya in a championship bout at UFC 263 and Robert Whittaker last fall in Paris. “The Italian Dream” cemented his standing as a top contender in the division with a unanimous decision win over Roman Dolidize in March at UFC 286 and will look to build on that effort when he jumps in with Cannonier.

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Just like his dance partner on June 17, Cannonier has only lost to Whittaker and Adesanya since moving to middleweight, bouncing back from his setback against the current champ with a split decision win over Sean Strickland in the final UFC fight of 2022. He has big power but can get a little too patient and methodical at times, but the aggressiveness of his Italian counterpart should force him to let loose a little more, or risk being run over.

At the moment, the title picture in the middleweight division is a little blurry, as Adesanya reclaimed the throne in April and has already vanquished several of the top contenders. The winner of this one will lock themselves into a place in the Top 5, but what comes next could hinge on how things play out here.

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“I like to call it controlled anger, controlled chaos, because you never want to go into a fight emotional because I feel that could be your downfall, but you need to be able to control it; whatever it is that helps you, it needs to be controlled,” Muñoz said. “I feel for this fight, it’s like controlled anger. I like to consider myself a smart fighter and a strategic one. I’m using that to help me thrive in this fight and we’re going to see that on Saturday.”

The 30-year-old bantamweight is looking to build off his unanimous decision victory last November against Liudvik Sholinian. Prior to that win, he had gone 1-2 in the Octagon, securing his first UFC victory against Jamey Simmons at UFC 265. His opponent, Santos, just earned his first victory inside the Octagon last October with a knockout victory over John Castenada.

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Even though Muñoz is coming into the fight with some anger, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect Santos. He understands that everyone that makes it to the UFC is the best of the best, making it to the highest level of mixed martial arts. At the same time, he has confidence in his game and his abilities heading into the matchup.

“I think the main thing is going to be control and distance,” Muñoz said. “I feel like I’m going to outclass him by controlling him. He’s like a bull; very aggressive, comes forward. I feel like I’m like the matador and I’m just going to control the fight, dictate where it goes and put the bull back in the cage.”

“This is a really cool program,” said Sandhagen. “I’ve always wanted to establish a program like this for kids in Denver, and now that I’ve trained with this team today, this gives me a foundation to show how I can potentially launch one of my own. Helping these kids is not about fighting at all, it’s about fitness, health and wellness, mental health, and building inner confidence that will help you succeed in everyday life. Great stuff.”

At the conclusion of the event, the UFC Foundation made a $10,000 donation to help further the organization’s mission.

UFC’s corporate social responsibility program, #UFCInTheCommunity, strategically collaborates with partners, sponsors, and athletes to develop additional charitable programs and funding sources to help bolster and inspire the local community. For more information, please visit UFCFOUNDATION.  

Bantamweight Bout: Daniel Santos () vs Johnny Munoz ()

Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski () vs Don’Tale Mayes ()

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Bantamweight Bout: John Castaneda () vs Muin Gafurov ()

Lightweight Bout: Jamie Mullarkey () vs Muhammad Naimov ()

MORE FIGHT NIGHT: Amir Albazi | Kai Kara-France

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Elise Reed () vs Jinh Yu Frey ()

Bantamweight Bout: Da’Mon Blackshear () vs Luan Lacerda ()

Light Heavyweight Bout: Philipe Lins () vs Max Grishin ()

“That’s what I’ve been able to do,” Caceres said. “Not trying to control everything. My body knows, my mind knows, my spirit knows; it’s only my ego trying to see it through to the end.”

Letting things happen is exactly what Caceres has been doing of late and it’s been working. He’s won six of his last seven and he’s climbed his way into the featherweight rankings. By enjoying the ride and understanding who and what he is, the 34-year-old’s stock has never been higher.

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Caceres doesn’t feel like he’s fighting when that door closes. He feels as if he’s observing himself from a third-person view. There is no thought process that he feels in control of.

It might sound strange. And Caceres tends to agree with that.

“It feels like an acid trip,” Caceres laughs. “I don’t take anything personal in there. You can cut me, you can break me down, I can be bleeding. That’s why you see me, even if I’m losing, I don’t get discouraged. I fight tooth and nail to the end because I’m not attached to the pain. I’m not attached to the deficit of points or that I’m falling behind. I’m not attached to the time limit. I’m just there being the action I am performing.”

With spousal approval in tow, Miller approaches his 42nd fight in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs Albazi, where he will face UFC debutant Jesse Butler, who is replacing Jared Gordon (who replaced Ludovít Klein after he was forced to pull out of the bout).

The fight is a chance for Miller to bounce back from his decision defeat to Hernandez. The result was Miller’s first loss since April 2021, and surely a disappointment considering he was coming off three consecutive second-round finishes. All told, he is letting it slide off his back rather easily.

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“It still kind of cements who I am and what I do,” Miller said. “I don’t fight for the judges. I don’t fight to score points. I fight to finish the fight. I understand that the fights aren’t scored in that way, but that’s why I fell in love with this sport 20 something years ago when I first started watching. It was that aggressive style of fighting. I feel like I had a lot closer opportunities to finish the fight than he did, (but) the judges went the other way.”

Miller admitted he kind of enjoys the nervous energy that comes with fighting someone early in their UFC tenure due to the unpredictability factor.