UFC 196 pre-fight facts: Conor McGregor could make history with another KO

UFC 196 may no longer be the multi-title-fight super card it was originally intended to be, but Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena will is still one of the biggest of the year.

The main event sees UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) jump up two weight classes to for a welterweight fight with Nate Diaz (18-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC), and in the co-headliner, women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets Miesha Tate (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC).

For more on what’s at stake for the card’s 24 competitors, check out 90 pre-fight facts about UFC 196.

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Main event

Conor McGregor

McGregor vs. Diaz marks the first time since UFC 51 in February 2005 that a non-title fight serves as the main event above a title fight.

McGregor is one of four European-born fighters in UFC history to win an undisputed belt. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Bas Rutten and Andrei Arlovski also accomplished the feat.

McGregor moves up two weight classes to the UFC welterweight division for the first time in his career.

McGregor competes outside of Europe for the sixth time in his pro career. He’s 5-0 when fighting in the U.S.

McGregor enters the event on a 15-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since November 2010.

McGregor’s seven-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Max Holloway for the longest active streak in the division.

McGregor has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by knockout. He’s earned 13 of those finishes in the first round.

McGregor’s average fight time of 5:35 in UFC featherweight competition is the shortest in divisional history.

McGregor’s five-fight UFC finishing streak is tied with Luke Rockhold for the most consecutive finishes among active fighters.

McGregor is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn five or more consecutive knockouts. Chuck Liddell, Don Frye, Thiago Alves, Matt Brown, Junior Dos Santos and Ricco Rodriguez also accomplished the feat.

McGregor’s five-fight UFC knockout streak is tied for second longest in company history behind Liddell (seven).

McGregor’s six knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

McGregor’s six knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are tied with Holloway for the most in divisional history.

McGregor’s 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 marked the fastest title-fight stoppage in UFC history.

McGregor averages 2.31 knockdowns per 15 minutes of fighting, the second highest rate among active UFC fighters.

McGregor has earned six fight-night bonuses in his UFC featherweight career, which is tied with Charles Oliveira for most in divisional history.

McGregor is the only fighter UFC history to earn five consecutive “Performance of the Night” bonuses.

Nate Diaz

Diaz enters the event with a 5-5 record in his past 10 UFC appearances.

Diaz’s eight stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Joe Lauzon (11), B.J. Penn (nine) and Donald Cerrone (nine).

Diaz’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC lightweight competition are tied for second most in combined divisional history behind Cerrone (13).

Diaz’s 238 significant strikes landed against Cerrone at UFC 141 stand as the single-fight UFC record.

Diaz’s seven submission victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for the most in divisional history. His nine submission wins in UFC/WEC lightweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

Diaz’s eight submission victories in modern-era UFC competition are tied with Frank Mir for the most in company history.

Diaz is one of two modern-era fighters to earn four consecutive UFC submission victories. Demian Maia, who ultimately registered five straight, also accomplished the feat.

Diaz has earned 11 fight-night bonuses in his UFC lightweight career, which is tied for second most in divisional history behind Lauzon (13).

Diaz’s 12 post-fight bonuses in his UFC career are the third most in company history behind Lauzon (13) and Anderson Silva (13).

Co-main event

Holly Holm

Holm vs. Tate marks the first UFC women’s bantamweight title fight not to feature Ronda Rousey.

Holm’s three-fight UFC winning streak in women’s bantamweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Tate (four).

Holm has earned seven of her 10 career victories by knockout.

Holm has never been taken down in UFC competition. She’s defended all six of her opponents’ takedown attempts inside the octagon.

Tate competes in her seventh UFC women’s bantamweight bout, tied with Rousey and Jessica Andrade for the most appearances in divisional history.

Miesha Tate

Tate’s four-fight UFC winning streak in women’s bantamweight competition is the longest in the division.

Tate has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.

Tate has earned at least one takedown in 13 of her 14 UFC/Strikeforce appearances.

Tate is the only fighter in combined Strikeforce/UFC/WEC/PRIDE history to come back from being knocked down three times in a fight to finish their opponent. She accomplished the feat against Julie Kedzie at “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman.”

Tate has been stopped inside the distance in all five of her career losses.

Remaining main card

Ilir Latifi

Ilir Latifi (11-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) competes in his second UFC bout in a 48-day stretch. He defeated Sean O’Connell at UFC Fight Night 81 on Jan. 17.

Latifi has earned three of his four UFC victories by knockout.

Latifi is the only light heavyweight in UFC history to earn two stoppage victories in less than one minute each.

Latifi’s fight vs. Cyrille Diabate at UFC Fight Night 37 marked the only bout in modern UFC history to feature no significant-strike attempts by either fighter.

Gian Villante (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

Villante is the only light-heavyweight fighter in UFC history to absorb 100 or more significant strikes in three consecutive fights.

Villante and Sean O’Connell combined for 202 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 43, a three-round light-heavyweight record.

Villante’s knockout of Corey Anderson at the 4:18 mark of Round 3 at UFC on FOX 15 marked the second latest knockout in a three-round UFC light-heavyweight contest. Mauricio Rua’s victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 93 holds the record.

Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson’s (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned his past three UFC victories by decision.

Anderson’s 61-second knockout of Matt Van Buren at the TUF 19 Finale stands as the fastest finish in a tournament final on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show.

Tom Lawlor (10-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) enters the event with consecutive UFC victories for the first time since 2009. He alternated wins and losses over his previous six UFC appearances.

Lawlor was successful in his return to the UFC light-heavyweight division in July. He’s 2-0 in his UFC career at the weight class.

Lawlor is one of five fighters in modern UFC history to earn a knockout and a submission victory both in less than a minute each.

Amanda Nunes’ (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Rousey (six).

Nunes has earned all 11 of her career victories by stoppage.

Nunes has earned all four of her UFC victories by first-round stoppage.

Nunes’ four stoppage victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are the second most in divisional history behind Rousey (six).

Nunes is one of two fighters in UFC women’s bantamweight history to earn back-to-back first-round knockout victories. Rousey is the other.

Valentina Shevchenko (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) enters the event on a five-fight winning streak. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since September 2010.

Preliminary card

Brandon Thatch

Brandon Thatch (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all 11 of his career victories by first-round stoppage.

Siyar Bahadurzada (21-6-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 28, 2013. The 798-day layoff is the longest of a pro career that dates back to his March 2002 debut.

Erick Silva (18-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has earned all six of his UFC victories by first-round stoppage in a total fight time of 13:02.

Silva’s average fight time of 5:47 in UFC welterweight competition is the shortest among active fighters in the weight class.

Silva’s six first-round stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Josh Koscheck for second most in divisional history behind Matt Hughes (seven).

Silva’s four submission victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for the third most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (six) and Hughes (five).

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 a fight-night bonus in six of his past nine UFC bouts.

Nordine Taleb (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.

Darren Elkins

Darren Elkins (19-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) competes in his 12th UFC featherweight bout, tied for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Holloway (13).

Elkins is 8-3 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in June 2011.

Elkins’ eight victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Holloway (11).

Elkins has earned seven of his nine UFC victories by decision.

Elkins’ 17 submission attempts in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Chas Skelly (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind McGregor (seven), Holloway (seven) and Frankie Edgar (five).

Skelly’s two UFC victories in a 14-day stretch between UFC Fight Night 49 and UFC Fight Night 50 stand as the shortest period between wins in modern UFC history.

Skelly attempted seven submissions against Sean Soriano at UFC Fight Night 50, the most in a UFC featherweight bout.

Jim Miller

Jim Miller (25-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) competes in his 22nd UFC lightweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (26).

Miller’s 14 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Tibau (16) and Cerrone (15).

Miller’s eight stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Lauzon (11), Penn (nine) and Cerrone (nine).

Miller’s six submission victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Lauzon (seven) and Diaz (seven).

Miller’s 35 submission attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.

Diego Sanchez (25-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) returns to the UFC lightweight division after a one-fight stint at featherweight.

Sanchez is one of two fighters in UFC history to compete in four different weight classes. He’s also competed at middleweight, welterweight and featherweight. Kenny Florian also accomplished the feat.

Sanchez is the only active UFC fighter who was a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 1.”

Diego Sanchez

Sanchez has earned his past six UFC victories by decision. He hasn’t finished an opponent since Luigi Fioravanti at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in June 2008.

Sanchez’s total fight time of 4:52:57 over his 22-fight UFC career is third most of any non-champion in company history behind Michael Bisping (5:20:04) and Tibau (4:53:00).

Sanchez has fought to a decision 16 times in his UFC career, tied with Tibau for the most in company history.

Sanchez has absorbed 1,018 total head strikes in his UFC career, the most among active fighters on the roster.

Sanchez has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision.

Sanchez has earned six “Fight of the Night” bonuses during his UFC career, tied for the second most in history behind Edgar (seven).

Marcelo Guimaraes (9-1-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since June 28, 2014. The 616-day layoff is his longest since 2006.

For more on UFC 196, 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.