UFC 212 Fight Card: PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Aldo vs. Holloway

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UFC 212 is not about Conor McGregor. It is about the real undisputed, UFC featherweight championship of the world between Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo.

The storyline that McGregor is still the 145-pound champion needs to be thrown out the window at this point. Aldo is unfairly being called a fake champion, while Holloway has been waiting with incredible patience for his shot at the top of the totem poll after sweeping through the featherweight division on an incredible 10-fight win streak.

Tonight's main event is bound to be an instant classic. How could it not be? Two diverse, athletic and fearless strikers going at each other for five rounds? That's how you sell pay-per-views, ladies and gentlemen. 

Speaking of PPVs, let's take a quick look at UFC 212's main card that will be seen live on PPV from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the night's preliminary bouts that can be seen on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. 

UFC 212 Fight Card and Odds

PPV at 10 p.m. ET

• Jose Aldo -150 vs. Max Holloway -125
• Claudia Gadelha -350 vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz +265
• Vitor Belfort -160 vs. Nate Marquardt +130
• Paulo Borrachinha -300 vs. Oluwale Bamgbose +230
• Erick Silva +110 vs. Yancy Medeiros -140

Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET

• Marlon Moraes -175 vs. Raphael Assuncao +145
• Antonio Carlos Junior -235 vs. Eric Spicely +185
• Matthew Lopez -210 vs. Johnny Eduardo +170
• Iuri Alcantara -315 vs. Brian Kelleher +245

Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET

• Viviane Pereira -130 vs. Jamie Moyle -110
• Luan Chagas -250 vs. Jim Wallhead +195
• Marco Beltran +120 vs. Deiveson Figueiredo -150

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Co-main event: Claudia Gadelha vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

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Rose Namajunas may believe that she is in line for the next title shot, but the reality is that UFC 212's co-main event is the title eliminator between the two best 115-pound fighters in the world not named Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Both Gadelha and Kowalkiewicz have gone toe-to-toe with the champion and at times looked to be the better fighter. Gadelha has had two wars with Jedrzejczyk, and it can be argued that in a three-round fight, Gadelha would've won the rematch handily.

Unfortunately for her, fighting the champion puts you in deep waters with five rounds, which left Gadelha gassed. As for Kowalkiewicz, she came alive in rounds four and five against the champion last November and hurt Jedrzejczyk in a way we haven't seen before. Both fighters have only lost to the champion, but this fight favors Gadelha because it's three rounds, meaning she won't be gassed when it matters most.

Furthermore, Gadelha is in a new camp where she feels she unstoppable, per Fox Sports: 

"I didn't want to go anywhere where I would change my game completely. That's why I was studying all the possibilities, to find the best coach to add new tools to my game without changing me. Chris Luttrell is somebody that works perfect for what I do in MMA, plus I get to train at Jackson's with all the amazing fighters and trainers and I think that's the best thing I did.

"I feel different. I feel great. It's kind hard to explain because it's so new to me. I have to challenge myself and go somewhere that's different. I'm trying different things 24/7. I'm excited to perform. I'm excited to see how I'm going to perform. I feel like I became a better athlete, I have more mobility, everything is in the right place. I feel much better than I used to."

Gadelha 2.0? That's a scary thought.

As good as Kowalkiewicz is, she won't be able to execute her game plan in a three-round fight against a mauler like Gadelha. Expect Gadelha to bring Kowalkiewicz to the canvas with regularity en route to a unanimous-decision win, setting up a third fight with "Joanna Champion."  

Main event: Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway

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Finally, the UFC's featherweight division will crown its undisputed champion without any interim or default belts. This is going to be a great fight, no matter who wins. Holloway is as fearless as they come, and he won't be intimidated once he steps inside the Octagon.

Let's not forget how much courage he showed against Ricardo Lamas at the end of a fight he had already one. The Waianae boy just likes to scrap.

Holloway is a very well-rounded fighter and has shown an ability to finish fights via submission, TKO or by decision. One of his most impressive victories came against Cub Swanson when he submitted him with a guillotine choke, solidifying his status as one of the sport's rising stars.

But make no mistake about it: Holloway will come forward and put Aldo on the back foot and test out his chin. And he's not intimidated by fighting in Aldo's backyard, per MMA Fighting:

He may not have one-punch knockout power, but Holloway has the endurance to throw combinations of five-plus strikes at a time without wearing down. Aldo is in for a tough fight against the Hawaiian, even if he is a legend.

The general consensus is that Aldo will come out looking to take out Holloway's legs with his lethal kicks, but that's going to be difficult if Aldo is constantly on the back foot. Holloway hasn't been walked down by an opponent since he fought McGregor as a young prospect, and he's improved with every fight he's had inside of the Octagon.

Aldo's legacy won't be defined by 13 seconds against McGregor, but his legacy as the world's most dominant 145-pound fighter ends tonight as the new age of the featherweight division takes hold.

Holloway is the future of the division, and he will put on a show tonight, leaving no doubt that he is the best featherweight in the world in a scintillating five-round war that Holloway walks away from with the belt, via unanimous decision.