The UFC featherweight division has experienced a drawn out period of chaos and disruption over the past year, but that mess was set to come to an end at UFC 212.
 
Former king Jose Aldo experienced a fall from grace at the hands of Conor McGregor only to bounce back and claim the vacant strap by defeating Frankie Edgar in their rematch at UFC 200 last July. And while Aldo was working his way back to championship glory, a surging Max Holloway was busy wrecking shop with force up and down the 145-pound ranks.
 
A strange promotional turn at UFC 206 saw the scrappy Hawaiian get his hands on an interim title, which set the stage to an eventual showdown between Holloway and Aldo to not only unify the belts, but set the embattled division back to square.
 
Holloway taunted and hunted the Brazilian champion to set up the unification bout, and Aldo gave him exactly what he wished for at UFC 212. The time for talking was done on Saturday night as both men stepped into the Octagon with massive stakes on the line in Rio de Janeiro.
 
Aldo entered the bout looking to definitively stamp his second reign as champion and reclaim the luster stolen by the Irishman, while Holloway was determined to mark a new era in featherweight domination. And while each had an agenda at UFC 212, it would be Holloway’s night to shine.
 
While the Nova Uniao leader got off to a hot start and took the first round, Holloway’s pressure and pace turned the tides in a huge way in the second frame. The 25-year-old champion used combination after combination to tag Aldo up at every turn as he battled back to even out the scorecards.
 
Holloway appeared to be finding his groove strong in the third round when he landed a huge shot that put Aldo on the canvas. He immediately pounced as he worked to finish, and after a total onslaught on a wounded Aldo, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
 
With the victory Holloway now becomes the undisputed featherweight king and ups his insane winning streak to 11 straight wins.
 
Holloway has been impressive for years and he’s officially wearing the crown he’s been hunting.