UFC has made a mini tradition of ending their PPV schedule every year with one final card before the New Year's festivities get underway. This year is no different with women's featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino defending her belt against former bantamweight champion Holly Holm. Cyborg has been campaigning to get this fight all year, and will finally be rewarded with one more title defense in 2017 as the headlining attraction of UFC 219 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Let's take a closer look at the five biggest storylines of the 12th and final PPV event of 2017 for UFC.
1. Cyborg's career capper? With just three fights under her belt in UFC, Cyborg could be looking for one final win to prove just how dominant she has been. The former Invicta and Strikeforce featherweight champion has done nothing but win in impressive fashion when she is un the Octagon, posting an incredible 18-1, 1 NC record in her MMA career. The lone loss came in her professional debut in May 2005. While a win would certainly cement her as the 145-pound champion, what is really left for her to prove? She attempted to make a great fight with Megan Anderson happen earlier this year, but Anderson was forced to withdraw with a personal issue. Unless she could somehow convince bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes to make the move up to 145 for a superfight, there really isn't much in the way of top-level competition for Cyborg to continue fighting against in UFC.
2. Holm's redemption run. Holly Holm may be a trivia answer to most casual MMA fans, but the former champion who knocked out Ronda Rousey in dramatic fashion in 2015 has made her way back to the top stage of MMA with a shot at a seemingly unstoppable opponent with a chance to prove doubters wrong again. Holm lost three straight bouts after send shockwaves through the MMA world with the vicious stoppage of Rousey in Australia, but is coming off her own fantastic knockout of Bethe Correia in June. If Holm is able to conquer the 145-pound division as well, it will be hard to argue with her success on the biggest stages available to her despite the three-fight losing streak in between.
3. Khabib Nurmagomedov's chance in the spotlight. Nurmagomedov was supposed to have already been through this. The No. 1 contender in the lightweight division was scheduled to have his shot in the spotlight against Tony Ferguson earlier this year, but a tough weight cut forced him to withdraw the day before the bout, leaving him sidelined for the last six months. Now, the Russian-born fighter will step into the Octagon for the first time in over a year when he squares off with the dangerous Edson Barboza in what appears to be a de facto title eliminator fight. Nurmagomedov (24-0, 8 KOs) has proven time and time again that he has the raw skill to be the best, now he needs to put it all together one more time to get the shot he's been begging for.
4. Cynthia Calvillo having the best year ever? When 2017 began, most fight fans had no idea who Calvillo was because she had only fought twice and on the lower levels of MMA. Now, the strawweight is looking for her fifth win in a calendar year and to all of a sudden put herself in talks for a title fight. Calvillo has had just two fights go the distance in her burgeoning pro career and now has the chance to take out a former champ -- Carla Esparza -- along the way. Calvillo may still have a long way to go in terms of veteran savvy, but she's proven she has the raw skill and power to compete with anyone at 115 pounds.
5. Carlos Condit is back, but for how long? When Condit lost to Demian Maia in August 2016, he told the world he was probably done fighting. The former title contender had gotten so close to the belt multiple times, only to come up just short. Now, Condit is coming back to the Octagon after taking 16 months off and faces one of the most dangerous strikers at 170 pounds in Neil Magny. While we won't know exactly what a win for Condit means in terms of his ranking or contract, it would be a special moment to see the man who went to hell and back with Robbie Lawler get back into the win column.