UFC 189 marks the most significant event of this year’s International Fight Week festivities and the organization has stacked the deck with two championship fights.

What was originally meant to be the most anticipated featherweight title fight in history in now an interim title bout. Injury forced champion Jose Aldo out of his scheduled defense against Conor McGregor (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Chad Mendes (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) stepped in as a replacement.

A welterweight title affair takes in the stage in the co-headliner as champ Robbie Lawler (25-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will rematch Rory MacDonald (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) after Lawler won the first bout by split decision at UFC 167 in November 2013.

For more on the numbers behind the first of six UFC events in July, check out 80 pre-fight facts about UFC 189.

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Main event

Mendes will compete in his 11th UFC featherweight bout and tied Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway for the most appearances in divisional history.

Mendes’ eight UFC featherweight victories are tied with Poirier and Holloway for the most in divisional history. His 12 featherweight victories in UFC/WEC combined history are tied for second most behind Aldo (15).

Mendes’ five stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied with Poirier, Holloway and Charles Oliveira for the most in divisional history.

Mendes’ five knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

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

Mendes is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn four consecutive knockout victories.

Mendes defends 71.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

Mendes has landed 38 takedowns in UFC/WEC featherweight competition, the most in the combined history of the weight class.

Mendes has never been taken down in a UFC or WEC contest.

McGregor competes outside of Europe for just the fourth time in his pro career. He’s 3-0 when fighting in the U.S.

McGregor enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since November 2010.

McGregor’s five-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Holloway for the second active streak in the weight class behind Aldo (seven).

McGregor’s average fight time of 5:46 in UFC featherweight competition is the shortest in divisional history.

McGregor has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by knockout. He’s earned 12 of those finishes in the first round.

McGregor’s four knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied with Cub Swanson for the second most in divisional history behind Mendes (five).

McGregor averages 2.08 knockdowns per 15 minutes of fighting, the highest rate among any active UFC fighter.

McGregor lands 5.72 significant strikes per minute, the highest output rate in UFC/WEC featherweight history and fourth highest rate overall in UFC history.

McGregor’s strike differential rate of +2.74 in UFC featherweight competition is the highest in divisional history.

McGregor has been controlled for just 25 seconds in the clinch and ground positions during his four-fight UFC career. It’s the 5th smallest amount of opponent control time surrendered by a fighter with at least five UFC bouts.

McGregor has earned four fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts, the third most in divisional history behind Oliveira (six) and Dennis Bermudez (five).

Co-main event

Lawler became the first fighter in UFC history to force a belt to change hands by split decision when he defeated Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 in December.

Lawler won the title in his 14th UFC fight, the second most appearance in company history before winning a UFC championship behind Rafael dos Anjos (17).

Lawler is 6-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2013. The lone defeat during that stretch came to Hendricks at UFC 171 in March 2014.

Lawler is 3-0 in rematches during his career.

Lawler’s seven knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are tied for the fifth most in divisional history behind Thiago Alves (10), Anthony Johnson (eight), Georges St-Pierre (eight) and Jake Ellenberger (eight).

Lawler has a 14:1 knockdown ratio in UFC/PRIDE/Strikeforce/EliteXC competition.

Lawler has landed 414 significant strikes over his past four UFC appearances.

Lawler has completed 80 percent of his takedown attempts (16 of 20) in UFC competition, the highest accuracy rate in UFC history.

Lawler and Hendricks combined for 308 significant strikes landed over the course of their five-round bout at UFC 171. That tally set a new record for a UFC championship fight, obliterating the previous total of 256, which was set by Condit and Nick Diaz at UFC 143.

Lawler and Hendricks attempted 728 significant strikes in their first meeting, the second most ever in single UFC bout behind Cole Miller and Nam Phan, who attempted 788 significant strikes at UFC on FOX 4.

Lawler is one of seven welterweights in UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in two separate bouts.

MacDonald is 8-1 in his past nine UFC appearances. The lone defeat in that stretch came to Lawler at UFC 167 in November 2013.

MacDonald has earned four of his past five UFC victories by decision.

MacDonald has completed at least one takedown against eight of the nine UFC opponents he’s attempted against.

MacDonald defends takedowns at a rate of 88.9 percent, the third highest accuracy in UFC welterweight history behind Tyron Woodley (95 percent) and Robert Whittaker (90.5 percent).

MacDonald landed 116 significant strikes against B.J. Penn at UFC on FOX 5 and absorbed just 24 in return. His +92 significant strike differential against “The Prodigy’ stands as the fifth largest margin in a UFC welterweight bout.

Remaining main card

Dennis Bermudez (14-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will become the fifth fighter in UFC history to make 10 featherweight appearances.

Bermudez’s seven victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the fourth most in divisional history behind Mendes (eight), Poirier (eight) and Holloway (eight).

Bermudez is 7-1 in UFC competition since he suffered a submission loss to Diego Brandao in the featherweight tournament final of “The Ultimate Fighter 14.”

Bermudez’ five knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are the third most in divisional history behind Mendes (six) and Holloway (six).

Bermudez is the only fighter in UFC featherweight history to register three knockdowns in a single fight. He accomplished the feat against Jimy Hettes at UFC 171.

Bermudez has landed 28 takedowns in UFC featherweight competition, the most in divisional history.

Bermudez has completed 10 of his 28 takedowns (35.7 percent) as the result of a slam, the fifth highest slam rate in UFC history. His 10 slams are also sixth most in UFC history behind Karo Parisyan (15), Matt Hughes (12), Gleison Tibau (12), Clay Guida (12) and Rashad Evans (11).

Bermudez has defended 92.3 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history. It’s also the highest defense rate when merging WEC featherweight history.

Bermudez has committed to 11 submission attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the third most in divisional history behind Darren Elkins (14) and Oliveira (13).

Bermudez has suffered all four of his career losses by submission.

Bermudez has earned five fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts, the second most in divisional history behind Oliveira (six).

Jeremy Stephens (23-11 MMA, 10-10 UFC) is 3-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in May 2013.

Stephens is one of six fighters in UFC history to suffer 10 defeats and earn 10 victories inside the octagon.

Stephens’ head-kick knockout victory against Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night 32 is one of two such finishes of its kind in UFC featherweight history. Daniel Hooker also owns a head-kick knockout.

Gunnar Nelson (13-1-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 10 of those finishes in the first round.

Nelson has earned three of his four UFC victories by submission. He has attempted four submissions inside the octagon and finished three of those attempts to a success rate of 75 percent.

Nelson has completed at least one takedown against all five of his UFC opponents.

Brandon Thatch (11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all 11 of his career victories by first-round stoppage.

Thatch is one of 14 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory stemming from a knee to the body. He used the technique to stop Paulo Thiago at UFC Fight Night 32.

Brad Pickett (24-10 MMA, 4-5 UFC), 36, is the oldest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Pickett returns to the UFC bantamweight division for the first time since August 2013 after a three-fight stint at flyweight in which he went 1-2.

Pickett has registered victories at flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight during his 10-year MMA career.

Pickett’s 10 takedowns landed against Demetrious Johnson at WEC 48 are tied for the UFC/WEC single-fight bantamweight record.

Pickett has earned a fight-night bonus in five of his eight UFC appearances for a total of $270,000 in extra pay.

Pickett’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC/WEC bantamweight bouts are the most in the combined history of the weight class.

Thomas Almeida (18-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), 23, is the youngest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event. He is 13 years the junior of his opponent.

Almeida enters the event on an 18-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since his pro debut in November 2011.

Almeida’s 18-fight winning streak in MMA competition is tied with Aldo for the second longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (22).

Almeida has earned all but one of his career victories by stoppage. He’s earned 15 of those finishes in the first round.

Preliminary card

Matt Brown (19-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage, including 10 of his 12 victories under the UFC banner.

Brown’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the second most in divisional history behind Hughes (11).

Brown’s nine knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Brown’s seven knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind Alves (11), St-Pierre (eight), Johnson (eight) and Ellenberger (eight).

Brown lands 53.9 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Kenny Robertson (55.5 percent).

Brown has attempted 22 submissions in UFC welterweight competition, the third most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (31) and St-Pierre (23).

Brown is one of only seven fighters in UFC history to have suffered four or more submission losses inside the octagon.

Brown has been awarded at least one fight-night bonus in four of his past five UFC appearances for a total of $250,000.

Tim Means’ (24-6-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak is tied with Stephen Thompson for the second longest active streak in the welterweight division behind Neil Magny (seven).

Means is 4-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Means has earned 20 of his 24 professional victories by stoppage.

Means defends 67.8 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.

Mike Swick (15-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 8, 2012. His 945-day layoff is the longest of since 2002.

Swick will compete in just his third UFC bout since February 2010. He’s 1-3 in his past four octagon appearances. He hasn’t earned a victory since August 2012.

Swick is one of four fighters in UFC to earn three or more knockout victories in less than one minute each. Anthony Johnson, Vitor Belfort and Johny Hendricks have also accomplished the feat.

Alex Garcia (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. He’s earned nine of those finishes in the first round.

Garcia returns to competition for the first time since Aug. 23, 2014. His 322-day layoff is the longest of his career dating back to his August 2009 debut.

Cathal Pendred (17-2-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will compete in his second UFC bout in a 28-day stretch. He defeated Augusto Montano at UFC 188 on June 13.

Pendred enters the event on a career-high 12-fight undefeated streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since December 2010.

Pendred has earned eight of his past 10 victories by decision. He’s never lost a fight that’s gone the distance.

John Howard (22-11 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is 2-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2013.

Howard has earned three of his six UFC victories by split decision. Overall, he’s earned four of his six wins with the promotion by going the distance.

Howard’s knockout of Dennis Hallman at the 4:55 mark of Round 3 at the TUF 10 Finale is the second latest knockout in a three-round UFC fight.

Cody Garbrandt (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all six of his career victories by knockout.

Neil Seery (15-10 MMA, 2-1 UFC), 35, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC flyweight division.

Seery has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.

For more on UFC 189, 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.