The UFC returns to Virginia for the first time in nearly three years this weekend with a rare Saturday-afternoon matinee at Fairfax’s Patriot Center.

UFC Fight Night 63 features a significant featherweight main event between former title challengers Chad Mendes (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Ricardo Lamas (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

With 145-pound champion Jose Aldo and contender Conor McGregor making headlines as they promote their UFC 189 showdown this summer, Mendes and Lamas will have the opportunity to steal some headlines for themselves and make a claim to challenge the winner.

The main event is expected to produce some high-paced action, but that could be a trend throughout the event since eight of the 10 bouts on the card are contested at lightweight or lighter.

For more on the numbers behind the UFC’s first of four events this month, check out 55 pre-fight facts about UFC Fight Night 63.

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Main event

Mendes will become the fourth fighter in UFC history to make 10 featherweight appearances.

Mendes’ seven UFC featherweight victories are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Dustin Poirier (eight). His 11 featherweight victories in UFC/WEC combined history are tied for second most behind Aldo (15).

Mendes’ four stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Poirier (five).

Mendes’ four knockout victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied with McGregor and Cub Swanson for the most in divisional history.

Mendes’ four knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the third most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (seven) and Dennis Bermudez (five).

Mendes’ significant strike defense rate of 71.9 percent is the highest in rate in UFC featherweight 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.

Lamas is 6-1 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in June 2011.

Lamas’ four stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Poirier (five).

Lamas’ two submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the fourth most in divisional history behind Charles Oliveira (four), Daniel Pineda (three) and Poirier (three).

Lamas is 6-1 in UFC/WEC competition when he lands at least one takedown. The lone defeat came to Aldo.

Lamas absorbs just 1.99 significant strikes per minute of the fighting, the third lowest rate in UFC featherweight history behind Rani Yahya (1.05) and Nik Lentz (1.98).

Lamas has committed to 14 submission attempts in UFC/WEC competition. Of those 14 attempts, 10 have been guillotine chokes.

Co-main event

Al Iaquinta (11-3-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has earned his past three UFC victories by knockout. He’d never finished three consecutive fights before his current run of stoppages.

Iaquinta has scored at least one knockdown of his opponent in his past four UFC appearances.

Iaquinta lands 5.14 strikes per minute of fighting, the third highest output rate in UFC lightweight history behind Evan Dunham (5.42) and James Krause (5.32).

Iaquinta outlands his opponents at a +1.75 rate, the third largest differential in UFC lightweight history behind Ramsey Nijem (+1.84) and Dunham (+1.82).

Iaquinta is one of 13 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a standing elbow strike. He accomplished the feat against Rodrigo Damm at UFC Fight Night 50.

Jorge Masvidal (28-8 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is 6-1 in his past seven fights. His lone defeat in that stretch came to Rustam Khabilov at UFC Fight Night 31.

Masvidal has earned four of his five UFC victories by decision. Eleven of his past 12 fights have ended in a decision.

Masvidal has landed a greater number of significant strikes than his opponent in nine of his past 10 fights that have gone the distance.

Masvidal is one of just four fighters in UFC history to finish a bout by submission at the 4:59 mark of Round 2. He accomplished the feat against Michael Chiesa at UFC on FOX 8.

Masvidal’s 76.8 percent striking defense rate during his Strikeforce career stands as the highest of any fighter in the now-defunct organization’s history.

Masvidal’s 83.3 percent takedown defense rate stands as the third best in Strikeforce history.

Remaining main card

Mitch Clarke (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will compete in just his third pro bout since July 2012. His last contest was a submission victory over Iaquinta at UFC 173 in May 2014.

Clarke is one of 13 fighters in UFC history to earn a victory via D’arce/brabo choke. He accomplished the feat against Iaquinta at UFC 173. Overall, the finish was the 14th of its kind in UFC history.

Michael Chiesa (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned six of his past seven MMA victories by rear-naked choke.

Chiesa is one of 15 fighters in UFC history to earn three or more rear-naked-choke wins inside the octagon.

Julianna Pena (5-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 30, 2013. Her 490-day layoff is the second longest of her career behind a 740-day layoff from 2009-2011.

Pena is one of eight fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory at the 4:59 mark of Round 1. She accomplished the feat against Jessica Rakoczy at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.

Clay Guida (31-15 MMA, 11-9 UFC) is 2-2 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in January 2013.

Guida has completed 54 takedowns during his UFC career and is tied for the sixth most takedowns in company history behind George St-Pierre (87), Gleison Tibau (82), Jon Fitch (58), Tito Ortiz (58) and Frankie Edgar (56).

Guida has attempted 146 takedowns during his UFC career, the fourth most of any fighter in company history behind Demian Maia (156), Tibau (151) and Edgar (147).

Guida has earned nine fight-night bonuses under the UFC banner, tied for the sixth most in history behind Joe Lauzon (13), Anderson Silva (12), Nate Diaz (11), Donald Cerrone (10) and Chris Lytle (10).

Robbie Peralta (18-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned 13 of his 18 career victories by knockout, with eight of those stoppages coming in the first round.

Peralta’s four knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the third most in UFC divisional history behind Holloway (seven) and Bermudez (five).

Peralta’s knockout of Estevan Payan at the 12-second mark of Round 3 at UFC 168 was the fastest knockout to start a third round in UFC history.

Poirier’s (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) returns to the lightweight division for the first time since WEC 52 in November 2010.

Poirier made 11 appearances in the UFC featherweight division, tied for the most in divisional history, prior to his return to lightweight.

Poirier’s eight victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Poirier’s five stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Poirier’s three submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Oliveira (four).

Poirier is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two submission victories stemming from a D’arce choke. He used the technique to finish Pablo Garza at UFC on FOX 1 and Jonathan Brookins at the TUF 16 Finale.

Diego Ferreira (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned a fight-night bonus in both of his UFC appearances.

Ferreira’s 38-second submission of Colton Smith at UFC Fight Night 44 is the fastest finish by a debuting UFC lightweight.

Preliminary card

Liz Carmouche (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) will return to competition for the first time since April 19, 2014. Her 350-day layoff is the longest of her pro career dating back to her March 2010 debut.

Carmouche enters the event with back-to-back losses. She has just one victory in her past four bouts and is 3-5 dating back to March 2011.

Carmouche will become the fifth fighter to make five UFC women’s bantamweight appearances. She joins champion Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Jessica Andrade for the most bouts in divisional history.

Gray Maynard (11-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) enters the event on a three-fight losing skid. He has just one victory in his past six bouts and hasn’t registered a victory since June 2012.

Maynard has suffered all four of his career losses by knockout. Three of those have come in his past three bouts in a total fight time of 11:20.

Maynard has earned his past eight UFC victories by decision. He is one of two fighters in UFC history to go eight wins without a stoppage, along with former lightweight champ Benson Henderson.

Maynard’s nine-second knockout of Joe Veres at UFC Fight Night 11 stands as the fastest knockout in UFC lightweight history.

Alexander Yakovlev (21-6-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) drops to the UFC lightweight division for the first time after going winless in two octagon appearances at welterweight.

For more on UFC Fight Night 63, 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.