The UFC returns to Denver for the firs time November 2018 on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 59, which takes place at Ball Arena with card that airs entirely on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Former champion Rose Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) returns to action in the main event, when she takes on Tracy Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout scheduled for five rounds.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 59.

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Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez

Rose Namajunas

Rose Namajunas

Namajunas was the first female in UFC history to have multiple title reigns in a single weight class. She’s one of four fighters to accomplish the feat, along with Amanda Nunes, Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili.

Namajunas is 1-1 since she moved up to the women’s flyweight division in September 2023.

Namajunas’ five stoppage victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (six).

Namajunas’ three submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Mackenzie Dern (four).

Namajunas’ submission of Paige VanZant at the 2:25 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 80 is the latest stoppage in UFC strawweight history.

Namajunas’ six fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Andrade (eight).

Tracy Cortez

Tracy Cortez

Cortez is 3-0 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in April 2021.

Cortez has earned eight of her 10 career victories by decision. That includes all five of her UFC victories.

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov

Santiago Ponzinibbio

Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to January 2021.

Ponzinibbio has earned 22 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. That includes six of his UFC wins.

Ponzinibbio’s four first-round knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Anthony Johnson (five) and Vicente Luque (five).

Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva

Drew Dober

Drew Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) competes in his 24th UFC lightweight bout, tied for the sixth-most appearances in divisional history behind Jim Miller (41), Clay Guida, (29), Gleison Tibau (28), Joe Lauzon (27) and Michael Johnson (25).

Dober’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Miller (16), Charles Oliveira (14) and Lauzon (13).

Dober’s nine knockout victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Dustin Poirier for most in divisional history.

Jean Silva (13-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 14-day stretch. He won at UFC 303 on June 29.

Silva has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by knockout.

Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez

Julian Erosa

Julian Erosa (28-11 MMA, 7-7 UFC) is 6-3 since he returned to the UFC for a third stint in June 2020.

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage

Abdul Razak Alhassan

Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is 2-3 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in April 2021.

Alhassan’s 17-second knockout at UFC on ESPN 30 marked the fastest finish in UFC history stemming from a head kick.

Cody Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has earned nine of his 10 career victories by stoppage. That includes all four of his UFC wins.

Brundage is one of 14 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 52.

Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova

Mariya Agapova

Mariya Agapova (10-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 17, 2022. The 665-day layoff is the longest of her nearly nine-year career.

Agapova enters the event on the first losing skid of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since October 2021.

Agapova’s average fight time of 7:12 in UFC women’s flyweight competition is the shortest in divisional history.

Agapova’s two fight-night bonuses for UFC women’s flyweight bouts are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Molly McCann (three).

Montel Jackson vs. Da’Mon Blackshear

Montel Jackson

Montel Jackson’s (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Merab Dvalishvili (nine) and Mario Bautista (six).

Jackson’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Vera, Cody Garbrandt and Petr Yan for most in divisional history.

Jackson is one of eight fighters in UFC history to earn a knockdown in six consecutive fights.

Jackson’s four knockdowns landed at UFC Fight Night 192 are the single-fight record for a UFC bantamweight

Jackson absorbs 1.38 significant strike attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Chico Cams (1.31).

Jackson completes 68.8 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

Da’Mon Blackshear (14-6-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by Twister. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 51. Bryce Mitchell and Chan Sung Jung have also won with the technique.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.