This is a terrific card.

Sometimes the best way to say something is to just say it, and the best way for me to convey what I think about this weekend’s return to pay-per-view is to simply tell you this is a terrific card.

With two championship fights, one of which carries a ton of tension and animosity, plus a handful of critical matchups in talent-rich divisions, and a couple top prospects sprinkled in for good measure, UFC 273 features everything you could ask for in a fight card. Plus there are bound to be one or two surprises, the crowd in Jacksonville will be vocal and boisterous from the jump, and we’re going to get a whole lot of clarity on how things shape up at the top of not one, not two, but three divisions once the smoke clears from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena this weekend.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s preliminary fight card to start getting you excited for UFC 273.

SEE ALSO: ‘UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie’ fight-by-fight preview, Prelims

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung

For the second time in eight months, a featherweight title fight headlines a UFC pay-per-view event, as Alexander Volkanovski (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) searches for his third successful title defense as he squares off with veteran contender Chan Sung Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

The champion enters Saturday’s main event on a 20-fight winning streak, including victories in each of his first 10 UFC assignments. Only three other competitors have built double-digit winning streaks inside the octagon without incurring a loss – Royce Gracie, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Kamaru Usman, which puts the Australian champion in exclusive company.

And Volkanovski merits being included amongst the best to ever grace the UFC cage — there are no holes in his game, offensively or defensively, and his Fight IQ is off the charts. Last time out, he dominated Brian Ortega, taking the fight to the challenger from the outset and working free from two deep submission attempts to secure his second successful title defense.

Jung enters Saturday’s contest off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige last June, tagging in for the injured Max Holloway as a live underdog looking to make the most of his second short-notice championship opportunity. The 35-year-old veteran previously fought for the featherweight title at UFC 163, suffering a fifth-round stoppage loss to Jose Aldo after replacing Anthony Pettis.

One of the most durable and dangerous fighters in the division, Jung has earned four wins in six appearances since returning to action following his mandatory military service, including first-round stoppage wins over Renato Moicano and Frankie Edgar. He’s an unrelenting offensive fighter with incredible durability, and will be looking to push Volkanovski from the outset.

Will the champion retain his title or will the challenger rise to the occasion and ascend to the throne?

Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan

Before Volkanovski and Jung do battle for the featherweight title, Aljamain Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Petr Yan (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) clash for a second time to crown a new undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.

Sterling won the first meeting by disqualification after getting lambasted with an illegal knee late in the fourth round of their initial encounter at UFC 259, claiming the bantamweight title in the process. He had neck surgery soon after the contest and when he wasn’t cleared to compete last October, Yan faced off with Cory Sandhagen for an interim title, leaving Abu Dhabi with the belt over his shoulder.

Now the rivals will run it back in Jacksonville, squaring off for a second time to determine once and for all which of them is the top talent in the 135-pound weight class.

Sterling was on the best run of his career heading into their first meeting, having posted five straight victories, including a first-round submission win over Sandhagen, while Yan had won his first seven appearances inside the Octagon, claiming the vacant bantamweight strap with a fifth-round finish of Jose Aldo at UFC 251.

Each man believes they are the superior talent and aim to prove that beyond any possible doubt this weekend, which means fans in attendance and everyone watching at home should be treated to one helluva fight on Saturday night.

Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev

The tandem championship fights closing out the show might not even be the most intriguing matchups on Saturday’s card, as welterweight contender Gilbert Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) squares off with Khamzat Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in what is easily the unstoppable juggernaut’s toughest test to date.

Burns turned a short-notice assignment in August 2019 into a permanent move to welterweight, posting four straight victories to secure a championship opportunity. After rocking champ Kamaru Usman right out of the gate, the Brazilian ultimately succumbed to his former training partner and close friend, but rebounded last July with a dominant decision win over top-10 fixture Stephen Thompson.

Through four appearances inside the octagon, Chimaev has out-landed opponents 112-1 in terms of significant strikes, mixing in four takedowns, five submission attempts, and nearly eight minutes of control time while amassing four consecutive stoppage wins. The 27-year-old terror has pitched a shutout in each of his last three fights, securing first-round finishes over Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert (at middleweight), and Li Jingliang to stand as the most dominant and intriguing emerging talent on the roster.

The Brazilian veteran is a different fighter than anyone Chimaev has faced thus far – a well-rounded, battle-tested, former title challenger with a 13-4 record in the octagon. But Borz looks like a different animal, as well – an ultra-confident competitor who quickly and emphatically imposes his will on whomever stands across from him, punishing them for deigning to believe they can halt his climb towards the top of the division.

This is the massive test everyone has been waiting to see Chimaev tackle, and how it plays out will have an immediate and significant impact on how things line up in the welterweight division in the second half of the year.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres

Mackenzie Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Tecia Torres (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) square off in this pivotal clash of Top 10 strawweights looking to cement their place in the rankings to begin their respective 2022 campaigns.

Four straight victories including an April submission win over Nina Nunes carried Dern into the top 3 in the 115-pound weight class last fall, but a loss to Brazilian contender Marina Rodriguez slowed her momentum. Now the 29-year-old Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion looks to get back in the win column with a victory over the experienced divisional stalwart Torres.

The 32-year-old Torres went 10-1 in her first 11 bouts before suffering through a four-fight losing streak built on losses to three former champions and the aforementioned Rodriguez. She snapped out of her funk with a win over Brianna Fortino (nee Van Buren) in June 2020, followed it up with a dominant effort against Sam Hughes six months later, and made it three straight with a unanimous decision triumph over Angela Hill in her lone appearance of last year.

This is a tremendously compelling fight, as Dern has shown flashes of championship upside, but struggled when she cannot dictate the terms of engagement, while Torres has gotten back to her high-output ways during her current run of success. It will be interesting to see if Dern can hang with the veteran kickboxer on the feet and how Torres acquits herself if the action hits the canvas on Saturday night.

Vinc Pichel vs. Mark O. Madsen

Grinders on the cusp of cracking the top 15 in the rugged lightweight division meet here, as Vinc Pichel (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on unbeaten Danish Olympian Mark O. Madsen (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Pichel is one of the most unheralded talents on the UFC roster, brandishing a 14-2 record overall and 7-2 mark inside the octagon, including victories in each of his last three appearances. The 39-year-old “TUF Live” cast member has only lost to ranked competitors (Rustam Khabilov, Gregor Gillespie) and is the kind of tenacious, gritty, unrelenting soul that makes life hell for anyone that shares the octagon with him.

Madsen went all-in on his mixed martial arts ambitions after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, logging six wins in 18 months to eventually earn a call to the octagon. He’s since added three more wins to his resume, bringing his record to 11-0, and after narrowly edging out Clay Guida last August, “The Olympian” will look to take another step forward by stopping Pichel’s momentum here.

This has the potential to be a grappling-heavy affair between two dogged competitors that are fully aware of how important a victory this weekend is in terms of getting them where they want to go in the division. Don’t be surprised if this one sets the tone for the entire evening.

This story first published at UFC.com.