UFC returns to New York City on Saturday for just the second time since the sport of mixed martial arts was legalized again in the state in 2016. And just like UFC 205 one year ago, this one is a blockbuster.
With a trio of title fights atop the marquee, UFC 217 might just be the promotion's best offering on paper this calendar year, with no shortage of storylines set to culminate inside Madison Square Garden.
Let's take a closer look at what's at stake.
1. GSP attempts further leap up the all-time rankings: When UFC welterweight king Georges St-Pierre walked away following a disputed split-decision victory -- in which he was concussed -- over future champion Johny Hendricks in November 2013, the greatest 170-pound fighter in history was already in good company. Most fans and journalists considered the short list of those eligible to be called "the greatest fighter in MMA history" to be comprised of Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and GSP (outside of the remaining ardent Fedor Emelianenko supporters).
Since then, the only thing that has changed the discussion of GOAT has been the addition of flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, along with the growing suspicions centered around Jones' back-to-back failed drug tests. But by returning Saturday following a four-year break and moving up in weight to challenge middleweight champion Michael Bisping, St-Pierre has a chance to add a particularly shiny nugget to his resume: two-division champion.
St-Pierre, 36, returns riding a 12-fight win streak dating back to his 2007 upset loss to Matt Serra and original retired following nine title defenses (which leaves him behind only Johnson and Silva in UFC history). GSP also holds UFC records for most title victories (12), most wins by a welterweight (19) and can tie Bisping with most UFC victories overall with 20.
By adding a second UFC title, St-Pierre would join an exclusive club featuring Randy Couture, BJ Penn and Conor McGregor. And by doing so after such a long break would only bolster GSP's standing among the greats while simultaneously offsetting the fact that Bisping, 38, is considered a weak champion who has been protected since his title upset of Luke Rockhold.
2. Dillashaw seeks long-awaited redemption: The focus entering Saturday's bantamweight title bout has equally surrounded the rivalry between bitter ex-teammates and Cody Garbrandt's potential as the UFC's next crossover star. But bubbling somewhere underneath is former champion TJ Dillashaw's redemption song, which has been nearly two years in the making.
Dillashaw, who upset pound-for-pound elite Renan Barao to win the title in 2014, took part in one of 2016's best fights less than two years later when he dropped a split decision against Dominick Cruz. The storyline then was focused on Cruz's own comeback victory in a return from a pair of devastating injuries that robbed him five years of his prime. But lost within the aftermath was just how close Cruz's victory actually was and the fact that many believed Dillashaw had done enough to edge the hard-fought battle.
Unlike contemporary champions in other weight divisions, however, Dillashaw was never given an immediate rematch and his quest to regain the title he felt was wrongfully taken from him has been a circuitous one. But after a pair of dominant, stay-busy decision wins over Raphael Asuncao and John Lineker, and further delays due to Garbrandt's back injury, Dillashaw will get his chance. Not only would a victory restore Dillashaw to where he was among the sport's elite, it would humble the red-hot Garbrandt, whom president Dana White has dubbed the UFC's "most bankable future star."
3. Jedrzejczyk takes aim at history: With five impressive (and often dominant) victories since winning the UFC women's strawweight title in 2015, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has been slowly building her case to become the greatest female fighter in MMA history. She's not quite there yet in the minds of many and hopes to cement her case down the road with a move up in weight and a title challenge at the UFC's new 125-pound flyweight division.
But for now, Jedrzejczyk can make a considerable statement when it comes to where her name belongs historically against Rose Namajunas, where a victory would tie "Joanna Champion" with Ronda Rousey for most UFC title defenses by a female with six. The challenge from Namajunas expects to be a tough one and possibly the last remaining big name at strawweight the champion has yet to defeat amid her cleaning out of the division.
4. Pressure to avoid a second straight defeat could fuel a Thompson-Masvidal classic: For a fight between two top contenders in the same division, both coming off high-profile defeats, it's hard to imagine there has been one in recent history that looks as good on paper as Stephen Thompson and Jorge Masvidal. And the importance of avoiding a second straight defeat in a suddenly crowded division could be the perfect formula for fireworks between exciting fighters.
The karate expert Thompson is fresh off a draw and majority decision loss in title fights against Tyron Woodley. Masvidal, meanwhile, missed out on his own shot at Woodley in May when he dropped a split decision to Demian Maia. A second straight defeat would be damaging to their hopes of seeing a title shot anytime soon, not with names like Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, and a returning Carlos Condit all around sniffing distance for a shot at Woodley, and brash newcomers like Darren Till and Colby Covington hoping to talk their way there, too.
Thompson has spoken in the buildup about the importance of looking exciting after a pair of chess match fights with Woodley failed to excite. Masvidal, meanwhile, has been his typical trash-talking self, promising he will "put daddy's little princess to sleep." Don't be surprised if this one steals the show when all is said and done.
5. Is this the last ride for the 'Big Rigg?': Few fighters have seen such a sharp decline upon winning their first UFC title as former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks three years ago. Five defeats in his next seven bouts followed that decision victory over Lawler at UFC 171. So did constant issues with making weight, which first sent Hendricks north to middleweight earlier this year and last time out, before a TKO loss to Tim Boetsch, saw him come in over the 185-pound limit.
Hendricks, 34, enters Saturday's return as the betting underdog against newcomer Paulo Borrachinha (10-0, 2-0 in UFC) in the first bout on the PPV main card. He'll likely need a victory at this point in order to keep his job. Hendricks has blamed his fall on poor training camps and an inability to get elite sparring in Texas. He has attempted to fix that issue by leaving his family to train in New Mexico with Jackson Wink MMA.
