UFC Fight Night 35: A Complete Guide to Fight Night Atlanta

With the inaugural Fight Pass fight card in the books, courtesy of a recent event in Singapore, the UFC has flown back home and is set to land in Atlanta, Georgia for Fight Night 35. 

If the picture painted by the numbers holds up, we might be in for an exciting fight card. 

During Wednesday night's five-round main event, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will look to cement his place in the division by beating Costas Philippou. Will Rockhold's versatility be enough to avoid Philippou's power?

A bit earlier in the evening, fists will fly with a frenzy when T.J. Dillashaw squares off against Mike Easton. The lighter weight classes have been delivering as of late—you can bet that this bout won't be any different. 

There's a ton to like about this fight card, so don't worry, Bleacher Report has you covered with a full guide.

Full Fight Card and Start Times

Main Card (Fox Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET)

Luke Rockhold vs. Costas Philippou

Lorenz Larkin vs. Brad Tavares

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Mike Easton

Yoel Romero vs. Derek Brunson

John Moraga vs. Dustin Ortiz

Cole Miller vs. Sam Sicilia

Televised Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1 at 5 p.m. ET)

Ramsey Nijem vs. Justin Edwards

Isaac Vallie-Flagg vs. Elias Silverio

Trevor Smith vs. Brian Houston

Alpetkin Ozkilic vs. Louis Smolka

Online Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass at 4 p.m. ET)

Vinc Pichel vs. Garett Whiteley

Charlie Brenneman vs. Beneil Dariush

*Fight card and airing times courtesy of UFC.com.

Main Card Key Stats

 Luke Rockhold vs. Costas Philippou

• Percent of Luke Rockhold's 10 career victories by way of decision: 20 percent
• Percent of Costa Philippou's 12 career victories victories by way of knockout: 50 percent
• Percent of Luke Rochold's 10 career victories by way of submission: 50 percent

 Lorenz Larkin vs. Brad Tavares

• Takedown defense rate shared by both Lorenz Larkin and opponent Brad Tavares: 80 percent
• Percent of Lorenz Larkin's 14 career victories by way of knockout: 57 percent
• Number of submissions Brad Tavares attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 0

 T.J. Dillashaw vs. Mike Easton

• Number of T.J. Dillashaw takedown attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 3.39
• Combined average of T.J. Dillashaw and opponent Mike Easton takedown defense rate: 90 percent
• Number of submissions T.J. Dillashaw attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 3.05

Yoel Romero vs. Derek Brunson

• Percent of Yoel Romero's 6 career victories by way of knockout: 100 percent
• Yoel Romero's significant strike defense: 73 percent
• Number of Derek Brunson takedown attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 4.29
• Number of Yoel Romero takedown attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 0
• Derek Brunson's takedown defense rate: 100 percent

John Moraga vs. Dustin Ortiz

• Percent of John Moraga's 13 career victories by way of submission: 46 percent
• Percent of Dustin Ortiz 12 career victories by way of knockout: 50 percent
• Number of significant strikes Dustin Ortiz lands per minute: 4.13
• Number of Dustin Ortiz takedown attempts per 15 minutes of combat: 4.51

 Cole Miller vs. Sam Sicilia

• Percent of Cole Miller's 20 career victories by way of submission: 70 percent
• Percent of Sam Sicilia's 12 career victories by way of knockout: 58 percent
• Number of significant strikes Sam Sicilia attempts per minute: 4.14
• Number of submissions Cole Miller attempts per minutes minutes of combat: 2.3

*Stats courtesy of FightMetric 

Main Card Odds

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Rockhold: -400 favorite over Costa Philippou +300

Lorenz Larkin: -230 favorite over Brad Tavares +180

T.J. Dillashaw: -285 favorite over Mike Easton +225

Yoel Romero: -240 favorite over Derek Brunson +190

John Moraga: -310 favorite over Dustin Ortiz +240

Cole Miller: -185 favorite over Sam Sicilia +150

*Fight odds via Bovada

Pre-Fight Interviews

Above: Luke Rockhold knows that opponent Costas Philippou is a powerful striker, but plans on using his range to get the win and place his name towards the top of the UFC's middleweight division.

Fight Night Atlanta: Costas Philippou Pre-Fight Interview

Costas Philippou declares that it isn't it all about the belt and the glory—he's a fighter to the core, regardless of what's on the line. 

Fight Night Atlanta: Yoel Romero Pre-Fight Interview

Yoel Romero reminds us that, at this stage in his career, his striking has proven to be so good that the ground game hasn't been of any interest to him.

Fight Night Atlanta: Return of Charlie Brenneman

Charlie Brenneman points out that, with a history at 170 pounds, his refreshed run at the UFC's lightweight division should prove effective.