UFC 218 live blog: Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo 2

This is the UFC 218 live blog for Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo 2, a featherweight championship bout at Saturday night's UFC event at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.

The reigning champion Holloway, who has won 11 straight fights, faces Aldo, who has lost just three times in 29 pro bouts, in the UFC 218 main event.

Check out the UFC 218 live blog below.

Round 1: Referee Herb Dean overseeing the main event. Touch of gloves and we’re off. Holloway keeping it simple with 1-2 combos and the occasional slap. Aldo not throwing much, looking to counter. He’s thrown maybe one or two strikes in the first minute. He finally reacts with a counter-flurry when Holloway gets too close. He’s opening up a little more, but Holloway is staying clean. They exchange jabs. Another left hand slap from Holloway, then a straight to the body. Aldo with winging hooks as his counter of choice. Body punch by Aldo. Great head movement by Aldo. Holloway still has the advantage in volume, but the strikes landed are looking even with 90 seconds to go. More body work from Aldo. He comes over the top with a 1-2. Holloway misses and Aldo just ducks past him. Holloway gets a pawing right and a leg kick to connect. Holloway walking forward, arms out, trying to get Aldo to bring it on. Aldo hits him with a right uppercut and Holloway claps.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Aldo.

Round 2: Holloway throwing that jab early and often. He’s mixing it up, trying to throw a few more shots to the body. But it’s Aldo who scores with a counter-punch again. Holloway jab connects. Aldo letting Holloway come at him, content to land counters. He pops Holloway with a jab. Holloway lands three glancing punches. Stiff leg kick by Aldo, and another. There’s blood under Aldo’s eye, but he looks like he’s getting sharper as the round goes on. He brushes Holloway off momentarily, before they reset. Lots of head movement from Aldo. Holloway throwing punches, Aldo blocking the majority of them. Holloway scores with a jab. Aldo responds with a counter punch up top. Nice body shot from Holloway. They clinch up against the fence. 45 seconds left. Holloway with a punch after they separate. They stand in the pocket for a few seconds and throw freely. Jumping knee from Holloway, but Aldo shakes it off. Another rapid exchange closes the round.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Aldo. Overall 20-18, Aldo.

Round 3: Holloway is finding success with the jab, but he hasn’t been able to follow it up with anything substantial. Knee to the body by Aldo. They clinch up briefly and Aldo cracks Holloway with an elbow on the separation. An Aldo jab lands clean. Holloway stalking Aldo, but Aldo makes him pay with some heavy hooks. He’s looking a little tired, though he’s winning the early stages of the third round. Holloway has him backed up against the fence and he’s ramping up the aggression. Holloway finding his rhythm, and this is looking eerily similar to their last meeting. He’s landing a ton of shots, but Aldo manages to fire back. Still, the pace is clearly favoring Holloway at this point. Holloway alternating between the head and the body, just brutalizing Aldo against the fence. Aldo lands counter-punches, but Holloway is shaking it off. They’re trading now. Holloway gets the advantage and he’s bouncing fists off of Aldo’s head as the two-time champ tries to turtle up. Aldo shoots in and Holloway sprawls to end up on top. Ground-and-pound from Holloway as Aldo gives up his back. 30 seconds left and Holloway is drilling Aldo with ground-and-pound. Dean has seen enough and he calls it off. Holloway finishes Aldo in Round 3 for the second straight time.

Official result: Max Holloway def. Jose Aldo by TKO (ground and pound) at 4:51 of Round 3