Stuck in a logjam within the Ultimate Fighting Championship division’s middle tier, Andre Fili and Bill Algeo hope to soon gain some separation from one another at 145 pounds.
The north-of-30 veterans will square off in a UFC Fight Night 210 showcase on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where the winner moves closer to relevance in one of the sport’s deepest and most talent-rich weight classes. Fili enters the Octagon winless across his past three outings, with two losses and a no contest. The Team Alpha Male mainstay last appeared at UFC on ESPN 35, where he succumbed to punches from Joanderson Brito just 41 seconds into their April 30 encounter. Algeo, meanwhile, has the solid footing of a two-fight winning streak from which to operate. The former Ring of Combat champion last competed on July 16, when he forced Herbert Burns to retire in the second round of their UFC on ABC 3 pairing.
As Fili and Algeo approach their forthcoming battle, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
32: Years of age for Fili, who was born on June 25, 1990 in Federal Way, Washington.
9: Fili wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 43% of his career total (21). His list of UFC victims: Sheymon Moraes, Gabriel Benitez and Jeremy Larsen. Fili owns three other wins by submission (14%) and nine more by decision (43%).
32: Takedowns executed by Fili as a UFC featherweight, placing him fifth on the promotion’s all-time list in the category. Only Darren Elkins (54), Dennis Bermudez (46), Enrique Barzola (36) and Makwan Amirkhani (33) have been credited with more.
53: Rounds completed by Fili as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 13 different occasions and carries a 9-4 record in those bouts.
144: Combined victories between the nine men—Brito, Bryce Mitchell, Sodiq Yusuff, Michael Johnson, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, Godofredo Castro, Max Holloway and Derrick Burnsed—who have defeated Fili. They boast a .742 cumulative winning percentage at 144-49-1.
33: Years of age for Algeo, who was born on June 9, 1989 in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania.
6: Algeo victories by submission, accounting for 37.5% of his career total (16). His methods of choice: five rear-naked chokes and one armbar. Algeo holds four other victories by knockout or technical knockout (25%) and six more by decision (37.5%).
171: Seconds needed for Algeo to submit Mike Pope with a rear-naked choke under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner on June 28, 2014. More than eight years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
92: Significant strikes by which Algeo has outlanded his five UFC opponents. He has connected on 322 such strikes while absorbing only 230 in return.
.746: Cumulative winning percentage between the six men—Ricardo Ramos, Ricardo Lamas, Brendan Loughnane, Jared Gordon, Shane Burgos and Dean Lavin—who have beaten Algeo. They sport a combined record of 97-33.
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