Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports

Nikita Krylov
personifies the modern kill-or-be-killed warrior, with 34 of his 38 professional appearances having resulted in finishes.

The Ukrainian will look to improve his standing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division when he locks horns with fellow Top 10-ranked contender Ryan Spann in the UFC Fight Night 220 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Krylov enters the Octagon on the strength of back-to-back victories. The former Fight Nights Global champion last competed at UFC 280, where he laid claim to a three-round unanimous decision over Volkan Oezdemir on Oct. 22. Spann, meanwhile, has rattled off 11 wins across his past 13 outings. The onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder last fought on Nov. 12, when he wiped out Dominick Reyes with punches in the first round of their UFC 281 pairing.

As Krylov and Spann approach their forthcoming battle at 205 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

30: Years of age for Krylov, who was born on March 7, 1992 in Khrustalnyi, Ukraine.

12: Krylov victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 41% of his career total (29). His list of UFC victims: Alexander Gustafsson, Ed Herman, Cody Donovan and Walt Harris. Krylov owns 15 other victories by submission (52%) and two more by decision (7%).

9: Sub-minute finishes on the Krylov resume, though only one of them has taken place inside the Octagon. He cut down Harris with a head kick and follow-up punches 25 seconds into their UFC on Fox 10 pairing in January 2014.

908: Total strikes landed by Krylov as a UFC light heavyweight, placing him fifth on the promotion’s active list at 205 pounds. Only Jon Jones (1,835), Jan Blachowicz (1,225), Devin Clark (1,126) and the aforementioned Gustafsson (987) have been credited with more.

.717: Cumulative winning percentage between the eight opponents—Paul Craig, Magomed Ankalaev, Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince St. Preux, Soa Palelei and Vladimir Mishchenko (twice)—who have defeated Krylov. They sport a combined record of 171-67-2.

31: Years of age for Spann, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on Aug. 24, 1991.

12: Spann wins by submission, accounting for 57% of his career total (21). His methods of choice: nine guillotine chokes and three rear-naked chokes. Spann holds six other wins by knockout or technical knockout (29%) and three more by decision (14%).

8: Seconds needed for Spann to punch out Larry Crowe at a Legacy Fighting Championship show on June 26, 2015. Nearly eight years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

10: Consecutive calendar years in which Spann has fought at least once. The Fortis MMA rep went 4-0 in 2013, 1-1 in 2014, 3-1 in 2015, 1-1 in 2016, 3-2 in 2017, 3-0 in 2018, 2-0 in 2019, 1-1 in 2020, 1-1 in 2021 and 2-0 in 2022.

110: Combined victories between the seven opponents—Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker, Karl Roberson, Trevin Giles, Robert Drysdale Leo Leite and Brandon Farran—who have beaten Spann. They boast a .696 cumulative winning percentage at 110-48.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Timberwolves chew up Nuggets to force Game 7
Watch: Chris Kreider's natural third-period hat trick shatters Hurricanes' comeback hopes
Dodgers starter undergoes season-ending UCL surgery
Knicks star ruled out for potential closeout game
Veteran NFL safety will either play for this team or retire in 2024
Former Red Wings head coach linked to open NHL job
How Patriots' Drake Maye has already impressed Jacoby Brissett
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry among Forbes' highest-paid athletes for 2024
Steve Cohen addresses if Mets could again be trade-deadline sellers
Tiger Woods ruins strong first round with sloppy finish at PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele makes history in first round of PGA Championship
NFL responds to speculation about Chiefs schedule and Taylor Swift
Despite hopes for change, NASCAR championship weekend will return to Phoenix in 2025
Chiefs will achieve something not done since 1927 with 2024 schedule
Caitlin Clark's debut was most-watched WNBA game in more than 20 years
Yankees' Aaron Judge comments on resurgence after bad slump
Odell Beckham Jr. reveals why he was 'hesitant' to join Dolphins
Lakers reportedly interested in adding three-time All-Star via trade
Luka Doncic fed off negative reactions in Game 5 win over Thunder
Celtics finally put away undermanned Cavaliers, advance to conference finals