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Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on
ESPN+
Until last month, former
Ultimate Fighting Championship
interim lightweight titleholder
Dustin
Poirier was far from the title picture. The likely suspects to
challenge reigning king
Islam
Makhachev included
Justin
Gaethje,
Charles
Oliveira and
Arman
Tsarukyan. As many would have speculated earlier this year,
even former 145-pound champ
Alexander
Volkanovski had better cards stacked in his favor of a
potential disruption of the ruling champion above. However, a chain
of fortuitous breaks and a tenacious display against a flourishing
contender saw “The Diamond” shine through as a front-runner for the
next shot.
The results of UFC 300 indubitably played a critical factor in
tipping the scales in favor of Poirier. Gaethje, the former
frontier for a potential shakeup to Makhachev’s reign, folded to
Max
Holloway’s shutout performance, while Tsarukyan, despite a
victory over Oliveira, couldn’t accomplish a speedy turnaround to
take on Makhachev at UFC 302. All of that precipitated the series
of events that led to the Makhachev vs. Poirier pairing, which will
headline the upcoming pay-per-view showcase, set to go down on June
1 at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey. Ahead of the
clash, let’s take a look at some of the statistical intricacies
that link the adversaries.
3: Makhachev ties
Jens Pulver
and
Frankie
Edgar for fourth-most title fight wins in UFC lightweight
divisional history.
1: The Dagestani has been conferred “Fight of the Year” honors once
for his first fight against Volkanovski at UFC 284.
1: The arm-triangle choke submission victory over Oliveira at UFC
280 that saw him win the 155-pound strap also earned him the
distinction of the best submission win in 2022.
1.24: Makhachev demonstrates formidable defense in his fights. He
ties
Matt
Serra for the fewest significant strikes absorbed per minute in
UFC lightweight division history with 1.24 strikes per minute.
12: The 32-year-old ties his mentor,
Khabib
Nurmagomedov, and longtime contender
Tony
Ferguson for the longest win streak in the history of the
division.
13: The American Kickboxing Academy standout also carries the
third-longest winning streak in UFC history with 13 straight wins
highlighting his sheer dominance.
61.3%: Makhachev, while renowned for his grappling pedigree, also
boasts exceptional striking skills in his arsenal. He holds the
highest significant strike accuracy in the division at 61.3%.
93.3%: With 14 wins and one loss, Makhachev boasts the
second-highest win percentage in UFC history.
6: Makhachev occupies the fifth spot for most submission wins in
divisional history with six to his credit.
61.2%: The grappling phenom demonstrates the third-highest takedown
accuracy percentage in lightweight division history, converting
61.2% of his attempts.
90.9%: Makhachev takes great pride in displaying a strong wrestling
defense, the second-highest takedown defense percentage in the
division at 90.9%.
9:
Dustin
Poirier is an entertaining fighter in every regard, bolstered
by nine Fight of the Night honors in the UFC. This is also the
second most in the history of the organization behind only
Edson
Barboza.
9: Alongside
Drew Dober,
Poirier holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight
division history, with a total of nine solid finishes.
11: Poirier is known to possess dynamite in his hands, tying him
with
Anthony
Johnson,
Thiago
Santos,
Anderson
Silva, and
Max
Holloway for the fourth most knockouts in modern UFC history,
with 11.
22: Poirier has achieved a total of 22 victories inside the UFC
Octagon, putting him in esteemed company alongside
Charles
Oliveira,
Neil Magny,
Demian
Maia and Holloway, who also share the fourth most wins in UFC
history.
15: “The Diamond” has an aggressive fighting style which has
resulted in a total of 15 finishes in his UFC career, tying him
with
Matt
Brown and
Derrick
Lewis for the fourth most in UFC history..
10: Poirier shares the record for the fourth most finishes in the
lightweight landscape with
Donald
Cerrone,
Drew Dober
and Ferguson with a total of 10.
10: Poirier's striking acumen is evident in his ability to land
significant blows, as he is tied with
Edson
Barboza for the fourth most knockdowns landed in 155-pound
history, with 10.
1,194: Poirier's striking volume is in a league of its own, as he
ranks seventh in the division for significant strikes landed, with
an impressive total of 1,194.
1,418: Additionally, Poirier ranks sixth in the UFC lightweight
division for total strikes landed, accumulating 1,418 strikes over
the course of his career.