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Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on
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The upcoming
Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view showcase,
UFC 302, features a middleweight clash that will set the tone
for the co-main and main event fights to follow.
Kevin
Holland, the organization’s go-to crisis fighter to revitalize
the lineup of any event, will return to the 185-pound bracket
having competed at welterweight in recent years. He is coming off
consecutive losses to
Jack
Della Maddalena and
Michael
Page but remains a top draw in the organization despite only
two wins in last five outings. Meanwhile, his foe,
Michal
Oleksiejczuk, has lost two of his last three Octagon outings,
suffering submission losses to
Caio
Borralho and
Michael
Pereira. The Pole holds a 7-5 record in the Las Vegas-based
organization with 1 no contest, and will be keen on recapturing
momentum starting with a victory over Holland. With that, let’s
take a look at some of the statistical intricacies that bind the
fighters together.
7: The ever-entertaining Holland has earned six “Performance of the
Night” bonuses and one “Fight of the Night” honor, meaning that he
has taken home incentive money in over one-third of his 20 UFC
bouts to date.
5: In 2020, “Trailblazer” defeated
Anthony
Hernandez,
Joaquin
Buckley,
Darren
Stewart,
Charlie
Ontiveros and
Ronaldo
Souza, tying
Roger
Huerta (2007) and
Neil Magny
(2014) for the most wins in a calendar year in UFC history. All
three men went a perfect 5-0 in their respective year.
1: For that remarkable run, culminating in his memorable
performance against “Jacare” in which he knocked out the grappling
legend with punches from a seated position, Holland was named
Sherdog’s Breakthrough Fighter of the Year for 2020, the first
such selection of his career.
7: Not one to be bounded by the calendar, Holland’s drive to
maintain active participation is illustrated by the fact that he
holds the record for most UFC appearances in a rolling 12-month
period. He competed seven times between May 16, 2020 and April 10,
2021.
1,219: The American holds the 10th spot in middleweight history for
total strikes landed.
4.24: Holland lands 4.24 significant strikes per minute with 49%
accuracy.
19: Oleksiejczuk has 19 wins on his professional record with seven
losses and one no-contest.
14: “Hussar” has rattled off 14 KO/ TKO finishes, constituting 74%
of his wins.
5.06: He lands 5.06 significant strikes per minute which amounts to
50% striking accuracy.
61%: Oleksiejczuk demonstrates formidable defense in his fights,
evading 61% of incoming opponent onslaughts while absorbing 4.26
strikes per minute on average.