By the Numbers: UFC 302

Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Islam Makhachev got all he could handle from Dustin Poirier.

But just when Poirier appeared to be gaining momentum, Makhachev cemented his third successful Ultimate Fighting Championship title defense by submitting the Louisiana native with a brabo choke at the 2:42 mark of Round 5 in the UFC 302 headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday night. While Makhachev needed a couple more rounds than fellow Dagestani Khabib Nurmagomedov did to dispatch “The Diamond,” he remains the current standard bearer in the promotion’s lightweight division.

Here is a by-the-numbers look at UFC 302, with statistics courtesy of UFCStats.com.

14: Consecutive victories for Makhachev. That ranks as the longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history and the third longest overall in the promotion regardless of weight class behind Anderson Silva (16) and Kamaru Usman (15). Note: Jon Jones owns a 19-fight unbeaten streak that includes a no contest against Daniel Cormier in 2017.

6: Fighters in UFC history to have earned a submission victory using five or more different techniques. By tapping Poirier with a brabo choke, Makhachev joins a group that includes Frank Mir, Chris Lytle, Charles Oliveira, Stefan Struve and Jim Miller.

88: Significant strikes landed by Makhachev. By comparison, Poirier landed 72. Poirier did outland his foe 23 to 20 in Round 4, the only frame he held an advantage against the Dagestani. Makhachev also held a 147-to-104 edge in total strikes landed. Poirier outlanded his foe 23 to 11 in significant clinch strikes.

11: Takedowns successfully defended in 16 attempts by Poirier, who showcased some of the best defensive wrestling of his UFC tenure. Makhachev also logged 10:23 of control time in victory.

182: Significant strikes landed by Sean Strickland in a split-decision triumph against Paulo Costa in the co-main event. By comparison, Costa landed 158. Strickland outlanded his opponent 45 to 34 in Round 3, 39 to 29 in Round 4 and 49 to 32 in Round 5. Costa, meanwhile, outlanded his foe 31 to 24 in Round 1 and 32 to 25 in Round 2.

8: Occasions in which Strickland has exceeded 100 significant strikes in 12 bouts since moving up to middleweight. The former champion never landed 100 or more significant strikes while competing at 170 pounds.

104: Significant headstrikes for Strickland. By comparison, Costa landed just 28.

46: Significant leg strikes for Costa. Strickland landed just 11 significant strikes to the legs. Costa also held an 84-to-67 edge in significant body strikes.

402: Significant strikes attempted by Strickland. Costa’s output was considerably less with 266 attempted. However, the Brazilian was more accurate, landing 158 for a 59% success rate. Strickland’s 182 significant strikes landed represent a 45% clip.

1: Career submission via armbar for Kevin Holland, who scored his first such triumph against Michal Oleksiejczuk when he snapped his opponent’s arm with the maneuver 1:34 into the opening stanza of their featured middleweight bout. Holland owns eight victories via submission over the course of a professional career that began in 2015.

6: Submission losses, out of seven total career defeats for Oleksiejczuk. The Pole has suffered five of those setbacks in UFC competition.

2,674: Days since Niko Price and Alex Morono’s first meeting in the Octagon, a second-round KO win for Price at UFC Fight Night 104 on Feb. 4, 2017 that was later overturned to a no contest. Price got the better of Morono in the rematch, winning a unanimous decision on Saturday night.

7-1: Record for Randy Brown since 2021. “Rude Boy” kept his momentum going at UFC 302, taking a unanimous verdict over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a featured welterweight tilt. Brown has gone the distance in five of those triumphs.

41: Significant strikes by which Brown outlanded does Santos. Brown held advantages of 34 to 9 in Round 1 and 25 to 14 in Round 3, while dos Santos landed three takedowns and racked up 3:52 total control time in the second stanza.

5: Takedowns landed in eight attempts for Roman Kopylov in a split-decision triumph over Cesar Almeida at middleweight. That’s a UFC career high for Kopylov, who landed a total of one takedown in his previous seven Octagon appearances combined.
Order Now! UFC 302 “Makhachev vs. Poirier” Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+
3: Submission victories for Jailton Almeida at heavyweight, tying him with Alexander Romanov and Ben Rothwell for the sixth most in the history of the division. Almeida tapped Romanov with a rear-naked choke in the opening stanza of their preliminary bout on Saturday night.

13:46: Total control time for Grant Dawson in a decision triumph over Joe Solecki. That represents a UFC best for “KGD,” who has consistently racked up large control time advantages while compiling a 9-1-1 record in the promotion. Dawson also went 3-for-3 on takedowns and held a 146-to-27 advantage in total strikes.

13: Career UFC victories for Jake Matthews following a decision over Philip Rowe at welterweight. Matthews, who begin his promotional tenure at 19 years old, is 9-4 at 170 pounds.

95: Significant strikes landed by Bassil Hafez in a three-round verdict against Mickey Gall at welterweight. By comparison, Gall landed 83. It was a far cry from Hafez’s short-notice Octagon debut, when he was outlanded by an 83-to-32 count in a split-decision setback against Jack Della Maddalena.

6: Takedowns landed in 11 attempts by Ailin Perez in a unanimous decision triumph over Joselyne Edwards at bantamweight. The Goat Shed Academy representative has 18 takedowns through three fights at 135 pounds, already tying her with Miesha Tate for third most in the history of the division.

1: Knockdown for Perez, which occurred due to a spinning backfist in the second round. It was the first time Edwards has been dropped eight UFC appearances.

30: Significant leg strikes — out of 51 total — landed by Andre Lima in a split-decision victory over Mitch Raposo at flyweight. Raposo landed 32 significant strikes (none to the legs) in defeat.