Michel Pereira always carries edge-of-your-seat potential.
The flashy Brazilian will once again look to meld together promise with results when he meets promotional newcomer Andre Fialho in a UFC 270 welterweight showcase, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off its flagship event schedule for 2022 on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Pereira enters the cage with the wind of back-to-back-to-back victories in his sails. He last appeared at UFC 264, where he laid claim to a three-round unanimous decision over Niko Price on July 10. Fialho, meanwhile, finds himself on a four-fight winning streak. The Bellator MMA veteran last competed on Oct. 29, when he dispatched Stefan Sekulic with an elbow strike and follow-up punches in the first round of their encounter under the UAE Warriors banner.
As Pereira and Fialho approach their anticipated clash at 170 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
28: Years of age for Pereira, who was born on Oct. 6, 1993 in Maraba, Brazil.
7: Pereira wins by submission, accounting for 27% of his career total (26). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes, two triangle chokes, one arm-triangle choke, one guillotine choke and one armbar. Pereira owns 10 other wins by knockout or technical knockout, eight by decision and another by undisclosed means.
70: Significant strikes by which Pereira has outlanded the opposition during his current three-fight winning streak. He has connected on 224 such strikes in victories over Price, Kalinn Williams and Zelim Imadaev while absorbing only 154 in return.
41: Seconds needed for Pereira to punch out Won Jun Choi at Road Fighting Championship 51 on Dec. 15, 2018 in Seoul, South Korea. Having occurred more than 1,100 days ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 39-fight career.
214: Combined victories between the 10 men—Rubenilton Pereira (twice), Bruno Leandro Soares Lobato, Zozimar de Oliveira Silva Jr., Carlston Harris, Abubakar Vagaev, Ismael de Jesus, Kuerbanjiang Tuluosibake, Dusko Todorovic, Tristan Connelly and Diego Sanchez—who have defeated Pereira. They boast a cumulative record of 214-104 (.673).
27: Years of age for Fialho, who was born in Cascais, Portugal, on April 7, 1994.
11: Fialho victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 79% of his career total (14). His list of victims includes James Vick, Rick Reger and Manuel Meraz. Fialho holds one other victory by submission—he put away Nuno Faria with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their International Pro Combat 5 pairing on Nov. 2, 2014—and two others by decision.
3: Sub-minute finishes on the Fialho resume. He knocked out Alvaro Sanches in 53 seconds at IPC 6 on Jan. 26, 2015, punched out Meraz in 29 seconds at Bellator 150 on Feb. 26, 2016 and cut down Sang Hoon Yoo with punches in 18 seconds at UAE Warriors 20 on June 19, 2021.
8: Consecutive calendar years in which Fialho has fought at least once. He went 5-0 in 2014, 1-0 in 2015, 2-1 in 2016, 1-0 in 2017, 1-0 in 2018, 0-1 with one no contest in 2019, 0-1 in 2020 and 4-0 in 2021.
.780: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Antonio dos Santos Jr., Chris Curtis and Chidi Njokuani—who have beaten Fialho. They sport a combined record of 67-19.