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The Kings MMA standout will challenge Israel Adesanya for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown in the UFC 263 headliner on Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Vettori has rattled off five consecutive victories since his split decision loss to Adesanya a little more than three years ago. The 27-year-old Italian last appeared at UFC on ABC 2, where he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Kevin Holland on April 10. Adesanya, meanwhile, finds himself on the rebound following his first professional setback. “The Last Stylebender” last competed at UFC 259 on March 6, when he dropped a unanimous decision to light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and failed in his bid to become a simultaneous two-division titleholder.
As UFC 263 “Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” approaches, a look at some of the numbers the fighters on the card have generated to this point:
7: Post-fight bonuses banked by Adesanya across his 10 appearances inside the Octagon. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” five times and “Fight of the Night” twice, resulting in $350,000 of additional income.
11: First-round finishes to Vettori’s credit, with two of them having gone down under the bright lights of the UFC. He submitted Alberto Emiliano Pereira with a guillotine choke 4:30 into their UFC 202 pairing on Aug. 20, 2016 and put away Karl Roberson with a rear-naked choke 4:17 into their UFC on ESPN 10 confrontation on June 13, 2020.
9: Deiveson Figueiredo wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 45% of his career total (20). His list of victims includes Joseph Benavidez, John Moraga, Joseph Morales and Marco Beltran. Figueiredo holds eight other wins by submission and three more by decision. The 33-year-old Brazilian will defend his flyweight crown in a co-main event rematch with Brandon Moreno.
6: Flyweight champions, including Moreno, in Legacy Fighting Alliance history. The others: Roberto Sanchez, Maikel Perez, Brandon Royval, Jimmy Flick and Victor Altamirano.
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2,003: Days since Leon Edwards last experienced defeat. The former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion lost a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015 and has compiled an 8-0 record with one no contest in nine subsequent outings. Edwards takes on Nate Diaz in a five-round welterweight attraction.
1,367: Significant strikes landed by Diaz as a member of the UFC roster, placing him ninth on the promotion’s all-time list in the category. Only Max Holloway (2,618), Donald Cerrone (1,727), Joanna Jedrzejczyk (1,711), Frankie Edgar (1,705), Michael Bisping (1,567), Rafael dos Anjos (1,493), Dustin Poirier (1,491) and Jon Jones (1,463) have connected on more.
43: Years of age for Demian Maia, who was born on Nov. 6, 1977 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, nearly 6,100 miles from Ultimate Fighting Championship headquarters. The 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist faces Belal Muhammad in a three-round featherweight showcase.
8: Bouts in which Muhammad has executed multiple takedowns since joining the UFC in 2016. The former Titan Fighting Championship titleholder boasts a 7-1 record in those fights, a unanimous decision loss to Alan Jouban at UFC Fight Night 90 on July 7, 2016 the only blemish.
12: Submission victories on the Paul Craig resume, accounting for 86% of his career total (14). His methods of choice: seven triangle chokes, two armbars, one brabo choke, one guillotine choke and one rear-naked choke. Craig owns two other victories by knockout or technical knockout. The 33-year-old confronts Jamahal Hill in a three round light heavyweight feature.
4: Organizations in which the unbeaten Hill has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 4-0 in Knockout Promotions, 2-0 in the UFC, 1-0 in Dana White’s Contender Series and 1-0 in Lights Out Championship.
21: Years of age for Chase Hooper, who was born in Enumclaw, Washington, on Sept. 13, 1999. TLC’s “Unpretty,” Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailamos,” LFO’s “Summer Girls,” Ricky Martin’s “She’s All I Ever Had” and Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” were the Top 5 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 list at the time. Hooper draws Steven Peterson in an undercard battle at 145 pounds.
.770: Cumulative winning percentage between the 28 fighters booked to compete at the event. They own a combined record of 369-102-8. Maia sports the most victories (28) of anyone on the card, while Diaz has been saddled with the most losses (12).