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.