“The Cannibal” will defend his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title against organizational newcomer Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 headliner this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pantoja enters the Octagon on the strength of a six-fight winning streak. He last saw action at UFC 301, where he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Steve Erceg on May 4. Asakura, meanwhile, has rattled off five victories across his past six outings. The former Rizin Fighting Federation champion last suited up on Dec. 31, when he cut down Juan Archuleta with a knee to the body and follow-up punches at Rizin 45.
As Pantoja and Asakura approach their high-stakes showdown at 125 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
34: Years of age for Pantoja, who was born on April 16, 1990 in Arraial do Cabo, Brazil.
10: Pantoja victories by submission, accounting for 36% of his career total (28). His methods of choice: seven rear-naked chokes, one armbar, one triangle choke and one neck crank. Pantoja holds eight other victories by knockout or technical knockout (28%) and 10 more by decision (36%).
861: Significant strikes landed by Pantoja as a UFC flyweight, placing him third on the promotion’s all-time list at 125 pounds. Only Brandon Moreno (1,131) and Demetrious Johnson (1,059) have connected with more.
250,000: Dollars in post-fight bonus checks cashed by Pantoja across his 15 appearances in the UFC. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” three times and “Fight of the Night” twice.
.765: Cumulative winning percentage between the five men—Askar Askarov, Deiveson Figueiredo, Dustin Ortiz, Jussier Formiga and Willian Viana—who have beaten Pantoja. They boast a combined record of 100-30-2.
31: Years of age for Asakura, who was born in Toyohashi, Japan, on Oct. 31, 1993.
13: Asakura wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 62% of his career total (21). His list of victims in Rizin Fighting Federation: Archuleta, Yuki Motoya, Shuto Watanabe, Shoji Maruyama, Hiromasa Ougikubo, Yuta Sasaki, Kyoji Horiguchi and Kizaemon Saiga. Asakura owns three other wins by submission (14%) and five more by decision (24%).
29: Seconds needed for Asakura to put away Heili Alateng with a knee strike and follow-up punches at a Road Fighting Championship show on March 11, 2017. Nearly eight years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
4: Organizations for which Asakura has worked as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone 13-3 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 5-0 in Rings, 2-1 in Road Fighting Championship and 1-0 in Deep.
90: Combined victories between the four men—Ougikubo, Horiguchi, Manel Kape and Jae Hoon Moon—who have defeated Asakura. They sport a cumulative .717 winning percentage at 90-35-2.