Gabriel Braga ran this race once before, only to stub his toe before reaching the finish line.

The Tropa Thai standout will lock horns with Timur Khizriev in the Professional Fighters League featherweight semifinals at PFL 9 this Friday in Washington, D.C., with the winner advancing to face either Brendan Loughnane or Kai Kamaka III in the $1 million championship. Braga steps back into the spotlight following back-to-back stoppages of Bubba Jenkins and Justin Gonzalez. He reached the 2023 featherweight final in November before being upset by Jesus Pineda, as he succumbed to third-round punches from the Peruvian. Khizriev, meanwhile, enters the cage as a sizeable favorite. The unbeaten Russian nailed down his spot in the playoffs with consecutive decisions over Brett Johns and Enrique Barzola. Khizriev went 3-0 in Bellator MMA prior to his arrival in the PFL.

As Braga and Khizriev approach their semifinal showdown at 145 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

26: Years of age for Braga, who was born in Rio de Janeiro on April 24, 1998.

7: Braga wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 50% of his career total (14). His list of PFL victims: Jenkins, Gonzales and former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes. Braga holds seven other wins by decision (50%).

85: Seconds needed for Braga to put away Jean Inacio Soares with punches at a Future Fighting Championships show in July 2019. More than five years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

1,966: Days spent by Braga as an undefeated fighter. He debuted with a first-round knockout of Vagner Xavier Silva at a New Corpore Extreme event on July 7, 2018 and put together a 12-0 record before losing to Pinedo in the PFL featherweight final on Nov. 24, 2023.

113: Combined victories between the six men Braga has beaten since he linked arms with the PFL. They sport a cumulative .691 winning percentage at 113-50-2.

28: Years of age for Khizriev, who was born on Nov. 19, 1995 in Makhachkala, Russia.

1: Khizriev victory by submission, accounting for 6% of his career total (16). He choked Ruslan Ryskul unconscious with a guillotine under the Eagle Fighting Championship banner in 2021. Khizriev owns three other victories by knockout or technical knockout (19%) and 12 more by decision (75%).

41: Rounds started by Khizriev as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 12-0 record in those bouts.

3: Countries in which Khizriev has plied his MMA trade. He has gone 10-0 in his native Russia, 5-0 in the United States and 1-0 in China.

.732: Cumulative winning percentage between the two men Khizriev has defeated as a member of the PFL roster. They boast a combined record of 40-14-2.