🤪 "𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲" 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗺𝗯” 💣@GeorgiMMA takes on @AdamPiccolotti in a Lightweight bout live on @SHOsports!
See #Bellator274 LIVE this Saturday from 9pm ET / 6pm PT. pic.twitter.com/OSsmEwnHid— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 18, 2022
In a constant struggle to keep their heads above water in the Bellator MMA lightweight division, neither Georgi Karakhanyan nor Adam Piccolotti can afford to misjudge the distance between them and the shore at this stage of their respective careers.
The accomplished veterans will lock horns in a featured Bellator 274 attraction on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where the stakes are undeniably high. Karakhanyan has lost four of his past seven bouts. The former World Series of Fighting champion last appeared on Sept. 18, when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Saul Rogers at Bellator 266. Piccolotti, meanwhile, has gone 3-4 since starting his career with nine consecutive victories. He last fought at Bellator 244, where he dropped a split verdict to Sidney Outlaw on Aug. 21, 2020.
As Karakhanyan and Piccolotti draw closer to their three-round encounter at 155 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
36: Years of age for Karakhanyan, who was born in Moscow on May 29, 1985.
16: Karakhanyan victories by submission, accounting for 52% of his career total (31). His methods of choice: five guillotine chokes, four rear-naked chokes, two triangle chokes, one north-south choke, one arm-triangle choke, one kimura and one armbar. Karakhanyan owns seven other victories by knockout or technical knockout and eight more by decision.
53: Seconds needed for Karakhanyan to punch out Bubba Jenkins at Bellator 160 on Aug. 26, 2016. Having occurred five-plus years ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 45-fight career.
66: Rounds completed by Karakhanyan as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 18 different occasions and sports an 8-9-1 record in those bouts.
238: Combined wins for the 11 men—Rogers, Emmanuel Sanchez (twice), Myles Jury, A.J. McKee, Henry Corrales, Pat Curran, Daniel Weichel, Ricky Glenn, Patricio Freire, Joe Warren and Chris David—who have defeated Karakhanyan. They carry a cumulative .751 winning percentage (238-75-4).
33: Years of age for Piccolotti, who was born on Oct. 23, 1988 in Half Moon Bay, California.
6: Piccolotti wins by submission, accounting for 50% of his career total (12). His methods of choice: five rear-naked chokes and one neck crank. Piccolotti holds two other wins by knockout or technical knockout and four more by decision.
3: First-round finishes on the Piccolotti resume, with two of them having taken place in Bellator. He submitted Ray Wood with a rear-naked choke in 3:17 at Bellator 154 and tapped Carrington Banks with a rear-naked choke in 4:41 at Bellator 199.
8: Consecutive calendar years in which Piccolotti has fought at least once. He went 1-0 in 2013, 3-0 in 2014, 3-0 in 2015, 2-0 in 2016, 0-2 in 2017, 2-0 in 2018, 1-1 in 2019 and 0-1 in 2020.
.779: Cumulative winning percentage for the four opponents—Outlaw, Benson Henderson, David Rickels and Goiti Yamauchi—who have beaten Piccolotti. They sport a combined record of 92-26.