Israel Adesanya finds no rest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division, as there seems to be no end to the list of would-be successors nipping at his heels.
As Adesanya and Strickland approach their high-stakes showdown Down Under, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
34: Years of age for Adesanya, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 22, 1989.
16: Adesanya victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 67% of his career total (24). His list of UFC victims: Pereira, Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Rob Wilkinson. Adesanya holds eight other victories by decision (33%).
119: Seconds needed for Adesanya to cut down Kenan Song with a head kick at a World Fighting Championship show on Aug. 8, 2015. More than eight years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
13: Knockdowns landed by Adesanya as a member of the UFC roster, tying him with Melvin Guillard, Thiago Alves, Anthony Johnson, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor for 10th on the promotion’s all-time list. Only Donald Cerrone (20), Anderson Silva (18), Jeremy Stephens (18), Edson Barboza (15), Chuck Liddell (14), Lyoto Machida (14), Mauricio Rua (14), Junior dos Santos (14) and Thiago Santos (14) have been credited with more.
.750: Cumulative winning percentage between the two opponents—Pereira and Jan Blachowicz—who have beaten Adesanya. They sport a combined record of 37-12-1.
32: Years of age for Strickland, who was born on Feb. 27, 1991 in Anaheim, California.
11: Strickland wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 41% of his career total (27). His list of UFC victims: Magomedov, Brendan Allen, Nordine Taleb and Alex Garcia. Strickland owns four other wins by submission (15%)—all via rear-naked choke—and 12 others by decision (44%).
186: Significant strikes landed by Strickland in a five-round unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter 17” finalist Uriah Hall in the UFC on ESPN 28 headliner in July 2021. It established a high-water mark for the former King of the Cage champion that stands to this day.
79: Rounds started by Strickland as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 15 different occasions and carries a 12-3 record in those bouts.
98: Combined victories between the five opponents—Pereira, Jared Cannonier, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Kamaru Usman and Santiago Ponzinibbio—who have defeated Strickland. They boast a cumulative .797 winning percentage at 98-25.