By The Numbers: Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad

Having twice fought for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title, Stephen Thompson years ago reached a level to which Belal Muhammad now aspires. It seems only natural that their paths would one day cross.

“Wonderboy” will attempt to defend his turf as a Top 5 contender at 170 pounds when he confronts Muhammad in the UFC Fight Night 199 co-headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Thompson has won two of his past three bouts. He last appeared at UFC 264, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Gilbert Burns on July 10. Muhammad, meanwhile, finds himself in the midst of a six-fight unbeaten streak during which he has compiled a 5-0 record with one no contest. He last competed on June 12, when he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Demian Maia at UFC 263.

As Thompson and Muhammad move ever closer to their forthcoming battle, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

38: Years of age for Thompson, who was born on Feb. 11, 1983 in Simpsonville, South Carolina.

7: Thompson wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 44% of his career total (16). His list of UFC victims: Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, Robert Whittaker, Chris Clements and Daniel Stittgen. Thompson owns one other win by submission—he took care of Marques Worrell with a second-round rear-naked choke at a Fight Party event on Sept. 18, 2010—and eight more by decision.

1,004: Significant strikes landed by Thompson as a UFC welterweight, placing him eighth on the promotion’s all-time list at 170 pounds. Only Georges St. Pierre (1,254), Neil Magny (1,174), Kamaru Usman (1,164), Robbie Lawler (1,111), Thiago Alves (1,070), Tim Means (1,043) and Carlos Condit (1,006) have been credited with more.

211: Seconds needed for Thompson to plow through Hendricks with punches in the UFC Fight Night 82 main event on Feb. 6, 2016. Though it unfolded nearly six years ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 22-fight career.

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.689: Cumulative winning percentage between the five men—Burns, Anthony Pettis, Darren Till, Tyron Woodley and Matt Brown—who have beaten Thompson. They boast a combined record of 104-45-2.

33: Years of age for Muhammad, who was born in Chicago on July 9, 1988.

4: Muhammad victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 21% of his career total (19). His complete list of victims: Augusto Montano, Steve Carl, Jimmy Fritz and Justin Brock. Muhammad holds one other victory by submission—he dismissed Takashi Sato with a third-round rear-naked choke at UFC 242 on Sept. 7, 2019—and 14 more by decision.

129: Significant strikes landed by Muhammad in a three-round unanimous decision over Dhiego Lima at UFC 258 in February. It established a new personal benchmark for the VFS Academy representative, shattering his previous high of 88.

25: Days spent by Muhammad as Titan Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder. He captured the crown on April 30, 2016 and vacated it to sign with the UFC on May 25, 2016.

5: Promotions in which Muhammad has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 10-3 with one no contest in the UFC, 4-0 in Hoosier Fight Club, 3-0 in Titan Fighting Championship and 2-0 in Bellator MMA.