Two welterweight contenders trending in different directions will toe the line against one another when former champion Tyron Woodley meets Vicente Luque in the UFC 260 co-headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
With both men clinging to Top 10 rankings under the Ultimate Fighting Championship flag, stakes are undeniably high. Woodley, now more than two years removed from his most recent victory, enters the cage on the heels of consecutive losses to Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington. Luque, meanwhile, has rattled off eight wins in nine outings. The Cerrado MMA export last competed at UFC Fight Night 173, where he disposed of Randy Brown with a second-round knee strike and follow-up punches on Aug. 1.
As Woodley and Luque barrel toward their three-round battle, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
38: Years of age for Woodley, who was born in Ferguson, Missouri, on April 7, 1982. “Porky’s,” “Some Kind of Hero,” “On Golden Pond,” “Silent Rage” and “Chariots of Fire” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.
5: Woodley wins by submission, accounting for 37% of his career total (19). His methods of choice: two brabo chokes, one rear-naked choke, one armbar and one arm-triangle choke. Woodley owns seven other victories by knockout and seven more by decision.
36: Seconds needed for Woodley to wipe out former International Fight League champion Jay Hieron with punches at UFC 156 on Feb. 2, 2013. Having occurred in his Octagon debut, it remains the fastest finish of his decorated 26-fight career.
206: Significant strikes by which Woodley has been outlanded during his current three-fight losing streak. He has connected with only 96 such strikes against Covington, Burns and Usman while absorbing 302 in return.
.751: Cumulative winning percentage between the six men—Covington, Burns, Usman, Rory MacDonald, Jake Shields and Nate Marquardt—who have beaten Woodley. They hold a combined record of 142-43-4.
29: Years of age for Luque, who was born on Nov. 27, 1991 in Westwood, New Jersey—a borough of roughly 10,000 people in the northeast corner of The Garden State.
11: Luque wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 58% of his professional total (19). His list of victims includes Niko Price (twice), Bryan Barberena, Chad Laprise, Belal Muhammad and Thiago Santos. Luque owns six other victories by submission and two more by decision.
5.72: Strikes landed per minute by Luque, placing him second on the UFC’s all-time list among welterweights. Only Duane Ludwig (6.74) has connected at a more prolific rate.
6: Post-fight bonuses banked by Luque in his 15 appearances under the UFC banner. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” three times and “Fight of the Night” three times, resulting in $300,000 in additional income.
127: Combined wins between the seven men—Stephen Thompson, Leon Edwards, Michael Graves, Carlos Alexandre Pereira, Alfredo Souza, Marcos Antonio Santana and Felipe Portela—who have defeated Luque. They own a combined record of 127-39-5.