The unbeaten Tatsuro Taira will attempt to break into the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division’s upper echelon when he does battle with Team Oyama’s Alex Perez in the UFC on ESPN 58 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Miles Johnson sets his sights on Douglas Silva de Andrade in the bantamweight co-main event at 135 pounds.
117: Significant strikes by which Taira has outlanded his five UFC opponents. The former Shooto champion has connected with 174 such strikes against Carlos Hernandez, Edgar Chairez, Jesus Santos Aguilar, C.J. Vergara and Carlos Candelario while absorbing only 57 in return.
4: Knockdowns for Perez as a UFC flyweight, tying him with Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno for 10th on the promotion’s all-time list at 125 pounds. Only Deiveson Figueiredo (11), John Lineker (seven), Joseph Benavidez (six), John Dodson (six), Matheus Nicolau (six), Kai Kara-France (six), Ryan Benoit (five), Bruno Silva (five) and Manel Kape (five) have been credited with more.
38: Years of age for Silva de Andrade. The oldest fighter on the card, he was born on June 22, 1985 in Castanhal, Brazil.
7: Men besides Johns who have held the undisputed Legacy Fighting Alliance bantamweight crown. Leandro Higo, Ricky Simon, Zviad Lazishvili, Richard Palencia, Daniel Argueta, Muin Gafurov and John Sweeney comprise the list.
5: Consecutive calendar years in which Timothy Cuamba has fought at least once. In addition to his 1-1 mark in 2024, the Xtreme Couture product went 1-0 in 2020, 2-1 in 2021, 3-0 in 2022 and 1-0 in 2023. Cuamba toes the line against Lucas Almeida in a three-round featherweight showcase.
30: Seconds needed for Almeida to put away Cleber Ferreira de Santana with an arm-triangle choke under the Eco Combat Championship banner on May 19, 2018. More than six years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
9: Asu Almabaev wins by submission, accounting for 47% of his career total (19). His methods of choice: six rear-naked chokes, one armbar, one guillotine choke and one Peruvian necktie. Almabaev dukes it out with Jose Johnson in a three-round flyweight feature.
44: Rounds started by Johnson since he turned pro. The two-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum has gone the distance on eight different occasions and carries a 5-3 record in those bouts.
1,140: Miles between where Brady Hiestand trains at Sikjitsu in Spokane, Washington, and UFC headquarters in Las Vegas. It equates to a nearly 17-hour drive. Hiestand tackles Garrett Armfeld in a three-round bantamweight appetizer.
6: Armfield victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 60% of his career total. His list of victims: Toshiomi Kazama, Steven Graham, Kenneth Richmond, Chris Johnson, Joey Estrada and Shane Bridges.
22: Years of age for Joshua Van. The youngest fighter on the card, he was born on Oct. 10, 2001 in Hakha, Myanmar. Van confronts Tagir Ulanbekov in the featured flyweight prelim.
.793: Cumulative winning percentage between the 24 fighters booked to compete at the event. Featherweight Nuerdanbieke Shayilan holds the most victories (39) of anyone on the bill while also being saddled with the most losses (11). Shayilan squares off with Melquizael Costa as part of the undercard.