UFC on ESPN 70 pre-event facts: Steve Garcia can take KO streak into all-time territory
Heavyweight occupy the headlining position on the card, with former title challenger and all-time octagon knockout king Derrick Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) set to clash against Tallison Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who jumps into the Frey in his sophomore promotional appearance.
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For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the lineup, check below for MMA Junkie's pre-event facts for UFC on ESPN 70.
Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira
Derrick Lewis
Lewis competes in his 30th UFC heavyweight bout, the second-most appearances in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (42).
Lewis' 19 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Andre Arlovski (23).
Lewis' 15 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Lewis' 15 stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied for fourth-most in company history behind Charles Oliveira (20), Jim Miller (17) and Donald Cerrone (16).
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Lewis' 15 knockout victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Lewis' 15 knockout victories in UFC competition stemming from punches are the most in company history.
Lewis' eight knockouts stemming from ground strikes in UFC competition are tied with Cain Velasquez for most in company history.
Lewis' eight fight-night bonuses for UFC heavyweight bouts are tied with Stefan Struve for second-most in divisional history behind Stipe Miocic (nine).
Tallison Teixeira
Teixeira has earned all eight of his career victories by first-round stoppage.
Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim
Stephen Thompson's (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) 10 knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Thiago Alves (13), Jake Ellenberger (11) and Matt Brown (11).
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Thompson's eight fight-night bonuses for UFC welterweight fights are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (10), Vicente Luque (nine) and Brown (nine).
Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned 16 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four UFC wins.
Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia
Calvin Kattar's (23-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn't earned a victory since January 2022.
Steve Garcia's (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Movsar Evloev (eight), Lerone Murphy (eight) and Melquizael Costa (five).
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Garcia has earned all 14 of his career stoppage victories by knockout. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Garcia's five-fight UFC knockout streak is tied for fourth-longest in company history behind Chuck Liddell (seven), Don Frye (six) and Sergei Pavlovich (six).
Garcia's five-fight UFC stoppage streak is longest among active fighters in the company.
Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos
Junior Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) drops to the UFC light heavyweight division after spending his previous five octagon appearances at heavyweight.
Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis
Chris Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) drops to the UFC welterweight division after spending his previous 10 octagon appearances at middleweight.
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Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani
Jake Matthews (20-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) makes his 22nd octagon appearance, the most by any Australian-born fighter in company history.
Matthews is 10-4 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Chidi Njokuani (25-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is 3-0 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in March 2024.
Njokuani's 16-second victory at UFC Fight Night 200 marked the second-fastest debut in UFC middleweight history behind Marc Weir's 10-second win at UFC 38.
Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura
Lauren Murphy (16-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 21, 2023. The 903-day layoff is longest of her more than 15-year career.
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Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Valter Walker
Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is 2-0 since he moved up to the heavyweight division in October.
Nzechukwu earned a knockout at UFC 259 despite a -64 deficit in significant strikes landed, the biggest statistical comeback for a light heavyweight bout and third overall in UFC history.
Valter Walker (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is one of four heavyweights in UFC history to earn a submission victory by heel hook. He accomplished the feat at UFC 305.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 70 pre-event facts: Steve Garcia's KO streak an all-timer
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