UFC on ESPN 69 pre-event facts: Kamaru Usman looks to avoid four-year winless drought
UFC on ESPN 69 pre-event facts: Kamaru Usman looks to avoid four-year winless drought
The UFC returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2018 on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 69, which goes down at State Farm Arena (ESPN, ESPN+).
A high-level welterweight headlines the card, with former longtime champion Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) set to take on the streaking Joaquin Buckley (22-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in a five-round bout with significant divisional implications.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie's pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 69.
Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley
Kamaru Usman
Usman has suffered three consecutive losses after going on a 19-fight winning streak.
Usman is one of two fighters in UFC history to start 15-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva also accomplished the feat.
Usman's 15-fight UFC winning streak, which ended at UFC 278, is tied with Islam Makhachev for the second-longest in company history behind Silva (16).
Usman's average fight time of 17:35 in UFC welterweight competition is the longest in divisional history.
Usman has defended 97.3 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
Usman's 12 takedowns landed at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale are tied for second-most in a single UFC welterweight fight. Luigi Fioravanti holds the record with 13 at UFC 82.
Usman out-landed Tyron Woodley by a margin of 336-60 (+275) in total strikes at UFC 235, the record for a UFC championship fight.
Usman landed 192 body strikes at UFC 235, the single-fight UFC record.
Joaquin Buckley
Buckley is 6-0 since he dropped to the welterweight division in May 2023.
Buckley's six-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Shavkat Rakhmonov (eight) and Jack Della Maddalena (eight).
Buckley has earned all 15 of his career stoppage victories by knockout. That includes eight of his 10 UFC wins.
**Buckley is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the head, which he did at UFC on ESPN+ 37. Renan Barao, Uriah Hall, Natalia Silva and Magomed Mustafaev also accomplished the feat.
Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas (13-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) was the first female in UFC history to have multiple title reigns in a single weight class. She's one of five fighters to accomplish the feat, along with Amanda Nunes, Carla Esparza, Zhang Weili and Julianna Peña.
Namajunas is 2-2 since she moved up to the women's flyweight division in September 2023.
Namajunas' five stoppage victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (six).
Namajunas' three submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Mackenzie Dern (five).
Namajunas' submission of Paige VanZant at the 2:25 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 80 is the latest stoppage in UFC strawweight history.
Namajunas' six fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts are third-most in divisional history behind Andrade (nine) and Dern (seven).
Miranda Maverick
Miranda Maverick's (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) eight victories in UFC women's flyweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Valentina Shevchenko (11) and Katlyn Cerminara (nine).
Maverick's four-fight UFC winning streak at women's flyweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Natalia Silva (seven) and Maycee Barber (six).
Maverick's three stoppage victories in UFC women's flyweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Gillian Robertson (seven), Shevchenko (five) and Montana De La Rosa (four).
Maverick's 23 takedowns landed in UFC women's flyweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Shevchenko (49).
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski
Andre Petroski (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) defends 85.7 percent of opponent takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Roman Kopylov (87.2 percent).
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos
Cody Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is 3-6 in his past nine fights dating back to November 2017.
Garbrandt is 2-1 since returning to the bantamweight division in March 2023.
Garbrandt's 10 knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Vera, Petr Yan for second-most in divisional history behind Montel Jackson (11).
Mansour Abdul-Malik vs. Cody Brundage
Cody Brundage (11-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) is one of 14 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 52.
Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig
Paul Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) returns to the light heavyweight division after a four-fight stint at middleweight where he went 1-3.
Craig's three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn't earned a victory since July 2023.
Craig's six submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Glover Teixeira (seven).
Craig's four submission victories by triangle choke are the most in UFC history.
Craig's victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127 is the latest submission in a three-round UFC fight.
Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee
Michael Chiesa (20-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) is 6-3 since he moved up to the welterweight division in December 2018.
Chiesa's seven submission victories via rear-naked choke in UFC competition are tied with Kenny Florian for second-most in company history behind Demian Maia (nine).
Chiesa has completed at least one takedown against 18 of his 20 UFC opponents.
Chiesa absorbs 0.94 significant strikes per minute in UFC welterweight competition, the lowest rate in divisional history for anyone with a minimum of five appearances.
Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa
Cody Durden (17-7-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) completes 55.6 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Ricky Simon vs. Cameron Smotherman
Ricky Simon (21-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has landed 44 takedowns in UFC bantamweight competition, the second most in divisional history behind Merab Dvalishvili (84).
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
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