UFC 182: 5 Quick Facts for Each Main Card Fighter
UFC 182 kicks off a brand new year of events for the largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, and fans get to witness two of the baddest heavyweights on the planet go to battle on Saturday.
Former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will attempt to wrestle away UFC gold from the pound-for-pound best Jon Jones. The two eerily similar fighters have been engaged in a bitter feud that stems from a meeting between them that took place prior to Jones' title win.
This card has a little bit for everyone, as lightweights Donald Cerrone and Myles Jury take the Octagon to find out who might be next in line for a title shot behind Rafael dos Anjos. Meanwhile, heavy hitters Nate Marquardt and Hector Lombard are also fighting.
In many of these bouts, picking the winner may seem easy, but there's no disproving the facts. Here are the five key details one needs to know heading into Saturday night's main card matchups.
5. Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
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Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard meets the returning Josh Burkman in a tussle of top 185-ers. Burkman had compiled an impressive record during his time fighting outside of the UFC, while the Cuban has dropped down to welterweight and reeled off two straight wins. Both men are seasoned veterans of the sport and have fought a who's-who of talent. Let's take a closer look at the matchup to see who really has the upper hand.
Hector Lombard
- 2: First-round finishes inside the UFC
- 82: Percentage of takedowns he has defended
- 0: The number of times he has been finished in his career
- 1: Fight in 2014
- 19: Career wins by knockout
Josh Burkman
- 9: Wins since Burkman's departure from the UFC
- 5: Finishes since his dismissal
- 6: The number of times he has been submitted in his career
- 4: First-round wins following his release
- 1: Fight in which he hasn't landed a takedown in the UFC
4. Louis Gaudinot vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
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Flyweight striker Louis Gaudinot looks to distance himself from a failed post-fight drug test when he faces 24-year-old Japanese prospect Kyoji Horiguchi. Horiguchi nearly went undefeated while fighting in Japan for three years and has lived up to expectations since touching down in the UFC.
The winner could stake his claim for the No. 10 rung on the 125-pound ladder. Before Gaudinot and Horiguchi grace the Octagon, take a look at these telling numbers.
Gaudinot
- 28: Percentage of takedowns Gaudinot has defended
- 8: Significant strikes he has absorbed per minute
- 2: Submission victories for Gaudinot in the UFC*
- 198: Strikes he absorbed in two lopsided losses against wrestlers Johnny Bedford and Tim Elliot
- 4: Fights since December 2011
Horiguchi
- 9: Career wins by knockout
- 0: Losses at flyweight
- 4.6: Significant strikes landed per minute
- 66: Percentage of strikes Horiguchi has defended
- 1: Losses
*Gaudinot's previous win was overturned to a no-contest after the 30-year-old failed a drug test.
3. Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt
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Middleweights Brad Tavares and Nate Marquardt are looking to establish themselves in the division. Marquardt's return to the UFC hasn't quite worked out as the former middleweight title challenger might have hoped, although he notched a much-needed win over James Te Huna in his last outing in June 2014.
Tavares, an Xtreme Couture product, is on a two-fight losing streak. Before the two men enter the Octagon, dive into some of the facts behind this important matchup.
Tavares
- 1: Number of times that he has been finished in his career
- 1: Finishes in his UFC career
- 4: Years since his last finish in the UFC
- 6: Wins for the 27-year-old inside the Octagon
- 69: Percentage of takedowns he has defended
Marquardt
- 16: Career victories by submission
- 6: Years between his submission victory over Te Huna and the prior one
- 73: Percentage of takedowns defended by Marquardt
- 2: First-round defeats in his last three fights
- 2.5: Years since he recorded back-to-back wins
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2. Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury
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Two Top 10 lightweights duke it out in a bout that is sure to inch the victor closer toward a coveted title shot. 2014 produced highlight after highlight for Donald "The Cowboy" Cerrone, who takes on the undefeated Myles Jury.
Here are the five key numbers you should be keeping an eye on as you get set to dissect this Fight of the Night candidate.
Cerrone
- 89: Percentage of takedowns The Cowboy has defended in the UFC
- 15: Post-fight bonuses his WEC/UFC career
- 15: Fights in the last four years
- 2: Times he has been finished in his career
- 5: Straight wins in the UFC
Jury
- 15: Career victories
- 6: Straight wins in the UFC
- 76: Percentage of significant strikes avoided
- 3: Takedowns per bout
- 3: Finishes in the UFC
1. Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
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Jon Jones looks to defend his light heavyweight title for an eighth time against the former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier. They possess nearly identical skill sets if you subtract Jones' unorthodox striking methods, and are both virtually undefeated.
It's one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the New Year, so why not get a little more prepared and go inside the numbers?
Jones
- 9: Finishes in the Octagon
- 1: The number of times he has been taken down
- 1: Title defenses that will put Jones in third place all-time
- 66: Percentage of significant strikes he has avoided
- 1: The number of Olympic wrestlers Jones has fought prior to Cormier
Cormier
- 6: Fights won by knockout
- 70: Percentage of significant strikes defended
- 100: Percentage of takedowns Cormier has defended
- 2: UFC champions he has defeated
- 4: Significant strikes per minute
All stats compiled in this slideshow are courtesy of either FightMetric or the fighters' MMA records on UFC.com.
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