TUF Nations Finale pre-fight facts: Poirier's record 10th featherweight fight

Wednesday’s TUF Nations Finale may be all about crowning the next champion in the Canada vs. Australia-themed season of the long-running reality show, but in the main event, it’s a U.K. vs. U.S. showdown.

Bitter rivals Michael Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) and Tim Kennedy (17-4 MMA 2-0 UFC) finally settle their longstanding grudge in a five-round middleweight main event on FOX Sports 1 at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Further down the card the two coaches from “The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia” square off. Additionally, both a middleweight and welterweight “TUF” finalist will earn a six-figure UFC contract after making their way through the eight-man tournament fields.

The UFC will see its 33rd and 34th “TUF” champions crowned in just a few short days, and that’s just one of many facts going into the organization’s first event in Canada this year.

MAIN EVENT

Bisping has earned 14 UFC victories, the third most among active UFC fighters and eighth most of anyone in history behind Georges St-Pierre (19), Matt Hughes (18), Anderson Silva (16), Chuck Liddell (16), Randy Couture (16), Josh Koscheck (15) and Tito Ortiz (15).

Bisping’s 14 UFC wins are the most by any “TUF” winner. They’re also the second most of any “TUF” competitor behind Koscheck (15).

Bisping will become the 15th fighter in UFC history to join the 20-fight club. His 20th UFC bout will tie him with Diego Sanchez for the most of any “TUF” winner.
Bisping’s total cage time of 2:37:52 during his UFC middleweight career is the third most in divisional history.
Bisping has earned eight knockout victories in his UFC career, tied for the sixth most in organizational history.

Bisping lands 4.84 significant strikes per minute, the highest rate among active middleweights and third highest rate in the division’s history (minimum of five fights). His averages 3.57 strikes per minute in Round 1, 5.54 in Round 2 and 6.2 in Round 3.

Bisping has landed 764 significant strikes in his 14 fights as a UFC middleweight, the most in divisional history. His 947 significant strikes landed overall during his UFC tenure are the third most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (1,254) and Sam Stout (965).

Bisping is the only middleweight in UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in two different bouts. He accomplished the feat against Jason Miller at the TUF 14 Finale and Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120.

Bisping has avoided 72.1 percent of his middleweight opponents’ strike attempts, the highest defense rate in UFC middleweight history (minimum of five fights and 350 opponent attempts).

Bisping’s only career losses have come to fighters who have once held or challenged for a UFC championship.

Kennedy has earned 14 of his 17 professional victories by submission (eight) or knockout (six).

Kennedy’s five submission victories during his Strikeforce career are tied with Luke Rockhold for most in the now-defunct promotion’s history.

Kennedy absorbed 1.46 significant strikes per minute during his Strikeforce career, the fourth lowest average in organizational history. Through two UFC performances, Kennedy has absorbed just 27 total strikes.

Kennedy’s 18 takedowns in Strikeforce were tied for fifth most in the promotion’s history. He’s taken down the past nine opponents he’s attempted to bring to the ground.
Kennedy’s 81.8 percent takedown defense rate is the fourth best in Strikeforce history.

CO-MAIN EVENT

Patrick Cote (19-8 MMA, 6-8 UFC) enters the event on his first two-fight UFC winning streak since 2007.

Cote will compete for the second time since dropping to the UFC welterweight division. He defeated Bobby Voelker in his 170-pound debut at UFC 158 in March 2013.

Cote has suffered all eight of his professional defeats under the UFC banner.

Kyle Noke (20-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by knockout (two) or submission (two). “KO” registered his most recent decision victory in September 2009.

Noke has not competed since September 2012. His 571-day layoff from the sport is his longest in more than 13 years as a professional fighter.

’TUF NATIONS’TOURNEY FINALS

The four “TUF” finalists own a combined MMA record of 27-1-1.

Sheldon Westcott (8-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned all six of his career finishes in the first round. Of those finishes, five have come in less than one minute with four in less than 30 seconds. During his “TUF” stint, Westcott finished both of his fights in less than one minute.

Chad Laprise (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned his past two MMA victories by decision after starting his career with five consecutive finishes.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned all four of his professional victories by first-round rear-naked choke. All four of those wins have come in a combined total of 5:39 with the longest fight of his career ending at 1:53 of Round 1.

Elias Theodorou(8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) owns five stoppages in eight career wins, including a TKO of recent Bellator competitor Travis Clark in an August NAAFS co-headliner.

REMAINING MAIN CARD

Dustin Poirier’s (15-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) seven UFC featherweight victories are tied with Chad Mendes for the most of any fighter in divisional history.

Poirier will become the first fighter in UFC history to compete in 10 featherweight bouts.

Poirier’s three submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied with Daniel Pineda and Charles Oliveira for the most in divisional history.

Poirier is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two submission victories via D’arce choke. He used the technique to finish Pablo Garza at UFC on FOX 1 and Jonathan Brookins at the TUF 16 Finale.

Poirier’s 429 significant strikes laded in his UFC career rank third in featherweight history behind Nam Phan (483) and Max Holloway (450). His 48.5 percent significant striking accuracy ranks fifth in 145-pound history.

Akira Corassani’s (12-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak is tied for the fifth longest in the featherweight division behind champion Jose Aldo (six), Dennis Bermudez (six), Chad Mendes (five) and Cub Swanson (five).

Corassani enters the event with just one loss in his past 12 MMA contests.

Corassani is the only fighter from “TUF 14? with an undefeated UFC record. Ten fighters from season 14 are currently signed to the UFC roster.

Corassani has suffered all three of his professional defeats by knockout.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Sam Stout (20-9-1 MMA, 9-8 UFC) has fought to a decision 14 times in his UFC career. That’s tied with Diego Sanchez for the most fights to go the distance in octagon history.

Stout has alternated wins and losses over his past eight UFC appearances.

Stout holds the UFC lightweight record for significant strikes landed with 965. That number also ranks second overall in UFC history behind former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

K.J. Noons (12-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has fought to a decision in seven consecutive fights.

Noons is just 2-5 in his past seven UFC/Strikeforce appearances.

Sarah Kaufman (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will compete in her home country of Canada for the first time since April 2011.

Kaufman will get a second chance to start her UFC career in a positive fashion after her UFC 166 loss to Jessica Eye was overturned to a “no-contest” after Eye tested positive for marijuana.

Kaufman’s 681 significant strikes landed in her Strikeforce career are the second most in history behind Gilbert Melendez (749).

Kaufman’s 164 significant strikes landed against Takayo Hashi at Strikeforce Challengers 6 is the promotion’s single-fight record.

Kaufman’s 84.5 percent takedown defense rate is the second highest in Strikeforce history behind former welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine (85.4).

Leslie Smith (6-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her UFC debut on eight days’ notice after two of Kaufman’s previously scheduled opponents withdrew from the event due to injury.

Smith will attempt to avenge a split-decision loss to Kaufman at Invicta FC 5 a year ago.

Ryan Jimmo’s (18-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) seven-second knockout of Anthony Perosh at UFC 149 is the fastest knockout in UFC light-heavyweight history.

Sean O’Connell (15-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut on short-notice while bringing a career-high six-fight winning streak into the contest.

George Roop (14-10-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history (Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian) to win bouts in three different weight classes.

Roop is 2-1 since returning to the UFC bantamweight division this past year.

Dustin Kimura (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all but one of his professional victories by submission (eight) or knockout (two). Both of his UFC wins are by submission.

Kimura, 24, is the youngest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete on the card.

Mark Bocek (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) returns to MMA competition for the first time since November 2012. His 515-day layoff from the sport is his longest in the past eight years.

Bocek has seven UFC victories to his name; however, none of those wins came over fighters who are still active in the organization’s lightweight division.

Mike De La Torre (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut on just eight days’ notice after Bocek’s originally scheduled opponent, Evan Dunham, withdrew from due to an injury.

Vik Grujic (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 36, is the oldest fighter on the card.

Richard Walsh (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) competes in his first official professional bout since Dec. 21, 2012 – a span of 481 days.

Mitch Gagnon (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all 10 of his career victories by submission. Nine of those finishes came inside the first round, eight by rear-naked or guillotine chokes.

For more on the TUF Nations Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

FightMetric live statistics producer and research analyst Michael Carroll contributed to this story.