TUF Brazil 3 Finale pre-fight facts: Miocic’s striking output among best at heavyweight

Another international edition of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show comes to a conclusion on Saturday night with the TUF Brazil 3 Finale at Sao Paulo’s Ibirapuera Gymnasium.

The FOX Sports 1-televised event has seen a couple main-event fights shuffled on and off the card with the end result being a heavyweight tilt between top contender Stipe Miocic (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and hometown favorite and recent light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado (21-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

It’s far from the UFC’s most stacked event of the year, but the TUF Brazil 3 Finale features a few matchups of significance, and it’ll also crown the 35th and 36th “TUF” winners in UFC history.

To see what several fighters on the card have going for them heading into the organization’s third Brazilian event of 2014, here are 37 pre-fight facts about the TUF Brazil 3 Finale.

MAIN EVENT

Maldonado will fight at heavyweight for the first time in his eight-fight UFC career.

Maldonado returns to the octagon just 69 days after his decision win over Gian Villante at UFC Fight Night 38 in March.

Maldonado enters the event on his first three-fight winning streak since 2010.

Maldonado’s 60.9 percent significant strike accuracy is the best in UFC light-heavyweight history and the second highest percentage overall in UFC history behind Anderson Silva (67.2 percent).

Maldonado’s lands 6.20 strikes per minute of fighting, the most in light heavyweight history and second best rate overall in UFC history behind Cain Velasquez (6.21).

Maldonado’s 872 total strikes landed inside the octagon are the second most among active UFC 205-pounders behind Jon Jones (1,036). Similarly, his 594 significant strikes landed rank third behind Jones (824) and Forrest Griffin (796).

Maldonado absorbs 4.01 significant strikes per minute, a rate far higher than the UFC average of 2.61. As an example, Maldonado absorbed 64 significant strikes from Glover Teixeira in Round 1 of their bout at UFC 153, the third most strikes ever absorbed by a light heavyweight in a single UFC round.

Maldonado lost to Igor Pokrajac at UFC on FUEL TV 3 despite out-landing his opponent by a count of 98 to 36. His +57 significant strike differential is the most for a losing fighter in UFC history.

Maldonado landed 132 significant strikes in his victory over Gian Villante at UFC Fight Night 38, the third most ever in a UFC light-heavyweight bout. His 72 significant strikes landed in Round 3 set a new single round for a UFC 205-pound contest while his 59 in Round 2 were the fifth most. His 132-33 significant strike advantage (+99) is the second best in UFC divisional history behind Cyrille Diabate’s 146-28 advantage (+118) over Steven Cantwell at UFC on VERSUS 3.

Maldonado’s 62 head jabs against Villante were also a new UFC light-heavyweight record. His 26 body shots tied his 26 vs. James McSweeney at UFC 120 as the most by a 205-pounder in a UFC three-rounder.

Miocic’s averages 5.18 strikes landed per minute of fighting, which is second only to Velasquez (6.21) in UFC heavyweight history.

Miocic also carries strong defensive striking instincts inside the octagon. He successfully defends 64 percent of the significant strikes thrown his way, fourth only to Jon Madsen (81.4 percent), Mitrione (66.8 percent) and Andrei Arlovski (65 percent) in UFC divisional history.

Miocic’s 106 significant strikes landed against Roy Nelson at UFC 161 are the sixth most ever landed in a UFC heavyweight fight. Moreover, Miocic outlanded Nelson by 83 strikes, the third biggest disparity in heavyweight history.

Miocic lands 42.9 percent of his takedown attempts, the third highest accuracy rate among active heavyweights (minimum of five fights and 20 attempts).

REMAINING MAIN CARD

Vitor Miranda (9-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned eight of his nine professional victories by knockout (six) or submission (two), with six of those stoppages coming in the first round.

Miranda has suffered two of his three career losses to event headliner Maldonado.

Antonio Carlos Jr. (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by submission.

Marcio Alexandre Jr. (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned all 12 of his career victories by knockout (10) or submission (two). Of those stoppages, all but one have come in the first round.

Demian Maia (18-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) enters the event on the first two-fight losing streak of his 24-fight career.

Maia is 3-2 in his past five fights since dropping to the UFC welterweight division.

Maia, 36, is the oldest of the 20 fighters scheduled to compete on the card.

Maia’s six submission victories in the UFC are tied for sixth most of any fighter in the modern era. He’s the only fighter in the modern era to win five consecutive UFC fights by submission.

Maia committed to 13 submission attempts in his UFC middleweight career, tied for the third most in divisional history. He’s attempted four more since dropping to welterweight.

Maia lands 4.12 takedowns per 15 minutes of fighting at welterweight, the fifth highest rate in divisional history (minimum of five fights). For his career, he’s landed 41 takedowns, the 11th most by a modern era UFC fighter. He’s 12-2 when landing at least one takedown. Overall, Maia has attempted 10.4 takedowns per 15 minutes in the UFC, the fifth highest rate among active fighters.

Maia landed 25 takedowns in 13 middleweight fights, good for the fifth most in UFC divisional history. In just four welterweight fights, he’s landed 14 takedowns. Maia is 12-1 in UFC bouts in which he lands at least one takedown.

Maia completed just two of 22 takedown attempts in his unanimous-decision loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC 170. Those 22 takedown attempts were the most ever in a single UFC welterweight bout.

Alexander Yakovlev (21-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut with an 18-fight disadvantage in octagon experience against his opponent Maia.

Rony Jason (14-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) returns to the octagon just 69 days after his knockout of Steven Siler at UFC Fight Night 38 in March.

Jason has fought all five of his UFC bouts in his home country of Brazil.

Jason‘s submission of Mike Wilkinson at 1:24 of Round 1 at UFC on FUEL TV 10 stands as the fifth fastest submission in UFC/WEC featherweight history.

Robert Peralta’s (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) 23-second knockout of Jason Young at UFC on FUEL TV 5 stands as the second fastest knockout in UFC featherweight history. Chan Sung Jung’s 6.2-second finish of Mark Hominick at UFC 140 holds the record.

Peralta’s knockout of Estevan Payan at the 12-second mark of Round 3 at UFC 168 was the fastest knockout to start a third round in UFC history.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Elias Silverio (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned victories in the UFC’s middleweight and lightweight divisions in his first two octagon appearances.

Rodrigo Damm (12-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories in his home country of Brazil.

Rashid Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned his past four MMA victories by decision.

Paulo Thiago (15-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) enters the event with just one victory in his past four UFC appearances and two wins in his past seven fights overall.

Thiago is one of 12 fighters to earn a D’Arce choke submission in UFC competition. He finished Mike Swick with the technique at UFC 109.

For more on the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.