UFC 168 preview: 68 pre-event facts about ‘Weidman vs. Silva II’ in Las Vegas

“UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva II” emanates Saturday from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the pay-per-view event is all about the rematch.

For the 19th time in 257 UFC events, two undisputed championship bouts top a card, and for the first time since UFC 52 (second time ever), both of those fights will be rematches.

Former titleholders Anderson Silva (33-5 MMA, 16-1 UFC) and Miesha Tate (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) look to reclaim their previous status as world champions against current divisional kingpins Chris Weidman (10-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Ronda Rousey (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the two headlining bouts, which close out the UFC’s 33rd and final event of 2013.

In the combined history of UFC/Strikeforce/WEC rematches in which both fights have been for an organizational title, the person who won the first match holds an underwhelming record of 6-10 in the second fight.

Does history indicate Silva and Tate will overcome the odds and conquer the foes who previously defeated them? Only time will tell.

And in what will be another rarity, Silva and Tate will become just the 11th and 12th fighters in UFC history to challenge for a belt coming off a loss. Some had multiple opportunities (Frankie Edgar), but the record of title challengers entering the fight off a loss stands at 3-9.

It is shaping up to be one of the most memorable events of the year, and with the help of FightMetric‘s research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll, here are 68 pre-fight facts about UFC 168.

MAIN EVENT

Weidman’s six-fight UFC winning streak is tied with Francis Carmont for the longest in the middleweight division.

Weidman’s 10 MMA fights are the fewest among the UFC’s 10 male champions (both interim and undisputed).

Weidman is one of two fighters in the UFC middleweight division with an undefeated MMA record. Luke Barnatt (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is the other.

Weidman has out-struck every opponent he has faced in the UFC.

Weidman is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a standing elbow strike.

Weidman’s 66.7 percent takedown accuracy is tied for the fourth best in UFC history.

Weidman’s average of 4.21 takedowns per 15 minutes of fighting is the highest rate among active UFC middleweights.

Weidman has only been controlled by his opponents for a total of three seconds in the clinch and on the ground throughout his UFC career, the shortest amount of any fighter in UFC history (minimum of five fights).

Weidman currently sits as a +155 betting underdog, making him the seventh biggest champion underdog going into a title fight in the past seven years of UFC action.

Silva enters the event off the first knockout loss of his 38-fight career.

Silva’s 13 UFC middleweight victories are tied with Yushin Okami for the most in history.

Silva’s 14 knockout or submission victories are the most by any fighter in UFC history.

Silva’s 11 knockout victories are the most by any fighter in UFC history.

Silva owns or is on the verge of owning several other middleweight and overall UFC records, all of which can be viewed on his complete UFC career stat sheet.

CO-MAIN EVENT

Rousey has earned all seven of her professional victories by first-round armbar.

Rousey’s total cage time after seven professional fights is 12:28, an average of 1:47 per fight.

Rousey’s five armbar submission victories in UFC/Strikeforce competition are the most by any fighter in the combined history of the two organizations.

Rousey’s submission of Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 stands as the only submission victory in 15 UFC women’s bantamweight fights.

Rousey’s 25-second stoppage of Sarah D’Alelio at Strikeforce Challengers 18 was the second fastest submission ever in the now-defunct organization’s history.

Rousey’s 54-second tap-out of Sarah Kaufman at “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman” was the fastest submission ever in a Strikeforce championship fight.

Rousey currently sits as a -800 betting favorite, making her the eighth biggest champion favorite going into a title fight in the past six years of UFC action.

Tate is the only fighter in combined Strikeforce/UFC/WEC/PRIDE history to come back from being knocked down three times in a fight to finish their opponent. She accomplished the feat against Julie Kedzie at “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman.”

Tate is the first female to challenge for a UFC title while coming off a loss.

Tate has earned at least one takedown in all nine of her UFC/Strikeforce appearances.

Tate’s 3.46 takedowns per 15 minutes of fighting in her Strikeforce career is the fourth highest rate for any fighter in the organization’s history.

Tate’s 18 takedowns overall in Strikeforce competition are tied for the fifth most in history.

Tate’s 11 submission attempts in Strikeforce competition are the fourth most by any fighter in company history.

REMAINING MAIN CARD

Josh Barnett’s (33-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak is tied with champion Cain Velasquez for the longest in the heavyweight division.

Barnett’s 20 submission attempts in UFC/PRIDE/Strikeforce heavyweight competition rank second in history behind Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (56).

Barnett has earned his past eight victories by knockout or submission, and has finished his opponent in 28 of his 33 professional victories.

Barnett is 12-2 in MMA fights in which he lands at least one takedown, dating back to 2004. Oppositely, Barnett is 5-4 in that same timeframe when he is taken down at least once.

Barnett has had the longest professional career of any fighter on the card. He made his MMA debut in January 1997.

Travis Browne’s (15-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) two-fight UFC winning streak is tied for the third longest in the heavyweight division.

At 6-foot-7, Browne is the second tallest fighter on the UFC roster (Stefan Struve).

Browne has earned 13 of his 15 professional victories by knockout or submission with 11 in the first round.

Browne has been controlled on the ground for just 45 seconds throughout his UFC career, the third shortest amount of time in UFC heavyweight history (minimum of five fights).

Browne has successfully defended all seven takedown attempts by his opponents in UFC competition.

Browne’s four UFC fight-night bonuses are the third most in heavyweight history behind Struve and Roy Nelson, who each have five.

Jim Miller’s (22-4 MMA, 11-3 UFC) 11 UFC lightweight victories are tied with Melvin Guillard for the second most in history behind Gleison Tibau (13).

Miller’s 29 submission attempts in UFC lightweight competition are the most in divisional history. He is second to Chris Lytle for the most submission attempts overall in UFC history (31).

Fabricio Camoes (14-7-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) returns to competition for the since time since a UFC 148 loss to Melvin Guillard, a span of 539 days.

Dustin Poirier’s (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) 385 significant strikes laded in his UFC career rank second in featherweight history behind Nam Phan (483). His 48.3 percent significant striking accuracy ranks fourth in 145-pound history.

Poirier’s three UFC featherweight submission victories are the most by any fighter in divisional history.

Poirier is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two submission wins via D’arce choke.

Diego Brandao’s (18-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in the featherweight division.

Brandao’s 85.7 percent takedown defense accuracy ranks second in UFC/WEC featherweight history behind Jose Aldo (92.4 percent).

PRELIMINARY CARD

Chris Leben (22-10 MMA, 12-9 UFC) will compete in his 22nd UFC bout, tying Frank Mir and B.J. Penn for the sixth most appearances in history.

Leben enters the event on a three-fight losing streak, the longest drought of his 32-fight career.

Leben’s nine UFC middleweight knockout or submission victories are the second most in divisional history behind Silva (11).

Leben’s 1,780 total strikes landed throughout his UFC career rank first in middleweight history and third all-time behind Jon Fitch and Georges St-Pierre. His 561 significant strikes landed in 185-pound competition rank second in divisional history behind Michael Bisping (764).

Gleison Tibau’s (28-9 MMA, 13-7 UFC) 13 UFC lightweight victories are the most in history.

Tibau’s 21st UFC fight will tie him with Leben and Georges St-Pierre for the eighth most in company history.

Tibau’s 71 takedowns landed in UFC competition are the second most in organizational history behind St-Pierre (87).

Tibau has never been taken down more than once in a single bout throughout his 20-fight UFC career.

Tibau’s 91.9 percent takedown defense accuracy is the second highest in UFC history behind Jon Jones (95.8 percent).

Tibau’s total fight time of 3:49:39 in the UFC lightweight division is third most in history, behind only Sam Stout and Frankie Edgar. He can pass both with 1:30 of fight time.

Michael Johnson (13-8 MMA. 5-4 UFC) has been submitted in six of his eight professional defeats.

Johnson out-struck Joe Lauzon by a margin of 91 strikes at UFC Fight Night 26, the fourth largest disparity in a UFC lightweight bout.

Dennis Siver (21-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is 2-1 since dropping to the UFC featherweight division.

Siver is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick (Renan Barao, David Loiseau).

Siver’s 222 total strikes landed against Nam Phan at UFC on FOX 5 stands as the single-fight UFC/WEC featherweight record.

Manny Gamburyan’s (13-7 MMA, 4-5 UFC) 25 takedowns landed in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are tied with Mike Brown for the second most in divisional history behind Chad Mendes (37).

Gamburyan’s 11.64 takedown attempts per 15 minutes of fighting is the fifth highest rate for any fighter in UFC history.

John Howard’s (21-8 MMA, 5-3 UFC) knockout of Dennis Hallman at the 4:55 mark of Round 3 at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale stands as the latest knockout ever in a three-round UFC fight.

Siyar Bahadurzada (21-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) competes for just the second time since making his UFC debut in April 2012.

Bobby Voelker (24-10 MMA, 0-2 UFC) enters the event on the first two-fight losing streak of his 34-fight MMA career.

Robbie Peralta’s (16-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) 23-second knockout of Jason Young at UFC on FUEL TV 5 stands as the second fastest knockout in UFC featherweight history.

For more on UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.