(All stats according to UFC’s Record Book and Fight Metric as of February 24, 2021, and only include active athletes in their respective division unless noted otherwise)
Main Event: Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou
Stipe Miocic
Key Stats: 6 title fight wins (1st all-time among HW), 25 takedowns landed (tied-3rd all-time among HW), 4.9 strikes landed per minute (8th all-time among HW)
What It Means: The most decorated heavyweight of all-time, Miocic is a well-rounded mixed martial artist who has done it all against the best of the best. His striking, particularly his boxing, is smooth, technical and powerful. Equally powerful moving forward and on the back foot, he is measured in his approach and is able to fight at a pace higher than most heavyweights. His wrestling is sound, and he hustles well when shooting for takedowns. From there, his power is evident in his ground-and-pound, not needing much windup to generate a lot of force.
Key Stats: 71.4% takedown defense (5th), 1.34 knockdowns per 15 minutes (3rd), 5:37 average fight time (1st shortest)
What It Means: Ngannou is outright the most fearsome puncher in the UFC and potentially in the promotion’s history. His ability to channel his titanic power into a single punch is breathtaking and Earth-shattering, and he’s become more polished with each – albeit short – visit to the Octagon. Ngannou might look like he’s winging wild punches, but he does it with such speed and ferocity that the most aware and technical strikers can get caught from them.
Preview UFC 260 Fight By Fight
What to Look For in the Fight: Although Miocic generally dominated their first bout, Ngannou had his moments that his otherworldly power generated. The Ngannou of a few years ago wasn’t as experienced and perhaps not ready for the moment, but that doesn’t take away from what Miocic did. He utilized his wrestling to absolutely drown Ngannou as the fight progressed, and he also landed his share of stiff shots as well. Ngannou, although improved, hasn’t faced much adversity that could reveal his improvements, so whether he has made those gains in grappling is yet to be seen. That said, and as always, one punch from either man can end those questions rather quickly.
Key Stats: 10 knockdowns landed (tied-1st), 5.72 strikes landed per minute (2nd all-time among WW), 11 finishes (2nd)
What It Means: “The Silent Assassin” is as all-action of a fighter as they come. Every one of his fights turns into a brawl, technical or otherwise, at some point or another. He is a clean striker who uses all “eight limbs” to inflict damage. Few fighters walk through the fire as well as Luque, and if the fight hits the ground, he’s slick with submissions. Outright, Luque is a finisher.
What to Look For in the Fight: While Woodley has stumbled as of late, each of those losses have come against fighters who mostly implement a heavy grappling attack (Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington) or against a world class jiu-jitsu player (Gilbert Burns). Luque is not that. He wants a standup war, and that could allow Woodley some freedom to let his hands go or, if he desires, an opportunity to dominate grappling exchanges with his wrestling. Should he take the fight there, he’ll have to be mindful of Luque’s submission skills, especially during the scrambles.
Other Fights to Watch (Sean O’Malley vs Thomas Almeida, Gillian Robertson vs Miranda Maverick)
Sean O’Malley
Key Stats: +2.85 striking differential (1st all-time among BW), 57.5% striking accuracy (2nd all-time among BW), 6.35 strikes landed per minute (3rd all-time among BW)
View O’Malley’s Athlete Profile
What It Means: O’Malley is a technical and creative striker who likes taking his time to find his rhythm and distance before unleashing a variety of combinations. Whether he is feinting into a spinning technique or feinting a spin to land a more conventional shot, O’Malley mixes things up well on the feet. When he throws, he’s quite fast and explosive, and he is seeking the knockout shot – preferably in spectacular fashion.
Key Stats: 5.66 strikes landed per minute (6th), 64.7% significant strike defense (tied-7th), 5 Total Fight Night Bonuses (3rd)
What It Means: Almeida is a solid striker with good finishing instincts once he finds his rhythm and distance. His attack is diverse, and he doesn’t ever get too wild when looking for the fight-ending shot. He’s patient, and he mixes leg kicks in early before working off those and firing combinations.
View Almeida’s Athlete Profile
What to Look For in the Fight: Undoubtedly this fight will be a striking battle, and given O’Malley’s last result, Almeida will look for low kicks early. How O’Malley evades or counters – two of his strengths – will shine a light on who can get into their striking bag earlier. O’Malley will be the longer striker of the two, and he utilizes that range well, so if he can manage the distance, he could very well pick Almeida apart from the outside.
Gillian Robertson
Key Stats: 53.9% control time (1st all-time among WFLW), 4 submission wins (1st all-time among WFLW), 46.7% takedown accuracy (3rd all-time among WFLW)
RELATED: Robertson Won’t Back Down
What It Means: Robertson doesn’t shy away from what her game plan is every time. She wants to drag her opponents to the ground, take their back and get the rear naked choke. She’s ultra-effective at it and has more tricks in her bag than just that, as her control on top can be suffocating. Her game has rounded out well, and she does a good job of mixing up her striking and blending it into a takedown. Once she is in control, she chases submissions over positions, which at times catches her opponents one step behind.
*Miranda Maverick
Key Stats: 9.8 strikes landed per minute, 51% striking accuracy, 6 strikes absorbed per minute
What It Means: Though just one fight – and more accurately, one round – into her UFC career, Maverick showed a tenacity and skillset that projects her to be a real player at flyweight. She showed she is more than willing to get into a slugfest, and her diverse attack helps to keep her opponent off guard. During her time in Invicta, Maverick showed a diverse and wise game for her age and has plenty of potential in her development.
View Maverick’s Athlete Profile
What to Look For in the Fight: Robertson’s experience against the toughest at flyweight could help here against a game and eager Maverick. If Maverick presses too quickly or wildly, she’ll find herself in the clinch which is more or less Robertson’s world. That said, Maverick is strong in close quarters and could outmuscle Robertson against the fence and in the clinch. She’ll need to be mindful of Robertson’s knack for jumping on her opponent’s neck for submissions, though.
*Hasn’t competed enough in weight class to qualify in UFC Record Book
