UFC Japan: Crazy facts and stats

Since the fall of Pride there has been an empty void for major MMA action in Japan. That looks to be changing as the birthplace of martial arts has become an annual stop for the UFC.

This Sunday afternoon the UFC presents their card from Japan headlined by former Pride middleweight titlist Wanderlei Silva meeting American power puncher Brian Stann. As anticipation builds, let’s take a look at the fun, bizarre and astonishing facts for the main card combatants.

UFC Japan stats

• The UFC first visited Japan in 1997 but they've only returned to the land of the rising sun on four occasions since
• Japan and Brazil are now tied-third for the most visited country by the UFC outside the US (6 trips each). They trail Canada (11) and the UK (13)
• This is the first time the UFC has visited Japan without a UFC divisional or tournament championship on the card

Main event stats

• Wanderlei Silva has a 78 percent success rate in Japan (16 wins from 22 bouts)
• Since his last appearance in Japan “The Axe Murderer” has gone 3 wins, 6 losses
• Silva is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) black belt, so look for him to get the fight to the mat. Boasting a 57 per cent takedown accuracy, Silva has a major edge over Stann's 13 percent
• Stann is only four years younger than Silva but has had less than half the number of fights
• 83 percent of Stann’s victories have come by stoppage - averaging 8 minutes and 3 seconds per contest
• Of Silva’s past ten losses 60 percent have been gone to the judges’ score cards
• Stann lands 3.17 significant strikes per minute, as oppose to 2.74 from his Brazilian counterpart
• Both Silva and Stann have been champions outside of the UFC. Silva was the longstanding Pride middleweight champion and Stann held the WEC’s light heavyweight title

Co-main event stats

• Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve were slated to meet at UFC 146 in May of 2012, but an injury from Hunt forced the bout to be re-scheduled for this weekend
• Struve stands over a full foot taller than Hunt
• Hunt has had a career defining resurgence as a fighter. Before his recent three fight win streak, the New Zealander born Aussie was winless for four years in MMA
• Hunt has only been to decision three times in his career, winning all of them
• Between MMA and kickboxing Hunt has competed 22 times in Japan
• Struve has won more professional fights than the number of years he has lived on the planet
• Struve has never lost two fights in a row, after every setback he has bounced back with a rear naked choke victory
• 86 percent of Hunt’s defeats have come by submission and his opponent from the Netherlands averages 3.92 submission attempts per 15 minutes

Main card stats

• Takanori Gomi has a remarkable record in Japan, failing just five times in 37 bouts
• The last three times Diego Sanchez has fought he has taken home ‘fight of the night’ honours
• Gomi fires 3.38 significant strikes per minute, a clear edge over Sanchez who throws 2.74
• 78 percent of Hector Lombard’s victories have come either by knocking out or submission
• Yushin Okami has been an active member of the UFC roster since August of 2006, with 16 Octagon appearances
• A large aspect of Okami’s game plan involves smothering his opponent with effective wrestling, but this could be an issue against Lombard who boasts an exceptional 91 percent takedown defence accuracy
• Mizuto Hirota will have a huge home field advantage, the 31 year old has only fought once outside of Japan in his 20 bout career
• 88 percent of Rani Yahya’s victories have come from submission but Hirota has never been tapped in his career
• Yahya has never successfully defended a takedown inside the UFC or WEC
• Siyar Bahadurzada only made his UFC debut last year but has been an active fighter since 2002 with 26 fights on his record
• The only two people to defeat Dong Hyun Kim (Demian Maia and Carlos Condit) both challenged for UFC titles
• Bahadurzada is known as a knockout artist, coincidentally every one of Kim’s defeats has come by TKO