Significant Stats | UFC 284 Makhachev vs Volkanovski

Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett

Yair Rodriguez

Key Stats: 4.67 strikes landed per minute, 62% takedown defense, 4.12 strikes absorbed per minute

What It Means: Rodriguez is a hyper-dynamic striker with a true love for a beautiful brawl. He is creative in his striking with a variety of kicks and spinning attacks from unorthodox and odd angles, as well as real power in his hands. He operates best with space to get all these techniques off, but even against the cage or on his back, he likes to take risks and go for finishes in any and all positions.

Josh Emmett

Key Stats: 11 knockdowns (tied-1st all-time among FW), 1.65 knockdowns per 15 minutes (2nd all-time among FW), 1.04 takedowns per 15 minutes

What It Means: Emmett is more than his notable overhand right, but that overhand right is perhaps the most regularly devastating punch held in perhaps any of the lighter weight classes. Emmett does have power out of both stances, and his big shots don’t really come wide, but rather explosively and tight to the target. Even if they land on an opponent’s guard, they can have real impact. Emmett also mixes in kicks, and his wrestling base is always there for him to switch up the pace of a fight as well as to get his opponent’s hands down that half-inch so he can connect with a knockout shot.

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What to Look For in the Fight: For all of Emmett’s power, Rodriguez has shown he has the chin to deal with people’s best shots over the course of a five-round fight. Emmett might mix in his wrestling early to stave off Rodriguez’s most dynamic moves early, but Rodriguez can always pull something out of the hat. For all of Rodriguez’s flash, he is a sharp striker who can punish opponents from distance with conventional shots. Emmett, on the other hand, really only needs a split-second to land his big overhand, so watch for him to set that up over the course of the fight with feints, takedown attempts and combinations.  

Jack Della Maddalena vs Randy Brown

Jack Della Maddalena

Key Stats: 8.45 strikes landed per minute, 67% striking defense, 5:59 average fight time

What It Means: Della Maddalena is such a fluid striker. Whether he starts an exchange or is on the back foot, he flows into his combinations and almost always throws multiple shots. He has beautiful, sweeping hooks moving backward, and he moves smoothly when changing his target level.

Randy Brown

Key Stats: 4.38 strikes landed per minute, 3.25 strikes absorbed per minute, 48% striking accuracy.

UFC 284 Fight By Fight Preview

What It Means: Brown is a crafty, diverse, and smart striker with an improved understanding of how to use his long-distance tools. His teep kick up the middle is good for maintaining range, as well as punishing his opponent’s body, but he is also very willing to stand in the pocket and exchange. Brown has smooth defensive head movement, and he can often frustrate opponents with it while picking them apart.

What to Look For in the Fight: This projects as an interesting, entertaining and high-level striking battle. Brown is the toughest fight for Della Maddalena thus far in his career, and how Brown utilizes that experience is a factor to watch. In terms of power, Della Maddalena might have the advantage, but he is more of a precision and volume striker who intelligently picks his moments when he sits down on strikes. For Brown, keeping that distance and finding windows when Della Maddalena opens up is crucial.