Dustin Poirier: By The Numbers

Dustin Poirier has spent the last seven years climbing the Ultimate Fighting Championship ladder, and though he has yet to reach the top, the American Top Team standout seems as determined as ever to get there.

Poirier will square off with former lightweight titleholder Anthony Pettis in the UFC Fight Night 120 main event this Saturday at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Their five-round battle figures to shake up the pecking order at 155 pounds, where a line of contenders has begun to assemble behind reigning champion Conor McGregor. Poirier last fought at UFC 211 on May 13, when his encounter with Eddie Alvarez resulted in a no-contest after he was struck in the head by illegal knees in the second round. The 28-year-old has compiled a stellar 13-4 record since joining the UFC roster in January 2011.

As Poirier primes for his high-stakes confrontation with Pettis, here are some of the numbers that have come to define him:

1: Defeat by submission. Chan Sung Jung did the honors with a brabo choke in the fourth round of their unforgettable UFC on Fuel TV 3 clash on May 15, 2012.

2: Losses by knockout. McGregor and Michael Johnson were the responsible parties. McGregor stopped Poirier with punches at UFC 178 in September 2014, and Johnson did the same at UFC Fight Night 94 a little less than two years later.

6: Wins by submission. Poirier has turned away three opponents via armbar, two by brabo choke and another via triangle armbar.

6.72: Total strikes landed per minute in UFC competition, per FightMetric. That figure ranks first all-time among active lightweights, ahead of Evan Dunham (5.46), John Makdessi (5.23), Tony Ferguson (5.08) and Al Iaquinta (4.95).

7: Consecutive victories to start his career. Pieced together between May 16, 2009 and June 18, 2010, it remains Poirier’s longest such streak as a professional.

10: Wins by knockout or technical knockout. His list of victims includes Bobby Green, Yancy Medeiros, Akira Corassani and Diego Brandao.

12: First-round finishes to his name. Poirier has posted victories in 51, 53, 57, 79 and 86 seconds.

28: Years of age. When Poirier was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Jan. 19, 1989, the top five movies at the domestic box office were “Rain Man,” “Twins,” “Beaches,” “The Accidental Tourist” and “Working Girl.”

69: Percent of takedowns successfully defended inside the Octagon. That number sits significantly higher than the UFC average of 59 percent.

94: Combined victories between the five men who have beaten Poirier. They are Jung (14), McGregor (21), Johnson (17), Danny Castillo (17) and Cub Swanson (25).