TUF China Finale pre-fight facts: Hathaway returns from career-long layoff

The TUF China Finale kicks off a month that will see the UFC host four events in four different cities across four different continents.

Saturday’s fight card, which streams in its entirety on UFC Fight Pass, takes place in Macau, which the organization has visited just once before, back in November 2012.

The event headliner sees South Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1 MMA, 9-2 UFC) take on England’s John Hathaway (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a five-round matchup of welterweight contenders.

Fans in attendance and watching at home could see all 25 minutes of that action. To date the two main eventers have combined for decisions in 13 of their 16 career UFC victories.

The event also sees the UFC crown its first Asian winner of the “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. The “TUF: China” welterweight winner will be crowned and rewarded with a six-figure UFC contract.

With 18 competitors scheduled to compete on the card, FightMetric’s research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll helps dig into the streaks, accomplishments and more surrounding the UFC’s ninth trip to Asia.

MAIN EVENT

Kim’s three-fight UFC winning streak is tied for the second longest active one in the welterweight division behind Matt Brown (six).

Kim has earned seven of his nine UFC victories by decision.

Kim’s 53.6 percent significant strike accuracy is the second best rate in welterweight history behind Brown (56.7 percent). Kim absorbs just 1.53 strikes per minute, the most favorable average among active welterweights (minimum of five UFC fights).

Kim has controlled his opponents for 54 percent of his total fight time, the third largest proportion in UFC welterweight history (minimum of five UFC fights).

Kim’s takedown defense rate of 80.6 percent is the second best among active UFC welterweights and fifth highest in the division’s history (minimum of five UFC fights and 20 opponent attempts).

Hathaway enters the event on a 518-day layoff (nearly 1.5 years), the longest break from competition in his eight years as a professional.

Hathaway’s three-fight UFC winning streak is tied for the second longest active one in the welterweight division behind Brown (six).

Hathaway has earned his past six UFC victories by decision. Another decision victory would make him just the sixth fighter in history to record seven-straight decision wins with the organization, joining Kim, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Fitch, Gray Maynard and Benson Henderson.

Hathaway lands 9.22 total strikes per minute, the fourth highest rate in UFC history (minimum of five UFC fights). His 1,010 total strikes landed are the seventh most in UFC welterweight history. His 705 total ground strikes are the fourth most in divisional history.

Hathaway is undefeated (6-0) in UFC competition when he lands at least one takedown. He’s landed 20 takedowns in his UFC career.

Hathaway’s best statistical performance came against Paul Taylor at UFC 105. Hathaway tallied 239 total strikes, the fourth most ever landed in a welterweight fight. Absorbing just 11 total strikes in return, Hathaway’s +228 total strike differential for the fight is the third greatest in welterweight history and fifth largest all-time in UFC history.

REMAINING MAIN CARD

Lipeng Zhang (6-7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) enters the event with a 2-4 record in his past six fights.

Matt Mitirone (6-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is one of two fighters on the UFC roster along with Amir Sadollah to compete in all of his professional bouts under the UFC banner.

Mitirione is 1-3 in his past four fights after starting his UFC career on an impressive 5-0 run.

Mitrione’s 66.8 percent significant strike defense rate is the second best in UFC heavyweight history. His 52 percent significant strike accuracy rates third best among active heavyweights (minimum of five fights and 350 significant strike attempts).

Mitrione’s six knockdowns landed in heavyweight competition are tied for the fifth most in UFC divisional history.

Shawn Jordan (15-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has earned 14 of his 15 career victories by knockout or submission.

Ivan Menjivar (25-11 MMA, 4-4 UFC) returns to the featherweight division for the first time since June 2010. “The Pride of El Salvador” has fought his past seven UFC bouts as a bantamweight.

Menjivar is one of just nine fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory stemming from standing elbow strikes.

Hatsu Hioki’s (26-7-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) three-fight UFC losing streak is the longest active one in the featherweight division.

Hioki has never been finished in MMA competition; all seven of his professional losses have come by decision.

Nam Phan (18-12 MMA, 2-5 UFC) will compete in his second bantamweight fight since dropping to the weight class this past year. He dropped a unanimous decision to Takeya Mizugaki in his divisional debut.

Phan has been defeated by decision in nine of his 12 professional losses. He has not been finished under the UFC banner.

Phan and Mizugaki combined for 252 significant strikes, a single-fight UFC/WEC bantamweight record, in their bout at UFC Fight Night 33.

Phan is one of just three fighters in UFC history to land 100-plus significant strikes in four separate bouts. Georges St-Pierre and Chris Lytle are the other two to accomplish the feat.

Phan was on the losing end of just the second 30-24 scorecard in UFC history in his UFC on FOX 5 loss to Dennis Siver. The first was Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes at UFC 83.

Phan has absorbed the most and second-most total strikes in UFC/WEC featherweight history, absorbing 222 total strikes against Siver at UFC on FOX 5 and 221 total strikes against Jimy Hettes at UFC 141.

Phan’s 174 significant strikes landed against Leonard Garcia at UFC 136 are the most ever landed in a UFC/WEC featherweight fight. Phan is the only featherweight in UFC/WEC history to top the 100-significant-strikes-landed mark three times.

Phan and Court McGee are the only two fighters in UFC history to land 100-plus significant strikes in a single fight in two different weight classes.

Vaughan Lee’s (13-9-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) 67.9 percent takedown defense rate is the sixth highest in UFC bantamweight history.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Zak Cummings (16-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is one of just 11 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory with a D’arce choke. He used the technique to finish Ben Alloway at UFC Fight Night 27.

Alberto Mina (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has earned all of his professional victories by knockout or submission with eight coming in the first round.

Albert Cheng (2-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is one of five active fighters on the UFC roster with a .500 or worse MMA record.

Mark Eddiva (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) returns to MMA competition after a layoff of more than three years. His most recent fight was Jan. 27, 2011 – 1,129 days before Saturday’s fight.

For more on the TUF China Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.