By The Numbers: A.J. McKee vs. Roberto Satoshi de Souza

Linchpins of their respective companies, A.J. McKee and Roberto Satoshi de Souza were destined to cross paths as soon as their bosses decided to throw a year-end party with each other. So arose the main event for the Bellator MMA-Rizin Fighting Federation co-promotion at Rizin 40 on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

McKee enters the match with a spectacular 19-1 record. The Team Bodyshop cornerstone last competed at Bellator 286, where he took a three-round unanimous decision from Spike Carlyle in their Oct. 1 encounter at 155 pounds. Satoshi de Souza, meanwhile, finds himself on a run of five consecutive victories. The two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist last fought on April 17, when he submitted Johnny Case with a reverse triangle armbar in the first round of their Rizin 35 pairing.

As McKee and Satoshi de Souza move ever closer to their Bellator-versus-Rizin clash on New Year’s Eve, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

27: Years of age for McKee, who was born on April 7, 1995 in Long Beach, California.

6: McKee wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 32% of his career total (19). His list of victims includes John Teixeira, Dominic Mazzotta and Danilo Belluardo. McKee owns seven other wins by submission (36%) and six more by decision (32%).

10: First-round finishes on the McKee resume, highlighted by his eight-second knockout of former World Series of Fighting and Tachi Palace Fights champion Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 228 on Sept. 28, 2019.

259: Days spent by McKee as undisputed Bellator featherweight champion. He laid claim to the 145-pound title with a first-round guillotine choke submission of Patricio Freire at Bellator 263 on July 31, 2021, then surrendered it in a five-round unanimous decision defeat to “Pitbull” in their Bellator 277 rematch on April 15, 2022.

28: Rounds completed by McKee as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on seven different occasions and carries a 6-1 record in those bouts.

33: Years of age for Satoshi de Souza, who was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 19, 1989.

10: Satoshi de Souza victories by submission, accounting for 71% of his career total (14). His methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes, three triangle chokes, one arm-triangle choke, one armbar and one reverse triangle armbar. Satoshi de Souza holds four other victories by knockout or technical knockout (29%).

65: Seconds needed for Satoshi de Souza to put away Doo Jae Jung at a Real Fight Championship event on Dec. 23, 2014. More than eight years later, it remains the reigning Rizin lightweight champion’s fastest finish to date.

3: Organizations in which Satoshi de Souza has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 7-1 in the Rizin Fighting Federation, 5-0 in Real Fighting Championship and 2-0 in Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship.

.708: Cumulative winning percentage between the four men—Case, Yusuke Yachi (twice), Tofiq Musaev and Kazuki Tokudome—Satoshi de Souza has beaten during his five-fight winning streak. They sport a combined record of 91-37-2.