By the Numbers: Islam Makhachev vs. Davi Ramos

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On the strength of his impressive winning streak, Islam Makhachev has entered the Top 15 in the lightweight rankings. Intent on stopping his continued ascent on Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is jiu-jitsu world champion Davi Ramos, who is currently enjoying his own winning streak. As the two dangerous 155ers prepare their game plans for UFC 242, take note of some important numbers below.

Age and pro MMA experience

Ramos and Makhachev turned pro the same year. The former started his career with a submission victory at an event called Cabo Xtreme Combat: Battle at the Beach held on July 4, 2010 in Cabo San Luca, Mexico. Unlike Ramos, Makhachev didn’t have to cross oceans to compete in his debut; he won a decision at an event called Tsumada Fighting Championship 4 in Tsumadinsky, Russia on Aug. 1, 2010.

Active winning streak

Ramos’ maiden voyage to the Octagon resulted in a loss to Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night 106. However, “The Tasmanian Devil” has not experienced defeat since. He is currently on a four-fight winning streak, having beaten Chris Gruetzemacher, Nick Hein, John Gunther and Austin Hubbard.

Makhachev boasts an even longer winning streak with five straight victories. He has only once been beaten in the UFC, by Adriano Martins. Since then, he has been on a tear, beating Chris Wade, Nick Lentz, Gleison Tibau, Kajan Johnson and Arman Tsarukyan.

Wins by knockout

Ramos’ lone knockout victory came early in his career, specifically in his third pro fight against Jose Alberto Quinonez. Before that, he’d had two wins by submission, which is obviously his bread and butter. The former ADCC World and South American champion does have a respectable standup game, much like Makhachev, though the latter has three knockout victories to his name. The Dagestani lightweight out of Eagles MMA and American Kickboxing Academy starched Gleison Tibau as well as Martiros Grigoryan and Tengiz Khuchua.

Wins by submission

Makhachev is no slouch on the ground and has in fact piled up seven victories by submission. Before venturing into MMA, he trained extensively and competed in combat sambo. The highlight of his sambo career came in 2016 when he won the Worlds by blanking his opponent from Bulgaria, Valentin Benishev. His victims in MMA are Kajan Johnson, Leo Kuntz, Ivica Truscek, Yuri Ivlev, Anatoly Kormilkin, Migel Grigoryan and Magomed Ibragimov.

Ramos, the bemedaled former jiu-jitsu athlete, is a black belt under Cesar “Casquinha" Guimaraes. Seven of his 10 career wins have come by way of submission, with tapout victories over Gunther, Hein and Gruetzemacher as well as Mike Flach, Claudiere Freitas, Rony Silva and Juan Manuel Puig.

Career losses

Makhachev has lost only once as a professional, having been knocked out by Martins at UFC 192. Ramos, for his part, has never been stopped, but he has dropped two decisions in his career, one to Moraes at UFC Fight Night 106 and one to David Rickels at Bellator 130.