By The Numbers: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales

A long-awaited jump in competition awaits Michael Morales in the suddenly turbulent Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

The undefeated Entram Gym export will lock horns with Gilbert Burns in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Morales enters the cage with a perfect 17-0 record. He last suited up on Aug. 24, when he punched out “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 semifinalist Neil Magny in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 62 pairing. Burns, meanwhile, finds himself in a three-fight tailspin. The Kill Cliff Fight Club rep last saw action at UFC Fight Night 242, where he lost a five-round unanimous decision to Sean Brady in their Sept. 7 confrontation.

As Morales and Burns move ever closer to their showdown at 170 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

25: Years of age for Morales, who was born on June 24, 1999 in Pasaje, Ecuador.

12: Morales victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 70% of his career total (17). His list of UFC victims: Magny, Adam Fugitt and Trevin Giles. Morales owns one other victory by submission (6%) and four more by decision (24%).

129: Significant strikes by which Morales has outlanded the opposition in his five UFC assignments. He has connected with 299 such strikes while absorbing only 170 in return.

100: Seconds needed for Morales to put away Mathias Salazar with punches at a Manaba Top Team show on Sept. 6, 2019. Five-plus years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

.700: Cumulative winning percentage between the five opponents—Magny, Fugitt, Giles, Jake Matthews and Max Griffin—Morales has beaten as a member of the UFC roster. They sport a combined record of 96-42.

38: Years of age for Burns, who was born in Niteroi, Brazil, on July 20, 1986.

9: Burns wins by submission, accounting for 41% of his career total (22). His methods of choice: five armbars, three rear-naked chokes and one arm-triangle choke. Burns holds six other wins by knockout or technical knockout (27%) and seven more by decision (32%).

250,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Burns across his 23 appearances in the UFC. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” four times and “Fight of the Night” once.

69: Rounds started by Burns as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 7-5 record in those bouts.

170: Combined victories between the eight opponents—Brady, Jack Della Maddalena, Belal Muhammad, Khamzat Chimaev, Kamaru Usman, Dan Hooker, Michel Prazeres and Rashid Magomedov—who have defeated Burns. They boast a cumulative .824 winning percentage at 170-36-1.