By the Numbers: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 244 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Title ramifications aside, the main event of UFC 244 has everything a rabid MMA fan could possibly ask for. For Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, the road to Ultimate Fighting Championship gold has been a long one, and they both have the hunger and the drive to capture the gold. The two welterweights will whet our appetite for violence on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden. Let the numbers below add to the thrill.

Post-fight bonuses

Both Masvidal and Diaz are known for their take-no-prisoners approaches to competition, but if we have to quantify the excitement they bring to the cage in terms of post-fight bonuses, Diaz trounces Masvidal.

The Skrap Pack member owns the most Fight of the Night citations in UFC history with eight (versus Conor McGregor twice, Michael Johnson, Donald Cerrone, Marcus Davis, Joe Stevenson, Clay Guida and Josh Neer). He also has five Submission of the Night (versus Jim Miller, Takanori Gomi, Melvin Guillard, Kurt Pellegrino and Alvin Robertson) awards, one Knockout of the Night (versus Gray Maynard) award and one Performance of the Night (versus McGregor) award.

Masvidal is certainly not one to be intimidated by the amount of prize money his opponent has banked. After all, he owns some brutal finishes in the Octagon to go with his own post-fight bonuses. “Gamebred” has earned four Performance of the Night (versus Ben Askren, Darren Till, Donald Cerrone and Cezar Ferreira) and two Fight of the Night (versus Darren Till and Rustam Khabilov) awards.

Championship experience in a major promotion

None of the opposing fighters has ever won a UFC title. Between the two, however, it’s Diaz who has the championship experience, having challenged for a UFC title against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 5. Previously, he had also challenged Hermes Franca for the World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight strap at WEC 24.

Though not on the UFC stage, Masvidal does have experience fighting with a belt on the line. While competing in Strikeforce, Masvidal challenged Gilbert Melendez for the lightweight belt. After five rounds, Melendez was awarded the unanimous decision victory.

Knockout rate

The more dynamic of the two fighters in terms of striking, Masvidal possesses 15 wins by KO or TKO, which makes for a 44 percent knockout rate. Diaz, meanwhile, only has five triumphs by KO or TKO, making for a 25 percent knockout rate.

Submission rate

With a 55 percent submission rate, the ground is clearly Diaz’s turf. He is, after all, a jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, and his techniques have translated well in MMA, as evidenced by his 11 career submission wins. With only two victories by tapout to his credit, Masvidal registers a paltry six percent submission rate in comparison.