By the Numbers: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 236 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

With Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Khabib Nurmagemodov possibly out until November, an interim belt was created and will be contested between current featherweight titleholder Max Holloway and No. 3-ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 on April 13.

These two explosive strikers have fought before, with Poirier coming out victorious following a submission via mounted triangle armbar. But a lot has changed since then as the numbers below suggest.

Post-fight bonuses

Both fighters consistently deliver exciting fights and as a result, have earned more post-fight bonuses than most people in their respective weight classes. Holloway currently has seven (four Performance of the Night, two Fight of the Night and one Knockout of the Night) while Poirier has eight (five Fight of the Night, three Performance of the Night and one Submission of the Night).

UFC bouts at lightweight

Poirier started his professional career as a lightweight but dropped down to featherweight when he moved to the UFC. After his loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 178, Poirier returned to 155 to knock out Carlos Diego Ferreira. Since then, he has not looked back, losing only once to Michael Johnson. Holloway, on the other hand, has been fighting at featherweight since he entered the UFC in 2012 when he lost to Poirier.

Wins by KO or TKO

Given their heavy hands and penchant for a good brawl, it’s no surprise that Holloway and Poirier have each tallied a number of victories via strikes. The Hawaii native has 10 (Bryson Kamaka, Justin Lawrence, Will Chope, Clay Collard, Akira Corassani, Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis, Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo twice) while the pride of Louisiana has 12 (Aaron Suarez, Joe Torrez, Daniel Watts, Derek Gauthier, Zachary Micklewright, Diego Brandao, Akira Corassani, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Yancy Medeiros, Bobby Green, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez).

Wins by submission

With seven submission stoppages in 24 wins, Poirier proves that he has more ways to win. His victims include Nate Jolly, Ronnie Lis, Derrick Krantz, Pablo Garza, Jonathan Brookins, Anthony Pettis and Holloway himself. Meanwhile, Holloway only has two finishes by tapout, which were on Andre Fili and Cub Swanson.

Losses by KO or TKO

Both fighters love to stand and bang, and most of the time, they come out victorious. This is especially true for Holloway who has never been knocked out in his entire career. Poirier, though, has two losses due to strikes, and these were to McGregor and Johnson.

Striking accuracy

In a battle of elite strikers, the importance of accuracy can never be overstated. Poirier parades a 50 percent striking accuracy, landing 1,146 out of the 2,302 significant strikes he has thrown in UFC competition. Holloway, on the other hand, has landed 1,627 out of the 3,530 significant strikes he has thrown, making for a 46 percent striking accuracy. Poirier is a 21-fight UFC veteran while Holloway has 19 fights inside the Octagon, which means he is the more voluminous striker.