UFC 291: Justin Gaethje is more entertaining than Conor McGregor

UFC 291 headliner Justin Gaethje isn’t called ‘The Human Highlight Reel’ for nothing, and according to the stats, he’s even more electrifying to watch than Conor McGregor.

Later tonight, the American will collide with Dustin Poirier for the vacant BMF belt, and the violence that will inevitably be on display has left fans positively salivating.

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While the two men have fallen short of winning the UFC championship, their legacies in the sport are assured through the incredible battles they’ve delivered in the cage.

With an unrelenting will to win, irrespective of how much damage he takes, Gathje has won bonuses in each of his 11 bouts in the promotion. And looking at the statistics, it’s easy to see why.

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Data Analysts from Sports Ecyclopedia have revealed that the 34-year-old averages an outrageous 31.54 significant strikes per round, which is more than twice the norm for all UFC fighters.

In addition, he lands a whopping 19.96 times to his opponent’s head in every round. This is significantly higher than the average of 9.37. Therefore, regardless of how much Conor McGregor does outside of the cage to build a contest, it’s irrefutable that Gaethje offers more inside it.

You can compare his numbers to both ‘The Notorious’ and Poirier, below.

Justin Gaethje vs Conor McGregor per round

Stat per roundJustin GaethjeConor McGregorDifference (Justin – McGregor)
Significant Strikes Landed31.5321.3910.14
Significant Strikes Rate60.00%53.07%6.93%
Total Strikes Landed32.528.464.04
Head Strikes Landed19.9614.965
Body Strikes Landed2.853.64-0.79
Leg Strikes Landed8.732.795.94

Justin Gaethje vs Dustin Poirier per round

Stat per roundJustin GaethjeDustin PoirierDifference (Justin – Poirier)
Significant Strikes Landed31.5324.227.31
Significant Strikes Rate60.00%51.40%8.6%
Total Strikes Landed32.529.153.35
Head Strikes Landed19.9619.370.59
Body Strikes Landed2.852.250.6
Leg Strikes Landed8.732.596.14
Takedowns Attempted 0.151.13-0.98
Takedown Rate1.92%22.93%-21.01%
Submission Attempts00.30-0.3
Clinch Strikes Landed3.803.700.1
Ground Strikes Landed0.52.40-1.9
Knockdowns 0.1920.194-0.002

Featured Image Credit: Getty

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