Rob Font and Cody Stamann offer different takes on their non-booking at UFC on ESPN 7

Rob Font and Cody Stamann on the bout that never was once UFC officials opted not to rebook them against each other at UFC on ESPN 7.

WASHINGTON – A pair of bantamweight rivals are set for action on the main card at UFC on ESPN 7, but they won’t be fighting each other.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] and [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] were originally booked to fight at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in Greenville, S.C., but a shoulder injury forced Stamann out of the fight.

Both men were booked to fight Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., but won’t be fighting each other. Instead, Font (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will kick off the main card against Ricky Simon, while Stamann (18-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will face off against Song Yadong in the following matchup.

It could make for an interesting dynamic in the locker room as two fighters who might have expected to face off against each other instead get set to compete on the same night in separate bouts. They even are likely to be warming up alongside each other in the same red corner dressing room ahead of their bouts, which run back-to-back at the start of the main card.

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“I knew that he didn’t want that fight from the beginning,” Font said Thursday. “He’s claiming that this kid he’s fighting is the next big thing, which – he is good. Don’t get it twisted. But he doesn’t have that big Conor McGregor effect or this big buzz about him that he’s claiming. It is what it is. You can tell he didn’t want the fight from the beginning.

“We get the Cody fight in Greenville, he pulls out with a shoulder injury, and then they don’t rebook it. I don’t understand. But then they rebook him again on the same card but a whole different fight, which is – whatever.”

Stamann sees things differently and says that he always viewed Font simply as a stepping stone to bigger fights in the bantamweight division. And now he’s been handed a matchup with Yadong, he says Font has become surplus to his requirements.

“Rob Font should just count his blessings and he should just be thankful that he got Ricky Simon instead of me,” he said.

“Even when I got that fight I was like, ‘OK, I’ll fight Rob Font. It’s gonna be a nasty fight, but I’m gonna whup his ass and then I’ll fight someone that actually means something at the end of the year.’ And I’m doing that (now).”

Font said there was never any issue that left him feeling compelled to face Stamann, but suggested that his bantamweight colleague has plenty on his plate with Yadong, who could put an end to “The Spartan’s” upward trajectory on Saturday night.

“Listen, Cody goes out there, he gets put away, nobody’s talking about him no more,” he said. “It is what it is. The kid’s good, but Cody’s boring – he’s a boring fighter. I just wanted to fight him because that was the name that was thrown at me. It wasn’t a vendetta against him or a huge opportunity.”

The Boston-based bantamweight said that he’d be happy to face Stamann further down the line, though he said he isn’t clamoring for the matchup.

“Honestly, I don’t think he can make it to the fight,” he said. “I really don’t think he’ll make it to the fight. Somehow, he’s injured. The next week, he’s fine. I don’t think he’ll make it to the fight. So if the fight happens, it’s cool. I wouldn’t mind putting him away, but I’m not stressing him.”

If Font is lukewarm on eventually facing Stamann, Stamann himself is virtually ice-cold on the idea.

“I don’t really give two (expletives) about Rob Font,” Stamann said. “I mean, honestly, who the (expletive) is Rob Font? Nobody’s saying Rob Font’s the next guy to take the belt. No one’s saying anything about Rob Font. I haven’t heard (expletive) about the guy. So fighting Rob Font is completely irrelevant in my eyes.”

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UFC on ESPN 7 predictions: Overeem or Rozenstruik in heavyweight clash in D.C.?

Check out our staff’s picks for the UFC on ESPN 7 main card in Washington, D.C., featuring Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Overeem
vs.
Rozenstruik
Calvillo
vs.
Rodriguez
Rothwell
vs.
Struve
Kunitskaya
vs.
Ladd
Stamann
vs.
Yadong
Font
vs.
Simon
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2019: 203-123 (62%)
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
(56%)
calvillo2019
Calvillo
(66%)
rothwell2019
Rothwell
(53%)
ladd2019
Ladd
(80%)
yadong2019
Yadong
(64%)
font2019
Font
(51%)
Simon Head
@simonhead
2019: 119-65 (65%)
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2019: 115-64 (64%)
overeem2019
Overeem
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
stamann2019
Stamann
font2019
Font
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2019: 209-117 (64%)
overeem2019
Overeem
calvillo2019
Calvillo
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2019: 207-119 (64%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
kunitskaya2019
Kunitskaya
stamann2019
Stamann
font2019
Font
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2019: 206-120 (63%)
trophy copy 2018 Champion
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
calvillo2019
Calvillo
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2019: 204-122 (63%)
overeem2019
Overeem
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
stamann2019
Stamann
font2019
Font
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2019: 203-123 (62%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
overeem2019
Overeem
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
simon2019
Simon
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2019: 203-123 (62%)
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2019: 200-126 (61%)
overeem2019
Overeem
calvillo2019
Calvillo
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
stamann2019
Stamann
font2019
Font
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2019: 141-69 (60%)
overeem2019
Overeem
calvillo2019
Calvillo
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2019: 193-133 (59%)
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
rodriguez2019
Rodriguez
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
yadong2019
Yadong
font2019
Font
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2019: 131-103 (56%)
overeem2019
Overeem
calvillo2019
Calvillo
rothwell2019
Rothwell
ladd2019
Ladd
stamann2019
Stamann
font2019
Font
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2019: 172-154 (53%)
rozenstruik2019
Rozenstruik
calvillo2019
Calvillo
struve2019
Struve
kunitskaya2019
Kunitskaya
stamann2019
Stamann
simon2019
Simon

The UFC is back in the nation’s capital city this week for the first time since 2011, and heavyweights top the bill.

UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) takes on the unbeaten [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at heavyweight. The fight is a virtual pick’em with the oddsmakers, and it’s close with our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well. Overeem has the slightest possible edge at 7-6 in our picks.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) badly missed weight for her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC), but the fight will go on. Rodriguez is a slight favorite at the sports books, and she has a slight edge at 7-6 in our picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC) in a battle of heavyweight veterans. Rothwell has a slight betting edge around -150, but he has a massive 12-1 lead in the picks with only one of our staff members taking the 7-foot Struve.

Another picks blowout belongs to [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in her women’s bantamweight fight against [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC). Ladd is a -160 favorite, but has an 11-2 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is more than a 2-1 favorite in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), making him the heaviest favorite on the main card. But Yadong has just a 7-6 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is just a slight favorite against [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight fight. But Font pulled off a big 11-2 rout in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Rozenstruik (56%), Calvillo (66 percent), Rothwell (53 percent), Ladd (80 percent), Yadong (64 percent) and Font (51 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Rob Font: Ricky Simon another tough test, but doesn’t necessarily have a big name

Rob Font acknowledges that Ricky Simon is a tough test, but he’s not the big name he was looking for at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] acknowledges he’s in for a tough test Saturday, but it’s not against the big name he was looking for.

After a couple of fights fell through, Font (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will finally return to action when he takes on Ricky Simon (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 7. He was initially scheduled to face Cody Stamann at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in June, but Stamann was forced out due to a shoulder injury and replaced by John Lineker.

It was a big opportunity for Font to avenge a previous loss to Lineker, but weight issues forced Lineker out, as well, and Font was removed from the card. Now, almost exactly a year after his most recent outing, Font takes on Simon on the same card as Stamann, a fight that Font was expected to be rebooked for.

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“This is another good one, another good test,” Font told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “It just – he doesn’t necessarily have that big name. But whatever. It is what it is. It’s been hard for me to get a fight. I don’t understand how the Cody fight – we get the Cody fight in Greenville, (S.C.), he pulls out with a shoulder injury, and then they don’t rebook it. I don’t understand. But then they rebook him again on the same card (as me), but a whole different fight, which is – whatever.”

In his most recent outing, Simon saw an eight-fight winning streak snapped when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Urijah Faber in July.

But Font doesn’t think Simon’s quick loss to Faber takes away from his abilities as a fighter.

“You lose to a legend like that, the way he did – it was real quick, too,” Font said. “It is what it is. He got caught early, got put away, but Faber’s an ‘OG.’ He’s been around, seen it all – so there was nothing that Ricky was going to throw at him that he didn’t see. (It) just wasn’t his night.”

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UFC on ESPN 7: Rob Font and Cody Stamann offer different takes on non-matchup in Washington D.C.

Rival bantamweights Rob Font and Cody Stamann offer different takes on their non-booking at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C.

Rival bantamweights Rob Font and Cody Stamann offer different takes on their non-booking at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C.

Rob Font details what made layoff, UFC on ESPN 7 matchmaking so horrible

Rob Font can sum up the past year of his career in advance of UFC on ESPN 7 with one word: “horrible.”

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] can sum up the past year of his career in advance of UFC on ESPN 7 with one word: “horrible.”

That’s the word that Font (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) immediately thought of when discussing the longest break of his career between fights. By the time he meets Ricky Simon (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on Saturday, it will have been 357 days since he stepped in the octagon.

What makes the situation frustrating, Font said, is that he’s been healthy all along the way. He had a fight fall through in the middle of fight week in June, then he couldn’t get an opponent to agree to share the cage with him. For someone trying to work up the rankings, it’s not the ideal situation.

Font said a number of potential matchups have been in the works in recent months, but Simon was the only one willing to put pen to paper.

“He was the only one that made getting the fight easy,” Font told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Everyone else, it just wasn’t happening. They offered us Jimmie Rivera; he said no. I don’t know how the Cody Stamann fight didn’t happen. We were supposed to fight in Greenville; it didn’t happen. Obviously he recovers and gets a whole different fight on the same card. How does that happen? I believe he’s No. 9 (in the UFC’s rankings). He’s fighting the No. 13 guy. But he didn’t want to fight from the beginning.

“The whole time, getting the negotiations, we got the contract, and two weeks later there was no word. I slid in his (Instagram) DMs, and he didn’t respond. I hit him up on Twitter, and he finally responded. Even when I spoke to his manager, and I could tell it was Ricky Simon that wanted to fight. He was like, ‘Simon will fight.’ Cody, you could tell, he didn’t really want to fight. I don’t understand how that fight didn’t happen. But whatever. I’m not going to force the kid to fight. So it’s Ricky.”

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Font’s ultimate goal is to be UFC bantamweight champion, but before that happens, he must prove himself. The higher caliber opponent he faces, the more emphatic that point would be. However, he can’t get the matchups he wants.

There have been opportunities for Font to really make a name for himself in the past, but he’s come up short in his most important moments. He’s fully aware of those mistakes, and he wants another chance to show where he stands. But it’s difficult to make forward progress, he admitted.

“I’ve had the opportunities to fight the big guys, the top names,” Font said. “(Raphael) Assuncao, (John) Lineker, Pedro Munhoz, and I’ve messed them up. I want to get right back to that, but you can’t just get right back. You need a couple of these Cody Stamann’s, the ‘Chito’ Vera’s. You need guys like that to get back to these fights, and they’re not wanting to fight. It is what it is.”

Font said it’s up to him to perform to a standard that will generate bigger fights. He said he foresees finishing Simon in their upcoming fight, which takes place at Capital One Arena and airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

As long as the UFC gives him an appropriate step up, Font said he won’t be selective about his next opponent.

“If they offer me a fight, I’m taking it in two seconds,” Font said. “My manager is like, ‘Maybe we should do this.’ I don’t care about that. Just sign the contract. I don’t understand how in 2019 there’s not a lot more fighters like that, especially on the UFC level.”

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UFC on ESPN 7’s Rob Font show’s off leader of support team ahead of UFC Fight Night Washington.mp4

UFC Fight Night Washington fans get ready to meet the leader of Rob Font’s support squad! Rob sits down with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn to talk UFC on ESPN 7

UFC Fight Night Washington fans get ready to meet the leader of Rob Font’s support squad! Rob sits down with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn to talk UFC on ESPN 7

UFC on ESPN 7 pre-event facts: Alistair Overeem is the most accurate striker in UFC history

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 7, which features a Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik heavyweight main event.

The UFC returns to Washington D.C. for the first time in more than eight years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 7. The card is set to air on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

In the headliner, two heavyweights on winning streaks will attempt to take another step up the divisional pecking order when perennial contender [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who stepped in on short notice as a replacement for Walt Harris.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the 12-fight card, check below for 50 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 7.

* * * *

Main event

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Overeem, 39, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Overeem’s two-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Rozenstruik (three), Francis Ngannou (three) and Augusto Sakai (three).

Overeem is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn 10 or more heavyweight wins.

Overeem has earned 40 of his 45 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 10 UFC wins.

Overeem lands 73.8 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC competition, the highest rate in company history.

Overeem has been on the losing end of the fifth and sixth largest statistical comeback finishes in UFC heavyweight history. He out-landed Antonio Silva by 30 significant strikes before being knocked out at UFC 156, and he out-landed Travis Browne by 27 significant strikes before his demise at UFC Fight Night 26

Overeem’s 13 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.

Overeem’s 11 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.

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Rozenstruik makes his second UFC appearance in a 35-day stretch. He defeated Andrei Arlovski at UFC 244 on Nov. 2.

Rozenstruik’s three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Ngannou and Sakai for the longest active streak in the division.

Rozenstruik has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.

Rozenstruik’s three-fight knockout streak in UFC competition is tied with Ngannou, Amanda Nunes, Maycee Barber, Jared Cannonier and Justin Gaethje for the longest active streak in the company.

Rozenstruik’s nine-second knockout at UFC on ESPN+ 12 is the second fastest in UFC heavyweight history behind Todd Duffee’s seven-second finish at UFC 102.

Co-main event

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[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]’s (13-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) three-fight UFC unbeaten streak at strawweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (four) and Zhang Weili (four).

Rodriguez fought to the first draw in UFC strawweight history against Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018.

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[autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]’s (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five wins since 2017 in strawweight competition are tied for most in the division.

Calvillo’s three submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Rose Namajunas for most in divisional history.

Calvillo has completed at least one takedown in five of her six UFC appearances.

Calvillo’s nine submission attempts in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.

Calvillo attempts 2.02 submission attempts per 15 minutes in UFC strawweight competition, the most in divisional history.

Remaining main card

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[autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC) returns to competition after announcing his retirement from MMA following a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February.

Struve competes in his 23rd UFC heavyweight bout, the third most appearances in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (31) and Frank Mir (27).

Struve’s 13 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Arlovski (17), Mir (16) and Junior Dos Santos (15).

Struve’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Arlovski and Gabriel Gonzaga for second most in divisional history behind Mir (13).

Struve’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Mir (eight).

Struve’s 21 submission attempts in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Mir for most in divisional history.

Struve’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC heavyweight fights are second most in divisional history behind Stipe Miocic (nine).

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[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag]’s (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2016.

Rothwell is 0-2 since he returned from a nearly three-year layoff in March.

[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag]’s (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) two knockout victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Nunes (six), Ronda Rousey (three) and Germaine de Randamie (three).

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[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is 2-0 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.

Kunitskaya’s two-fight UFC winning streak at women’s bantamweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Nunes (eight), de Randamie (four) and Ketlen Vieira (four).

[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC), 22, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

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[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 15, 2018. The 357-day layoff is the longest of his more than eight-year career.

Font has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on FOX 31 in December 2018.

Font’s five stoppages victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (eight), Urijah Faber (seven), Marlon Vera (seven) and Pedro Munhoz (six).

Font’s four knockout victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Dillashaw (seven) and Eddie Wineland (five).

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]’s (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) victory at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 128 is the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight.

Preliminary card

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[autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] (23-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) competes in his 26th UFC welterweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.

Alves’ 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are the third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Alves’ nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Hughes (12) and Matt Brown (12).

Alves’ eight knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Brown (10).

Alves’ 13 knockdowns landed in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Alves’ four knockout victories stemming from knee strikes in UFC competition are most in company history.

Alves has landed 380 leg kicks in UFC competition, the second most in company history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (430).

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[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (28-11-1 MMA, 10-8 UFC) is 8-6 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is 17-1 in his past 18 fights dating back to March 2015.

Muradov enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since December 2016.

[autotag]Trevor Smith[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 5-6 UFC) has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision. He hasn’t earned a stoppage victory since June 2012.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC on ESPN 7: Make your predictions for Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event in Washington, D.C.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event in Washington, D.C.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 7 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside: