By the Numbers: Greg Hardy vs. Ben Sosoli

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After a failed bid at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28, Ben Sosoli has found his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The knockout artist from Australia will be welcomed by another heavy hitter in Greg Hardy, who is coming off two TKO victories.

Sosoli is bent on proving his worth, while Hardy is determined to extend his knockout streak. As to what could transpire on Oct. 18 at UFC on ESPN 6, the numbers below might suggest some answers.

Age, height and arm reach

At 6-foot-5, Hardy towers over the 6-foot Sosoli, who is also at a huge disadvantage in arm reach, measuring 74 inches to Hardy’s 80.5. The American celebrated his 31st birthday on July 28 while Sosoli will be turning 30 on Dec. 10.

Years as a pro

There isn’t much difference in terms of age between Hardy and Sosoli but the latter has been in the game much longer. Sosoli, a former rugby player, made his pro debut on Feb. 2, 2013, during which time Hardy was still playing for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. It wasn’t until June 12, 2018, that Hardy made his pro MMA debut. Between him and Sosoli, it’s Hardy who has made the most out of his MMA years. The American Top Team product fought three times in 2018 and will be competing in his fourth fight in 2019.

Sosoli has been a pro for six years. After his debut in 2013, he fought once the following year and twice in 2015. He sat out all of 2016 and started to pick up some activity in 2017, when he stepped inside the cage three times. In all, he has fought nine times as a professional.

Octagon appearances

This will be Sosoli’s first official trip to the Octagon. His most recent fight on Dana White’s Contender Series ended in a No Contest. Hardy, meanwhile, will be appearing in the UFC cage for the fourth time. He lost via disqualification to Allen Crowder in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 143, but he bounced back with a couple of TKO victories over Dmitry Smoliakov and Juan Adams.

Knockout rate

Hardy boasts a 100 percent knockout rate. Even more impressive is the fact that he needed only one round to execute every single one of his knockouts. This is why his upcoming bout with Sosoli is expected to be a barnburner. The Australian fighting out of Resilience Training Centre has a similarly impressive 86 percent knockout rate, with only one of his seven victories coming by way of a decision.

Career losses

Hardy’s disqualification loss to Crowder remains the only blemish in his young MMA career. Sosoli has been impressive himself, having only lost twice in nine fights. He was decisioned by New Zealander Simon Scott at an event called Minotaur 1 - Unleashed and was knocked out by Kelvin Fitial at PXC 56.