UFC milestones that once seemed impossible but could be reached - ESPN

UFC men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili hit a rather monumental landmark during his title defense against Cory Sandhagen last weekend in Las Vegas, as he became the first fighter to record 100 takedowns inside the Octagon. He actually flew past the century mark, taking Sandhagen down 20 times to bring his UFC career total to 117.

Prior to Dvalishvili, the closest to securing 100 takedowns was Georges St-Pierre, who recorded 90 during his 13-year Hall of Fame career in the UFC. Only four fighters have even reached 75, which speaks to the impressiveness of Dvalishvili's accomplishment. By the way, «The Machine» is only 34 years old and already asking that his fourth title defense be booked in December, so it's conceivable he eclipses the 200 mark before things are said and done.

Looking ahead to this weekend, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (35-11, 1 NC) faces Mateusz Gamrot (25-3, 1 NC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Rio de Janeiro (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, prelims at 4 p.m. ET). It will be Oliveira's first appearance in his home country of Brazil since 2020. Oliveira is no stranger to the UFC's record books himself, as he's already No. 1 all-time in finishes (20), submissions (16) and fight night bonuses (20).

He could be in the running to surpass several other UFC landmarks that have never been reached, especially considering he's said he is not contemplating retirement whatsoever at age 35. Here are a few key UFC milestones that Oliveira and others are chasing.

That number is hard to wrap one's head around, frankly. Three fights per year is considered active in MMA, especially at the highest level. At that rate, reaching 50 fights in the Octagon would require more than 16 years in the UFC.