By the Numbers: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Alen Amedovski

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Krzysztof Jotko was supposed to welcome Roman Kopylov into the Octagon, until the latter got injured and was replaced by another newcomer in Alen Amedovski. Coming off three straight defeats, the Polish middleweight now finds himself in a must-win situation against Amedovski if he wants to extend his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure.

Read along and learn why these two fighters will be facing arguably the toughest tests of their respective careers on April 20 for UFC Fight Night 149 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Height

At 6’1”, Jotko towers over Amedovski who registers at 5’10”. But as Amedovski’s resume shows, this has never been much of a problem. One thing is for certain, though -- the American Top Team Rome standout has never fought anyone more experienced and credentialed than Jotko, and this could spell the difference in their upcoming bout.

Most recent layoff

Amedovski last fought in December 2018 whereas Jotko has a longer layoff, having last fought a full year ago at UFC on Fox 29 in April 2018. And while Amedovski capped off a successful two-fight stint in Bellator with a 12-second knockout of Ibrahim Mane, Jotko is coming off a TKO setback to Brad Tavares. Prior to that, he lost to David Branch and Uriah Hall by decision and TKO, respectively.

Octagon experience

Jotko is the younger of the two fighters but it’s him who has a lot more experience. The 29-year-old middleweight has been a pro since 2010 and made his way to the UFC three years later. He currently holds an Octagon record of 6-4, which is 10 more fights than the 31-year-old Amedovski who is just making his debut at UFC Fight Night 149.

Finishing rate

What Amedovski lacks in experience, he sure makes up with a solid reputation marked by eight knockouts in as many victories. The Italian-Macedonian boasts a 100 percent finishing rate and is yet to taste defeat, which is precisely the reason the UFC has gotten a hold of him. And while he was busy trying to find his place in the sport, Jotko was piling up victories. He currently has 19, but with 12 wins by decision, he only files a 37 percent finishing rate.

First-round finish

Amedovski doesn’t just stop his opponents; he destroys them and does so quick. In fact, only two of his eight victims were good enough to survive one round with him. He has four fights that ended in under a minute, including an 11-second and a 12-second stoppage. Jotko isn’t much of a fast starter as only four of his wins came inside round one.

Wins by submission

Jotko is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who is just about ready to exploit his opponent’s perceived weakness on the ground. And while he only has two submission victories in his pro career, Jotko is good at controlling people on the ground. As for Amedovski, it is easy to dismiss him as being a one-trick pony as he seems not too fond of submissions.