Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting informationand Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references andportmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve intothe numbers, providing historical context and telling the storiesbehind those numbers.
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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 7,690
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 692
The Ultimate Fighting Championship threw a decent fight card atfans in Newark, New Jersey, that did not play out relative toexpectations. Excitement and entertainment came at a premium asseveral well-matched fights turned out to be duds. When it matteredmost, the headliners shined, making up for some of what transpiredearlier. UFC 302 featured a champion on his way to surpassing hispredecessor, another broken wing for referee Herb Dean and afighter hitting the cycle in MMA terms.
Beware the Next Defense: In the fifth round,IslamMakhachev successfully defended his lightweight title againstDustinPoirier via submission. Pulling off his third defense in a row,the Dagestan native ties B.J. Penn,FrankieEdgar, BensonHenderson and KhabibNurmagomedov for the longest streak in UFC 155-poundchampionship history.
Surpassing His Mentor: With his triumph, Makhachevadvanced his stellar win streak to 14, winning every fight sincebeating Chris Wade inlate 2016. KamaruUsman (15) and AndersonSilva (16) are the only fighters in company history to amasslengthier win streaks, as Makhachev has now passed Jon Jones,DemetriousJohnson, Georges St.Pierre, Nurmagomedov and MaxHolloway.
Entering the Club: Of those 14 straight wins, 13for Makhachev have taken place at lightweight—his match againstBobbyGreen took place at 160 pounds. This tally sets the new recordin the division, passing Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s sharedlead.
Is It Time for the Conversation? Winner of allfour of his championship opportunities, Makhachev has already tiedthe UFC 155-pound record for the most victories with a belt on theline. B.J.Penn, BensonHenderson and Nurmagomedov all hold that number of titletriumphs.
Khabib Never Did That: Sporting finishes in theOctagon during Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 on his ledger, Makhachevcompleted the ultra-rare cycle of a stoppage victory in all fiverounds by throttling Poirier. The only other two to achieve thisfeat are FrankieEdgar and Holloway.
Or That: The late finish for Makhachev earned himboth “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night,” makinghim the third fighter this year to pocket double bonuses. ViniciusOliveira and Holloway were the first, making this year thefirst since 2019 when three fighters claimed two extra checks.
Nothing If Not Exciting: Poirier picked up his10th FOTN bonus for his handiwork in a losing effort. He tiesEdsonBarboza for the most post-fight awards of this type in UFChistory.
Most Were Meaningless Teeps: Matching his personalbest, SeanStrickland landed 182significant strikes en route to a split decision victory overPauloCosta. He previously amassed that exact total in 2023 againstNassourdineImavov.
A Dubious Count: Adding that 182 to his previoustotal, Strickland is the second fighter in organizational historyto pass the2,000 sig-strike mark, reaching 2,069 after the dust settled.Holloway’s 3,378 leads the UFC by a wide margin.
That Style of Combat: Since joining the roster alittle over a decade ago, Strickland has been involved in six splitdecisions, winning four. Only two men have gone to more splitdecisions than Strickland: GleisonTibau (seven) and Clay Guida(eight). Tibau’s five victories during those instances is the UFCrecord.
He Loves Gatekeeping: KevinHolland returned to 185 pounds and put MichalOleksiejczuk’s arm on backward to record the victory. The Texancelebrates 85% of his wins inside the distance, with stoppagesaccounting for his last seven triumphs.
Gave Tim SylviaFlashbacks: By not tapping, Oleksiejczuk forced refereeHerbDean to step in after observing an arm break or dislocation todeclare a technical submission. Holland’s win in this fashion isthe second since 2012, with Andre Munizsnapping RonaldoSouza’s arm as the lone other occurrence, happening at UFC 262in 2021.
Underwater Melee: Outlasting Alex Moronofor three rounds, Niko Pricetook home the decision win in their rematch. It marked just thethird win on the scorecards in Price’s career, lowering hisstoppage rate to 81%.
He Paid the Price: Price landed fivetakedowns on Morono to ultimately get the nod, shattering hiscareer best. “The Hybrid” had never needed to get a foe down morethan twice in the Octagon.
So Much for the Almeida Show: Via split decision,RomanKopylov got by ex-kickboxer CesarAlmeida. The Russian had not needed to win at the hands of thejudges since his professional debut in 2016.
The Almeida We Expect: JailtonAlmeida strangled AlexanderRomanov with a rear-naked choke around the midpoint of thefirst round, bouncing back from his first loss in years. TheBrazilian posts 20 of his 21 pro wins via finish, with 15 of thosecoming in Round 1.
Activating Grinderator: Grinding out JoeSolecki, GrantDawson earned his win on all three scorecards. The last twovictories for the wrestler have come via decision, accounting forhalf of his wins that went the distance.
Get a Rowing Machine: By defusing PhilipRowe, JakeMatthews claimed a win via unanimous decision. As aprofessional, Rowe has never won a fight that reached the finalbell.
Fighting Solves Everything: JoselyneEdwards fell short to rival Ailin Perezafter three rounds of combat. In all eight of Edwards’ appearancesin the promotion, she has competed the full 15 minutes.
No Bonus for You: Lifting his pro record to 9-0,AndreLima held off MitchRaposo after missing weight by four pounds. In doing so, Limahanded Raposo his first career loss by decision.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 302, C.Almeida had never been defeated (five fights), Romanov had neverbeen submitted (19 fights) and Solecki had never droppedconsecutive bouts (17 fights).
Civil War Is Over, Bro: For the 10th time in hisUFC run, Strickland has chosen “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” byMegaraptor as his entrance music. The brash Californian sports awin percentage of 70% when that music plays in the building beforehis fight.
Cut His Taste into Pieces: Changing up his walkoutmusic once more, Morono walked to the cage accompanied by PapaRoach’s “Last Resort,” a far cry from past selected artists likeAmon Amarth, Alestorm or Trivium. Morono did not win after pickingthis song.
