Despite being a considerable underdog against a Cory Sandhagen who had looked scintillating recently and sustaining a gruesome cut straight out of a slasher film in Round 2 that threatened to stop the fight, the former two-time champion valiantly fought on. Sandhagen was up to the challenge, despite seeing a fourth and fifth round for the first time in his career, making for a truly sensational battle. While a majority of media members and fans alike had Sandhagen winning 48-47, two of three judges saw it 48-47 for Dillashaw, handing him the split verdict.
Here is a look at various curious numbers for UFC on ESPN 27, most of them available from UFCStats.com.
340: Total strikes landed in the main event, with a tiny edge, 171 to 169, for Cory Sandhagen. It's the most for a UFC main event since Kevin Holland vs. Derek Brunson back in late March, although far fewer of those were of the significant variety than in Dillashaw-Sandhagen.
6: Total takedowns seen in Paiva-Phillips, more than any two other fights on the card combined.
137: Strikes landed by Darren Elkins in his stoppage victory against Darrick Minner, more than any other fighter on the card outside the main event, despite their fight going less than two rounds. Most were undefended strikes from top position.
0: Media members who had Maycee Barber winning her fight against Miranda Maverick on MMADecisions. Alas, two of the three official judges felt differently.
3: The number of post-fight performance bonuses in a row won by Adrian Yanez after yet another terrific knockout victory, this time over highly skilled Randy Costa. Yanez has yet to have a bout in the UFC which didn't garner him an extra $50,000.
94: Significant strikes landed by Brendan Allen in his win against Punahele Soriano.
80: The total number of significant strikes landed by Allen in his previous 4 UFC victories combined.
82: The percentage of Nassourdine Imavov's landed strikes that hit Ian Heinisch's head.
75: The percentage of Heinisch's landed strikes that hit Imavov's legs. Imavov won the fight by TKO in Round 2.
24: The total strikes landed between Jordan Williams and Mickey Gall, the fewest of any fight on the card.
5: Rear-naked choke victories Gall has in the UFC, the most of any current welterweight, after successfully tapping Williams.
2: Judges' scorecards separating Julio Arce from being a perfect 6-0 in the UFC after his knockout victory over Andre Ewell in his promotional bantamweight debut. His lone two losses are both split decisions, while three of his four victories are finishes, and the fourth a clear, one-sided verdict over Dan Ige.
1821: Days since Sijara Eubanks' last win or loss via stoppage before she finished Elise Reed at UFC on ESPN 27.
53: The percentage of significant strikes landed overall between Diana Belbita and Hannah Goldy, a furious toe-to-toe contest where both traded heavy leather. Belbita swept the unanimous decision, earning 30-27 on all three cards.