Conor McGregor is a blossoming mixed martial arts superstar. | Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/UFC/Getty
Conor McGregor’s star continues to ascend.
McGregor made good on his promise of a first-round finish, opening the doors for any number of tantalizing future matchups in the process. His performance was a fitting close to a thrilling evening for the Irish faithful, who helped to create an event atmosphere as electric as any in recent memory. Here is a by-the-numbers look at UFC Fight Night “McGregor vs. Brandao,” with statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.
11: Career first-round finishes for McGregor following his stoppage of Brandao. The Irishman has only been past the opening frame twice in 13 professional victories.
13: Fights of McGregor’s held in Ireland. He is 11-2 in those bouts, including his first-round technical knockout win over Brandao.
1,330: Days since McGregor’s last defeat, a first-round submission loss to Joseph Duffy at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 39 on Nov. 27, 2010. The featherweight star has won 11 straight outings -- including three in the Octagon.
13: Total strikes by which McGregor outlanded his Brazilian foe in the abbreviated affair. “Notorious” landed 26 of 53 strikes attempted, while Brandao landed 13 of 22.
336: Days since McGregor’s last Octagon appearance, a unanimous decision triumph over Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night “Shogun vs. Sonnen” last August. “Notorious” tore his ACL in that bout, an injury which kept him sidelined until his return to action on Saturday.
0: Takedowns landed, in two attempts, by Brandao. The “TUF 14” winner had landed 13 takedowns -- including a career high eight at UFC Fight Night “Shogun vs. Sonnen” -- in six UFC bouts prior to Saturday’s contest.
9,500: Official attendance at the O2 Arena, according to UFC officials. The event did a $1.4 million gate.
5-0: Record for Irish fighters on Saturday as McGregor, Norman Parke, Neil Seery, Cathal Pendred and Patrick Holohan all emerged victorious at the O2 Arena in Dublin. Additionally, Gunnar Nelson, who has ties to the SBG Ireland camp, also triumphed in his bout.
4: Consecutive victories for Gunnar Nelson, tying him for third in the division with Dong Hyun Kim and Ryan LaFlare. Matt Brown current has the longest 170-pound streak with seven straight triumphs.
16: Significant strikes by which Zak Cummings outlanded Nelson before succumbing to a rear-naked choke 4:48 into the second period.
71-14-1: Cumulative record of the four foes -- Charlie Valencia, Dominick Cruz, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez -- to whom Ian McCall has lost. The former Tachi Palace 125-pound king earned his second UFC triumph by taking a unanimous verdict against Brad Pickett.
89: Significant strikes landed by McCall. By comparison, Pickett landed 31 significant strikes. “Uncle Creepy” also held a 106-to-44 edge in total strikes.
2,506: Days since Naoyuki Kotani’s last fight in the UFC, a second-round knockout loss to Dennis Siver at UFC 75. Kotani fell to 0-3 in the Octagon, as he was stopped by Norman Parke in the second round of their lightweight encounter.
8: Submission victories in 11 professional appearances for Patrick Holohan, who tapped Josh Sampo with a rear-naked choke 3:06 into the opening frame of their flyweight scrap. It was The Hooligan’s fourth career win via rear-naked choke.
Note: Striking and grappling statistics for Fight Pass events are taken from Fight Metric’s live feed and are subject to change.