The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 248 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 5552
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 512
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday put on a major card in Las Vegas, featuring one of the greatest championship fights and one of the greatest championship duds we have ever seen. UFC 248 showcased a slew of undefeated fighters who all came out unscathed, a pair of fighters who ignored the notion of ring rust and some Mongolian throat singing for good measure.
SEEMED LIKE PREDETERMINATION: Four fighters came into UFC 248 with undefeated records, and all four emerged victorious: Israel Adesanya, Sean O'Malley, Mark O. Madsen and Rodolfo Vieira.
YAWN: Adesanya pushed his undefeated record to 19-0 by taking a unanimous verdict over Yoel Romero. The only fighter on the roster with a superior unblemished record is lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov at 28-0.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE CO-MAIN EVENT: Before meeting, Adesanya and Romero combined for five decision victories and 25 wins by knockout. Neither man had ever won or lost a bout by tapout, and submissions were not a factor in their encounter.
LIKE TWO TORNADOS CLASHING: In an early “Fight of the Year” frontrunner, Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk combined for 351 significant strikes landed over five incredible rounds. This breaks Jedrzejczyk’s single-fight record of 323 when she faced Valerie Letourneau at UFC 193 in 2015, but it falls shy of the UFC record set by Max Holloway-Brian Ortega at UFC 231, when the two landed 400 significant strikes across four rounds.
TURN IT UP AND RIP OFF THE KNOB: Jedrzejczyk cracked the century mark for significant strikes landed for the eighth time in her career. The only other UFC fighter to accomplish this feat is Holloway.
A DEVASTATING COMPARISON: The fifth round between Zhang and Jedrzejczyk saw the two land 83 significant strikes. By comparison, the entire 25-minute main event between Adesanya and Romero delivered just 88 significant strikes.
THERE ARE STREAKS AND THEN THERE ARE STREAKS: Although Zhang lost her MMA debut to Meng Bo, “Magnum” has since racked up 21 consecutive victories. Only Nurmagomedov currently rides a lengthier winning streak as a UFC fighter. Over in Bellator MMA, Yaroslav Amosov has started his career at 23-0.
IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?: The last time Zhang suffered a defeat came in November 2013. Six fighters who appeared at UFC 248 had yet to make their MMA debuts.
THIS ONE COUNTED FOR THREE: Jedrzejczyk’s appearance was her 14th under the UFC banner, as she tied Angela Hill for the second-most women’s bouts in UFC history. Only Jessica Andrade (16) holds more.
BENNY MONEY: Beneil Dariush clobbered Drakkar Klose with a one-punch knockout to record the victory in the second frame, picking up a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts. Dariush’s first 14 UFC bouts netted on post-fight bonus, but he has now earned bonuses in each of his last three appearances.
SAVED UP ALL THOSE VACATION DAYS: Neil Magny returned from close to a 16-month layoff to defeat Jingliang Li by decision. Magny once held the record for the most UFC fights in a calendar year, and this was the longest he had been away from the sport since he made his debut in August 2010. His long professional period away previously came from February 2012 to February 2013, although Magny appeared on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 in 2012 and competed four times.
SUGAR SHOW IS BACK ON THE AIR: O’Malley demolished Jose Alberto Quinonez with a head kick and follow-up punches in the opening frame. This was the undefeated O’Malley’s first fight in just over two years due to United States Anti-Doping Agency issues. The two-year layoff was by far the longest of his five-year career.
BLACK BELT HUNTING SEASON: After notching his seventh win in seven fights, Vieira has finished every opponent he has faced within two rounds. His list of victims now includes Saparbek Safarov.
HEAD-AND-ARM ARMY: Vieira’s win was his second inside the Octagon by arm-triangle choke. In doing so, “The Black Belt Hunter” joins a group of 12 other fighters across UFC history who have landed multiple arm-triangle chokes. Vieira is the first of those 13 to ever accomplish this in his first two starts with the promotion.
GERALD’S GAME: By tapping Deron Winn with a rear-naked choke in the third round, Gerald Meerschaert earned his fifth submission as a UFC middleweight. This ties him for the most in divisional history with Antonio Carlos Jr., Demian Maia, Rousimar Palhares and Thales Leites.
HE FIGHTS LIKE TEXAS JUDGES ARE WATCHING: Across his 31 career victories, Meerschaert has finished the opponent 29 times. The submission on Winn was his 23rd, and in fact, he sports more victories by submission than any other fighter on the card holds in total wins.
THE DOUBLE-EDGED SCHAERT: Win or lose, “GM3” has seen 72 percent of his career bouts end by submission. Meerschaert has as many defeats by submission as he does wins in the other categories of knockout and decision combined.
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN: Coming into UFC 248, Zhang had never competed beyond the third round (21 fights), Klose (13 fights) and Winn (seven fights) had never been finished and Guido Cannetti had never been knocked out (12 fights).
MANY SOUNDS OF LAUGHTER IN VAST SEAS: For the fourth time in her UFC career, Zhang made her walk to the cage accompanied by the theme song from the film “The Swordsman,” as composed by James Wong. Zhang has won all four of those fights.
EVERYBODY’S GOT THEIR DUES IN LIFE TO PAY: Jedrzejczyk became one of many fighters to emerge to “Dream On” by Aerosmith playing behind her, and like many before her, she lost. The track currently accompanies a low winning percentage of .286.
BRING ON THE MONGOLIAN THROAT SINGING: Two fighters chose the song “Wolf Totem” by The Hu featuring Jacoby Shaddix: Danaa Batgerel at UFC 248 and Julia Ottolino at Invicta Phoenix Series 3. While Batgerel starched Cannetti in the first round, Ottolino dropped a unanimous verdict to Hope Chase.