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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 5,419
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 501
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday staged its third show on Russian soil with a card that did not bode well for local fighters. UFC Fight Night 163 featured a kick that should end up on highlight reels for years to come, the continued rise of “Honest Zabe” and a few walkout tunes gracing the Octagon for the first time.
NOT FOR MOTHER RUSSIA: The first two UFC events held in Russia largely featured showcases for home country fighters, as they amassed a 15-3 record against foreign opponents. Russians fared far worse at this event, going just 4-7.
‘MIRACLE’ IN THE CAGE: Six fights featured Americans coming into hostile territory to face those from Russia. Of those six, fighters from the United States won four. The two losses came in the main and co-main events, with Calvin Kattar and Greg Hardy.
YOU CAN COUNT ON HONEST ZABE: Zabit Magomedsharipov extended his winning streak to 14 fights after taking a unanimous decision over Kattar in the main event. Among his wins, Magomedsharipov holds seven submission victories, six by knockout and another five by judges’ verdict. He won his first four bouts before suffering his only defeat, and after amassing a lengthy streak, he was signed by the UFC, where he has posted three wins by submission and another three by decision. Now the owner of two “Fight of the Night” bonuses, he has scored one clean knockout in his career.
ZA-BLING: After winning FOTN in his battle with Kattar, Magomedsharipov has scored post-fight bonuses in four of his six UFC outings.
14:59: Coming into his heavyweight tilt against Hardy, Alexander Volkov had averaged a fight time of about 14:59 in his first five UFC bouts. As “Drago” went the full 15 minutes with Hardy, he now averages a full 15 minutes per Octagon appearance.
BLITZ OR BUST: After losing a three-round affair to Volkov, Hardy still has never won a fight that went beyond the first round.
THE FUSE GETS A LITTLE LONGER: Ed Herman engaged in a thrilling and bloody scrap with Khadis Ibragimov and took home a decision win. Throughout his 40-fight career, the 39-year-old Herman sports a finish rate of 80 percent.
SHAMIL SNEAKS ONE OUT: By taking a narrow and somewhat controversial split decision over Klidson Abreu, Shamil Gamzatov remained unbeaten at 14-0. Ten of those 14 wins have come inside the distance, while he has reached the scorecards in each of his last four outings.
MAGOMED SILVA: Magomed Ankalaev demolished Dalcha Lungiambula with a front kick in Round 3, reminiscent of Anderson Silva against Vitor Belfort. Throughout the course of UFC history, six other fighters have finished their opponent with that kind of kick.
COUNT WITH BABY K: By finishing Roman Kopylov in the third round with a rear-naked choke, Karl Roberson pushed his record to 9-2. “Baby K” now holds four wins by submission, three by decision and another two by knockout. While he sports multiple losses, they have all come by one maneuver: the arm-triangle choke.
TIGER TRIANGLE!: To earn his first win inside the Octagon, David Zawada tapped the debuting Abubakar Nurmagomedov with a triangle choke in the opening round. Fifteen of the 17 career wins for “Sagat” have come inside the distance, including 10 in the opening stanza.
PATIENT PANNIE: After taking a decision win over Jessica-Rose Clark for the second time in her career, Pannie Kianzad has now won on the scorecards in 75 percent of her fights. Each of her last six victories have come at the hands of the judges.
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN: Coming into UFC Fight Night 163, Zelim Imadaev had never been finished (nine fights), Lungiambula had never been knocked out (11 fights) and Kopylov had never been defeated (eight fights).
EVERYBODY DANCE!: Throughout UFC history, Lezginka folk music from the Caucasus region has been used 17 different times by various competitors, including multiple uses from Magomedsharipov. Fighters now own an impressive record of 14-3 (.824) when using this type of music, with Magomedsharipov having emerged victorious in the main event.
‘ROCKY’ MOVIES HAD MORE SONGS THAN JUST THAT ONE: Kopylov made his promotional debut accompanied by “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and was stopped in the third round. With his defeat, Kopylov extended the record for the track with the most losses (22) in UFC walkout music history.
WAKE ME UP INSIDE: Roosevelt Roberts walked to the cage with a song that surprisingly never had a recorded use in the UFC: “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence. Roberts ended the night with a win, taking a unanimous verdict over Alexander Yakovlev.
SHE’S CRAZY LIKE A FOOL: Each of Kianzad’s three UFC appearances have included walkout music never heard inside the Octagon. On this particular occasion, she selected disco staple “Daddy Cool” by Boney M and finally earned her first victory inside the promotion.