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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 5,854
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 539
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way back to Las Vegas to end the year at the UFC Apex, starting with UFC Fight Night 181. This eight-event residency to wrap up 2020 began with action and did not let up throughout the night. This card featured the (possible) end of an inspiring legacy, a rare stoppage in the later rounds and a slam to shout about.
Become A Legend by Beating A Legend: Uriah Hall recorded his seventh knockout inside the Octagon when he finished Silva in the fourth round. Among all 185-pound fighters, Hall trails only Thiago Santos and Silva himself for the most in divisional history with eight each.
Heavy-Handed Hall: Hall lifted his career knockout rate to 75 percent and his stoppage rate to 81 percent by finishing Silva. All but one of Hall’s last seven victories came due to strikes.
15 to Life: Hall’s knockout in the fourth frame is the first to come in Round 4 in the UFC this year, and the first since Stipe Miocic finished Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 in August 2019. There has now been a fourth-round finish every year under the UFC banner since 2011.
Hail to the Chief: Albeit in a losing effort, the appearance was Silva’s 21st as a headliner, extending his record for the most marquee matchups in UFC history. Two of his appearances at UFC Fight Night 5 and UFC 73 were the top-billed fights, but bouts were held after the Silva bouts due to time constraints.
Chin Degradation: Silva’s chin and durability never failed in any of his first 37 bouts, until Chris Weidman knocked him out. Since then, Silva three of Silva’s six defeats have come by knockout.
Camo Power: Bryce Mitchell is now a perfect 14-0 after beating Andre Fili on the scorecards. Staring his career off with eight consecutive submissions, the Arkansas native has only finished one opponent since that streak ended in 2017.
Obligatory Hardy Stat: Greg Hardy earned his first-ever finish outside of the first round when he knocked out Maurice Greene in the second stanza. Each of Hardy’s prior victories either came by first-round knockout or one by decision.
Matt Hughes Would Be Proud: Scoring the first slam knockout of 2020 and the first since Jessica Andrade figuratively put Rose Namajunas through the floor in May 2019, Kevin Holland forced Charlie Ontiveros to surrender by a slam stoppage.
I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up: Ontiveros is the first to submit when getting slammed, doing so verbally when he suffered a potential neck injury. None of the other 15 slam finishes across UFC history ever had a fighter tap out from it, verbally or otherwise.
Right Down the Middle: The slam finish taking place at middleweight, far more fighters in that division have finished opponents with slams than any other weight class across company history. The only other division with multiple stoppages of that kind is at welterweight.
Fact Checkers Welcome: Holland’s win is his fourth in 2020, making him the first UFC fighter this year to record four triumphs. He only needed 169 days to earn four wins, tying Neil Magny’s 169-day modern UFC record to notch four wins by beating Tim Means, Rodrigo Goiana de Lima, Alex Garcia and William Macario in 2014.
They Goofed on That One: Dropping a contentious decision to Thiago Moises, Bobby Green fought for a full 15 minutes for the ninth consecutive time. Green is just the sixth fighter in promotional history to involve the judges on nine straight bouts.
Making Judges Turn Green: Green’s nine-fight decision streak – including draws – ties him with Jon Fitch, Rustam Khabilov and Sergio Pettis for the third-longest streak of straight judges’ decisions. Diego Sanchez and Enrique Barzola stand atop this list with 10, and Barzola’s run is still active.
Yo Adrian, He Did It!: Breaking down his opponent before finishing the job with a head kick, Adrian Yanez stopped Victor Rodriguez in the first round. Sporting a finish rate of 75 percent after his victory, five of the Texan’s last six wins have come by knockout, with four ending in the first round.
Maybe Don’t Cut So Much Weight: Before losing by arm-triangle choke to Jason Witt, Cole Williams missed the welterweight limit by 4.5 pounds. His prior UFC appearance saw him five pounds heavy, and he lost both. Williams is the third fighter in UFC history to miss weight by at least 4.5 pounds on two occasions.
You Made It: Dustin Jacoby won his first UFC bout after initially making his debut in 2011 when he finished Justin Ledet in the first round. Back when “The Hanya” stepped into the UFC for the first time in Oct. 2011, only nine of other 21 fighters on the card were pros at the time.
K-1 Jacoby: In less than three minutes, Jacoby stopped Ledet with leg kicks and follow-up punches. Jacoby is the second light heavyweight in organizational history to finish a fight with leg kicks, joining Brandon Vera from his finish of Michael Patt in 2009.
A Light Heavyweight Lumberjack: The stoppage from leg kicks coming at 2:38 of the opening period, the Factory X fighter recorded the third-fastest finish via leg kicks in UFC history. Pat Barry dispatched Dan Evensen with some in 2:38, while the quickest came from Amanda Nunes against Shayna Baszler at the 1:56 mark.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC Fight Night 181, Hall had never fought beyond the third round (24 fights), Chris Gruetzemacher had never been knocked out (17 fights) and Williams had never lost consecutive bouts (13 fights).
Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone: For the 20th recorded time inside the Octagon, Silva’s entrance music came in the form of “No Sunshine” by DMX. Should this be Silva’s final fight, the track – only ever used by Silva – will retire with a winning percentage of 60 percent, with 11 straight victories to the song starting when he smashed Rich Franklin at UFC 77 in 2007.
Cranberry Juice for Everyone: Alexander Hernandez strode out with “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac playing behind him, and he proceeded to knock out Gruetzemacher. He is the first fighter in recorded UFC walkout music history to use this track.
Where Are the Bodies, G?: Still the only fighter to use a Garth Brooks song, Ledet once again selected "Rodeo" by Brooks, and he lost again. Ledet first chose the track in January against Aleksa Camur, and he dropped a decision.