Holding the Iron Throne
Iron Grips, All of Them: Even though there were fewer bouts and not as many events as the year before, 19 bouts were booked with belts on the line. Of those 19, none saw a belt change hands to the challenger, though several were for vacant belts with no incumbent champion.
With Wildly Varying Results: Three champs put their titles on the line more than once in 2020: Israel Adesanya, Figueiredo and Valentina Shevchenko. All three were still in possession of their hardware at year’s end.
He’d Do It Again If He Could: Figueiredo made the quickest championship turnaround in UFC history by a wide margin when he defended his flyweight title against Alex Perez at UFC 255 and then retained it against Brandon Moreno three weeks later at UFC 256. The previous record was eight weeks, with both Matt Hughes and Ronda Rousey at that past top spot, and Rousey the only one of those two to defend successfully.
Jan Can Kick: Jan Blachowicz became the first fighter not named Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier to hold a light heavyweight belt since Rua surrendered his crown in 2011 to Jones. Blachowicz vied for the vacant strap against Dominick Reyes, and handed Reyes his first career stoppage loss.
Polska Pride: By winning the title, Blachowicz became the second fighter out of Poland and the first man of his country to hold a UFC belt. The first was Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who served as the strawweight champion from 2015 to 2017.
He Wants 30: Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight throne against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 and subsequently retired. His belt has yet to be vacated.
For Mother Russia: Like Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo defended his bantamweight strap this year and hung up his gloves after the victory. Unlike Nurmagomedov, his belt was immediately up for grabs, and Petr Yan became the second competitor from Russia to win a UFC championship when he knocked out Jose Aldo at UFC 251.
She’s A Family Guy: One belt was never contested in 2020: women’s bantamweight, as two-division champ Amanda Nunes made her successful defense of her featherweight gold at UFC 250. She later celebrated the birth of her daughter Raegan Ann Nunes with fiancée Nina Ansaroff in September.
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I’m Rich
You and Me (and the Bonus Makes Three Tonight): A trio of fighters each took home three post-fight bonuses after their wins this year: Brian Kelleher, Chimaev and Holland. While Chimaev and Holland’s were all “Performance of the Night” honors, Kelleher scooped up one “Fight of the Night” along with two POTNs.
Year of the Dragon: While 18 fighters throughout the year earned two post-fight bonuses, the only one to take home two without recording a win throughout the year was Paul Felder. “The Irish Dragon” fought to a pair of thrilling split decisions, earning FOTN in a losing effort both times.
Ah Hundred (Percent): Just one fighter earned double bonuses at the end of the year: Gaethje, after his fifth-round stoppage of Ferguson to take home both FOTN and POTN.
It’s Not How You Dance, It’s Who You Know: Twenty bonuses were handed out to main event bouts, for about 14.7 percent of all bonuses. This accounts for about half of the previous year (28 percent) but still more than any other position on a fight card.
The Fight Someone Came to See: Eight of the 41 main events throughout the year earned FOTN. This number is more than double any other placement on any given card.
Performance Anxiety: On the other hand, more POTN awards were issued (14) to the “featured fight of the night” than any other bout placement, which takes place directly before the co-main event slot.
Rewarding Curtain Jerkers: A whopping 10 post-fight bonuses were doled out to card openers – the first fight of an event – throughout the year. This total is substantially higher than any year in UFC bonus award history.
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What’s the Action?
Two-Thirds Favorites Again: Of the 431 fighters that featured odds from 5dimes with one favorite and one underdog, those favored won 288 of those encounters (66.8 percent). Twenty-five bouts closed as pick-ems throughout the year, which marked a sharp decline from the previous year (35).
Don’t Bother Disputing It: Shana Dobson (+900) is the proud owner of the biggest betting upset in UFC history, doing so when she pounded out Mariya Agapova (-1375) at UFC on ESPN 15. The previous record was set by Johnny Eduardo (+735) over Eddie Wineland (-935) at UFC Fight Night 40 in 2014.
Rockstar Roxy: Dobson was not the only fighter to spring a massive upset this year, as Roxanne Modafferi (+650) hit one of her own. Undefeated Maycee Barber (-1000) came in with plenty of momentum behind her, but Modafferi overwhelmed her and caused Barber to suffer an early injury, taking home a decision for her efforts.
What a Shame: Two additional substantial surprises took place throughout the year, as newcomers Kevin Croom (+450) and Trevin Jones (+470) finished opponents Roosevelt Roberts (-600) and Timur Valiev (-640) in their respective contests. However, both men failed post-fight drug tests for marijuana and had their huge wins overturned.
Ten-to-One Shockers: Four fighters came into their fights as betting favorites over -1000, but only two emerged victorious: Valentina Shevchenko (-1300) defeated Jennifer Maia (+850), while Chimaev (-1050) finished Rhys McKee (+675).
Now Try Shevchenko-Andrade: Of the 15 fighters coming in as -700 favorites or higher, 13 took home victories. Shevchenko is the only fighter to close as this high of a favorite on multiple occasions.
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