Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.
* * *
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 6,031
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 555
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made it to fight night with a full card again, but results were quite mixed as fouls and questionable scoring ran rampant. Not one but two no contests were ruled throughout the night, including the main event. UFC Fight Night 187 set a new distinction involving fights ending with fouls, while also featuring a staggering series of knockouts and a submission savant doing what he does best.
Fix the Rules: UFC Fight Night 187 is the first event in company history where multiple bouts were ruled no contests inside the cage that night. There have been two fight cards in the past where bouts were later overturned to no contest: UFC 149 and UFC Fight Night 104.
Big Letdown: This card is the second where the headlining bout ended by no contest, with the first coming at UFC Fight Night 159 in 2019. Yair Rodriguez poked Jeremy Stephens in the eye, halting the match in 15 seconds.
Fizzled: With the fight result a no contest, Leon Edwards officially had his eight-fight win streak snapped. The run ends in a tie with Jon Fitch for the third-longest in UFC welterweight history, with only Georges St-Pierre (12) and Kamaru Usman (13) winning more consecutive bouts in the division.
Superman Returns: Laying waste to Misha Cirkunov in 71 seconds, Ryan Spann lifted his career finish rate to 84 percent. Fourteen of Spann’s 16 stoppage victories have now come in the first round.
One Punch Dan: With one punch, Dan Ige shut Gavin Tucker’s lights out. Throughout his career, the Hawaiian holds six wins by decision, five by submission and now four by knockout. “50K” owns three defeats, all of which came on the scorecards. With a “Performance of the Night” award for his finish, Ige earned his second post-fight bonus inside the Octagon.
Hawaiian Punch Ige Rush: Only five knockouts at the featherweight category have come quicker than Ige’s 22-second annihilation of Tucker. The record for the quickest stands with Chan Sung Jung needing seven seconds to put Mark Hominick away in 2011.
Davey Dangerously: Submission specialist Davey Grant clocked Jonathan Martinez to earn the knockout in the second round. In the process, “Dangerous Davey” lifted his finish rate to 85 percent, while earning just his third career stoppage from strikes – his last two wins have accounted for two of those three.
Unlicensed Dentistry: For the second event in a row, an illegal knee has marred an event. Eryk Anders kneed Darren Stewart in the head when “The Dentist” was grounded, and the fight was declared a no contest. No two back-to-back fight cards ever saw fights end with illegal knees, although UFC Fight Night 167 featured two in one night.
Mountains Out of Molehills: Angela Hill earned her eighth win inside the Octagon at 115 pounds by defeating Ashley Yoder. In doing so, she tied Carla Esparza and Tecia Torres for the second-most victories in UFC contests scheduled at strawweight. Joanna Jedrzejczyk holds the most, with 10.
The Showtime Hammerfist: With less than 30 seconds remaining in the fight, Charles Jourdan stopped Marcelo Rojo with a barrage of punches. His triumphant comeback allowed “Air” Jourdain to retain his perfect 100-percent finish rate.
Time to Make Yahya vs. Faber: In the second round, Rani Yahya locked up an arm-triangle choke and forced Ray Rodriguez to submit. The submission was his sixth as a UFC bantamweight, tying Urijah Faber for the division’s all-time record.
Relic of a Bygone Era: Yahya has still only finished fights by submission, without ever recording a knockout. Seventy-eight percent of the Brazilian’s victories have come by various submission maneuvers.
Slackparast: Needing 15 full minutes to defeat newcomer Rafa Garcia, Nasrat Haqparast earned his fourth career decision win. Those wins on the scorecards have come in his last five bouts, all inside the Octagon. The Tristar Gym product started his career off with knockouts in each of his first eight victories.
Jedi Powers: In 16 seconds, Matthew Semelsberger laid waste to Jason Witt. This knockout is the seventh fastest in UFC welterweight history, with the record still firmly held by Jorge Masvidal’s five-second obliteration of Ben Askren in 2019.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC Fight Night 187, Tucker (14 fights) and Martinez (16 fights) had never been finished, Rojo had never been knocked out (22 fights) and Garcia had never been defeated (11 fights).
Scheme Hot Like Shabba Madda Pot: In his first appearance since June 2019, Edwards changed up his walkout music from his customary entrance to “Grinding All My Life” by Nipsey Hussle to Jamaican reggae singer Dexta Daps’ “Shabba Madda Pot.” The entrance marked the first use of this artist in UFC walkout music history.
Limited Sample Size: Gloria de Paula walked out to “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys and dropped a decision to Jinh Yu Frey. The track sports a low win percentage of .167 when used as a walkout track.