Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 37 ‘Kattar vs. Emmett’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 6,678
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 609

The Ultimate Fighting Championship proved the adage that everything’s bigger in Texas with an Austin-based card that blew the doors off. At night’s end, a mighty UFC record was tied much to the delight of fans in the Moody Center and watching worldwide. UFC on ESPN 37 featured more bonus money given out than ever, a few extremely talented up-and-comers with five wins in five UFC fights and…bah gawd, that’s The Rock’s music!

The Gate Was $1.93 Million, They Could Afford It: Due to the thrilling action from start to bottom, the UFC doled out “Fight of the Night” to the main event and “Performance of the Night” checks to every finisher. This total of $550,000 in bonus money is now the new UFC record, passing the $516,000 awarded at UFC 129.

Human Sacrifice: Upon its conclusion, UFC on ESPN 37 saw eight knockouts go down throughout the night. This event ties six other fight cards including UFC 92 and 199 for the most in company history.

Dogs and Cats Living Together: Other than the eight knockouts, one fight ended by submission on the fight card, for a total of nine stoppages during the evening. Just 15 UFC events ever have featured more finishes than this card, and the modern era record sits at 11.

Mass Hysteria: Of those knockouts, six took place in the first round. That tally ties five UFC shows in the past for the fourth-most in organizational history. UFCs 2 and 10 along with the TUF 1 Finale hold that top spot together with seven first-round knockouts on their respective nights.

Enough, I Get the Point: On the course of scoring those knockouts – and throughout the rest of the action that night – 12 knockdowns were recorded. This total is tied for the fourth-most in one UFC event in modern history, along with four other fight cards. UFC 199 and UFC Fight Night 192 maintain that pole position with 15 apiece.

Knockdown No, Title Shot Yes: Although he snagged a split decision over Calvin Kattar in the headliner, Josh Emmett did not manage to drop his opponent over the course of their five-round bash. This ends a seven-fight streak where he had knocked foes down at least once in every bout, and had he done so to Kattar, he would have taken sole possession of that UFC record.

Blazing a Trail Through Welterweight: Kevin Holland dropped Tim Means and snatched up a brabo choke to secure the victory in Round 2. “Trailblazer” lifted his finish rate to 83% with the win, while landing his first submission since tapping John Phillips in 2018.

Another Underheralded Russian Threat: Taking a split decision over Guram Kutateladze, Damir Ismagulov improved his UFC record to 5-0 with five decision wins. Overall, the Russian is now riding a massive 19-fight win streak dating back to November 2015 – only six of the other 25 competitors on the card came into this event with at least 19 wins on their respective ledgers.

Dead or Alive, He Came with Him: In the opening round, Gregory Rodrigues blitzed Julian Marquez and put him away at 3:18. While “Robocop” celebrates a knockout rate of 50%, five of his six career knockouts have come across his last six victories.

Talk Spit, Get Hit: Adrian Yanez needed less than four minutes to blast through Tony Kelley, and like every other finisher, the Texan scored a bonus by prevailing. Earning five bonuses in his first five UFC fights is a feat only achieved by Justin Gaethje and Khamzat Chimaev, but Gaethje pocketed six in five bouts.

Three Years Off Did Her Good: Natalia Cristina da Silva beat Jasmine Jasudavicius from pillar to post to pick up a decision win. This decision snapped a streak of seven victories that had all come by submission for the Brazilian newcomer.

Court is Adjourned: In only 94 seconds, Jeremiah Wells starched Court McGee to earn him three UFC stoppages in three fights. The Pennsylvania native sports a high finish rate of 82% as a pro, with his last five victories all coming within two rounds.

His Signature Move: For the second time as a UFC fighter, Ricardo Ramos scored a spinning back elbow knockout, sparking Danny Chavez with one in 72 seconds. Across promotional history, just five such knockouts have ever occurred, and “Carcacinha” is the author of two – first landing one in 2017 against Aiemann Zahabi.

The Flower Part: Cody Stamann needed under a minute – 59 seconds to be precise – to put Eddie Wineland away and snap a three-fight skid. The finish was his first since the roster in 2017, with his other five UFC wins all on the scorecards.

Hot Patootie, Bless His Soul: After succumbing to the quick knockout from Stamann, Wineland retired from MMA. Wineland began his pro career in 2003, one highlighted by winning the inaugural World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight title – a belt whose legacy continued straight into the UFC when the UFC absorbed the WEC’s division and belt. The fan-favorite leaves the sport with more knockouts in combined UFC-WEC bantamweight history (eight) than any other fighter, with T.J. Dillashaw holding the second spot with seven.

Turning Winn to Lose: Phil Hawes clobbered Deron Winn en route to a second-round stoppage due to elbows, putting his career knockout rate at a solid 67%. When adding his submissions, “No Hype” posts a stoppage rate of 83%.

Blew the Dolidze Off: In the card opener, Roman Dolidze blew through Kyle Daukaus with a knee and follow-up punches at the 73-second mark. The stoppage from knee strikes is his second in the UFC, making him one of only 25 fighters in company history to record multiple knockouts stemming from knees. Anderson Silva stands above the pack with five.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 37, Emmett had never fought 25 minutes before (19 fights); Marquez (11 fights), Kelley (10 fights) and Daukaus (14 fights) had never been finished and Chavez (16 fights) and Winn (nine fights) had never been knocked out.

Yes, You Can Stop: For each of his last four UFC bouts, Marquez has selected a different Miley Cyrus song. This time, he went with “We Can’t Stop” and was stopped by Rodrigues in the opening round.

Do You Smell What The Hawes Is Cooking? Delighting wrestling fans in the crowd, Hawes walked out with “Electrifying” by Jim Johnston playing in the arena. This song is more famously known as the theme song for The Rock, and the victorious Hawes is the first fighter to ever pick this track.

Saturday Night’s Not Alright to Get Knocked Out: Daukaus selected “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” by Elton John as his walkout tune against Dolidze, making it the second Elton John song he has used. The first came in his 2020 UFC debut, when he went with “Philadelphia Freedom.” No fighter had ever used multiple Elton John songs in their respective UFC tenures before Daukaus.