Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 57 ‘Cannonier vs. Imavov’

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: 7,704
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 693

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took a trip to the headquarters city of Kentucky Fried Chicken this weekend with an overstuffed card with sides for everyone. The results were split, as the first half started rough, but the second delivered wildly until the main event ground it to a screeching halt. UFC on ESPN 57 featured a rare fourth-round finish for the 185ers, a kid that keeps cashing checks after choking necks and a particularly nasty elbow that will leave lasting damage.

Sorry, Jason Herzog: In the fourth round, Nassourdine Imavov stopped Jared Cannonier with a barrage of punches. His is the fifth Round 4 finish in UFC middleweight history and the first since 2020 when Uriah Hall put Anderson Silva away at UFC Fight Night 181.

French People Last Longer: Leading up to his signing with the UFC, the Frenchman had seen eight of his 10 fights end in the first round, win or lose. Since then, his last nine outings in the Octagon have all reached Round 2 or beyond.

Back in the Saddle Again, Maybe: Putting a four-fight losing streak behind him, Dominick Reyes thrashed Dustin Jacoby in two minutes to get back in the win column. “The Devastator” boosted his finish rate to 77% with the victory.

Boiling Bad Blood: In the second round, Raul Rosas Jr. put rival Ricky Turcios away with a rear-naked choke. The 19-year-old has earned eight of his nine pro wins inside the distance.

Houses Ain’t Cheap in Vegas: Recipient of one of four “Performance of the Night” checks, Rosa Jr. earned another $50,000 for his finish. Each of his three UFC wins have been accompanied by post-fight bonus money.

Always Be Smashing: Keeping his 100% finish rate intact, Brunno Ferreira demolished Dustin Stoltzfus at the end of the first round. He has only been to the second round twice in 13 pro outings while never passing the 6:08 mark.

Literally Jawbreaking: Ferreira dispatched Stoltzfus courtesy of a spinning back elbow with seconds left in Round 1. His is the seventh knockout of this type in company history, not counting the spinning back fist landed by Uros Medic at UFC 291.

Hulk Smashed Once More: The specific elbow from Ferreira is the first to finish a fight in the UFC’s middleweight division. He claimed a POTN bonus for his handiwork, just like every fighter to land this kind of knockout in promotional history.

Empowered by the Mullet: Like Ferreira after him, Reese retained his 100% stoppage rate with a win. He blazed through Julian Marquez in seconds, and all seven triumphs have come before the end of the first round.

Reese’s Thumps: It took Reese 20 seconds to run through Marquez, with a body kick and follow-up punches finishing the job. Just 10 stoppages—all knockouts—in UFC middleweight history have come faster, with Mark Weir’s 10-second schooling of Eugene Jackson at UFC 38 the speediest.

Moving Down in Weight Worked Out: Punahele Soriano required all three rounds to get past Miguel Baeza, earning his second decision win as a pro. His stoppage rate fell to 80% with the win at welterweight.

Beat Him Like a Drum: After their 15-minute encounter, Soriano connected with 136 significant ground strikes, shattering the record of 100 set by Neil Magny against Hector Lombard in 2016.

All the Hawaiian Punches: Of the 394 total strikes attempted by the Hawaiian, 331 landed on Baeza. This tally is good for the fourth-most in any UFC fight, while 116 fewer than leader Max Holloway in 2021.

Big Charlie Smoked Chuck Buffalo: With a knee to the liver, Carlos Prates crushed Charlie Radtke in the opening frame. “Carlao” saw his overall finish rate rise to 89% with the knockout, and his last eight fights have all concluded via strikes.

A Lighter Lance Palmer: Brad Katona ground out a win over Jesse Butler, earning the nod on all three scorecards. The Canadian has heard the final bell in six straight bouts, and 11 of his 12 last appearances have gone the distance.

Just Not Enough: In her rematch with Montana De La Rosa, Andrea Lee dropped a split decision to lose her fifth fight in a row. Lee has suffered four split decision losses during her time with the UFC, accounting for the most all-time, along with Angela Hill, Clay Guida, Cortney Casey, Jorge Masvidal and Paul Felder.

Flip a Dangerous Coin: Outworking John Castaneda en route to a decision, Daniel Marcos advanced his perfect record to 16-0 with a no-contest. The Peruvian holds an even distribution of knockouts to decisions on his ledger while never landing a submission.

Work on That Gas Tank: Picking up the win after three rounds of combat, Denise Gomes claimed the split nod over Eduarda Moura. Gomes forced her fellow countrywoman to go into the third round for just the second time in her career.

Just Passed China: Born in Muzaffarnagar, India, Puja Tomar became the first Indian woman to set foot in the Octagon when she faced Rayanne dos Santos. The strawweight picked up a split decision win, making her the second competitor born in the world’s most populous nation to prevail in the UFC, joining Anshul Jubli.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 57, Turcios had never been submitted (15 fights), Butler had never dropped consecutive bouts (17 fights) and Moura had never been defeated (10 fights).

Not Lucky: Marquez changed his walkout tune to “Lucky You” by Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas, and he went down in 20 seconds. The last five fighters that have walked out to Eminem tracks have all lost.

Angus Young Disliked That: Baeza made his walk to the cage accompanied by AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and suffered a beatdown at the hands of Soriano. Fighters selecting “Thunderstruck” have sustained more losses than any other song in UFC history, with it reaching 30 recorded defeats at this event.