Fight Facts is a breakdown of all 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship tested out a new annual event titled Noche UFC, celebrating Mexican Independence Day in the organization’s home city of Las Vegas. Fighters from Mexico saw mixed results at night’s end, with none more contentious than the main attraction. UFC Fight Night 227 featured an extremely rare draw in a title fight, a replay review that made a difference, and the continuation of a curse for a competitor-turned-commentator.
Significant Stats and Milestones
Bruce Buffer announced Noche UFC in front of a raucous Las Vegas crowd, calling his 550th event for the organization. Buffer has served on the microphone for 82.8% of all UFC cards, including 21 of the 33 shows run this year thus far. UFC Fight Night 227 is just the second non-pay-per-view event the company has staged in the T-Mobile Arena, with the first the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 25 in 2017.
After five close rounds of combat, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko fought to a split draw. Their even result is the sixth in a modern era UFC championship bout. The fight joins B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson, Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno, and Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev.
Notable Moments and Performances
In the second round, Grasso recorded a knockdown on the former champ. She becomes the first woman in promotional history to drop “Bullet,” while also landing her first knockdown in the Octagon. Shevchenko grounded Grasso four times – once in each of the first four rounds – and has landed at least three takedowns in each of her last seven appearances. Her total of 39 takedowns at 125 pounds is near double that of the next closest fighter (Gillian Robertson, 21).
Initially ruled a technical submission via guillotine choke victory for Edgar Chairez over Daniel da Silva, replay officials determined da Silva never tapped and did not go out. As a result, the fight was overturned to a no contest – the second such review this year, as Dan Argueta also had a win over Ronnie Lawrence removed in June.