This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was back in action at UFC 235 and making up for lost time. He looked as dominant as ever against Anthony Smith. The same could not be said for now-former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who was thoroughly defeated by Kamaru Usman. The following is a by-the-numbers recap that highlights the stats and milestones that stood out on the main card, with stats courtesy of UFCStats.com.
Jon Jones piles up the stats against Anthony Smith
Some fans might say that this fight wasn't overly exciting, but Jones was certainly statistically dominant. Overall on significant strikes, Jones outlanded Smith 125 to 36, and he landed 74 percent of his significant strike attempts. Jones distributed those strikes between the head (45), body (35) and legs (45). He also excelled in all three positions. Jones outlanded Smith 64 to 31 at distance, 31 to five in the clinch and 30 to zero on the ground. It was not only an offense display from Jones. Over the last three rounds, Smith managed to land only 10 significant strikes.
Even if Jones did not have the killer instinct in this fight, he still had plenty of time to put a solid score on DraftKings. He earned players 107.5 points based mostly on his significant strike total and his trio of takedowns.
Kamaru Usman dominates Tyron Woodley in the clinch and on the ground
The significant strike differential in this fight really jumps off the stat sheet. Usman outlanded Woodley 141 to 34 on significant strikes, which is the sixth-largest differential in a UFC title fight. His ability to generate meaningful strikes in the clinch and on the ground was a big story in this fight. He landed 78 significant clinch strikes as well as 36 significant ground strikes. In those same positions, Woodley managed only 24 combined. On paper, this was a tough stylistic test for Usman due to Woodley's superior takedown defense, but that did not turn out to be the case.
Usman dominated the former champion, scored the upset and put up the second-highest score of the night. He earned 131.5 points, which was narrowly behind Diego Sanchez, who scored 133 points. Usman's ability to mix his striking and grappling makes him a consistent points threat on DraftKings.
Ben Askren comes from behind via submission against Robbie Lawler
For the second weekend in a row, a fighter was able to comeback and score a submission victory after getting demolished with strikes. Askren's comeback might not have been as impressive as Stefan Struve's version, but he scored the submission victory after absorbing 26 significant strikes and landing zero himself.
Outside of the submission, Askren really did not put up any points outside of the takedown. He finished with 95 points, which was the eighth-highest score of the night, but it was the lowest among finishers on the night.
Weili Zhang changes up style against Tecia Torres
This was Zhang's biggest win to date, but she did not seem as dominant as she has in her early UFC career. Of the 118 strikes she landed, only 63 were counted as significant. In her early fights, Zhang mostly stayed on the outside and threw strikes at distance. She spent a lot of time in the clinch and on the ground in this fight, but she only registered 20 significant strikes in those positions. If she wants to implement a grappling style, Zhang will need to find a way to generate more power in those positions.
Zhang usually lands with a shade more volume, so it is possible that players were expecting a higher score from her. She finished with 88.5 points on DraftKings, which was third from the bottom for winners on the night.
Pedro Munhoz survives a brawl against Cody Garbrandt
In some way it is admirable that Garbrandt did not abandon his brawling style after back-to-back knockout losses. However, he now has been stopped in three-straight fights. In those fights, he has absorbed 90 significant strikes and five knockdowns. Munhoz ate some punishment from Garbrandt, but he stay poised and never left his strategy. In the end, he landed 25 significant strikes at 53 percent, scored a knockdown and finished the fight. It will be interesting to see how he matches up against some of the other contenders in the seemingly wide open bantamweight division.
Munhoz finished with the third highest DraftKings score of the night for the first-round finish. He earned 115.5 points, and he was behind only Usman and Sanchez.
