This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
In the main event of UFC 246 Conor McGregor announced his return with a 40-second stoppage on Donald Cerrone. The rest of the card had some interesting finishes, but for the most part this whole event was intended to be a showcase for the former lightweight and featherweight champion. 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.
Conor McGregor makes quick work of Donald Cerrone in UFC return
Yes, McGregor did score the stoppage in only 30 seconds, but that was not the only impressive part of his performance. Coming into this fight, he had actually been outlanded in the clinch position. Against Cerrone, he landed three very impactful shoulder strikes that got the ball rolling for him. He then dropped Cerrone with one of his three significant strikes, and then finished the bout on the ground. McGregor did not just throw randomly. He threw with a purpose, as he landed 13 of his 16 significant strikes on the ground. This was the quickest finish for McGregor since he stopped Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194. It was also the first time Cerrone failed to land a significant strike since his WEC debut in 2007.
McGregor finished with 109.5 points on DraftKings, which was the highest score of the night. Referee Herb Dean let him land a few unnecessary shots on the floor that helped push the score into a three-way tie for first on the night.
Holly Holm edges Raquel Pennington in lackluster affair
This was a tough fight for the fans. Holm realized early that she had an advantage in terms of control in the clinch. Unfortunately, she could not really use the position to land significant strikes. For the fight, she landed only 10 significant clinch strikes compared to 28 for Pennington. However, holding the position was enough to convince the judges. For the fight, Pennington outlanded Holm 38 to 30 on significant strikes, but she wasn't overly active either.
Holm had the lowest score for a winning fighter on DraftKings on the night. She earned players 45 points. After seeing the first fight between these two, it was pretty clear that neither fighter was going to put up major points.
Aleksei Oleinik shows his expansive grappling game against Maurice Greene
Oleinik showed that his grappling game is much more diverse than his reputation would indicate. He was unable to score his signature Ezekiel choke submission. However, he was able to dominate Greene on the floor. He scored three takedowns in the fight, four passes and registered three submission attempts. Late in the second round, he locked in an armbar in a scramble and finished the fight. Oleinik now has five UFC wins while landing 10 significant strikes or fewer.
His lack of striking probably hurt Oleinik in terms of DraftKings. However, he still managed to score the fifth-highest DraftKings score of the night and the second highest for a fighter who did not finish in the first round. He earned players 100.5 points.
Brian Kelleher tests the ground game of Ode Osbourne
Osbourne was a big favorite in this fight even though people really hadn't seen his grappling game on the floor. Kelleher became the first to test him, and Osbourne failed. Kelleher attempted only three significant strikes at distance before securing a takedown and going to work. He used his guillotine choke attempt to pass to mount and eventually finish. This was Kelleher's first submission victory in the UFC since his promotional debut in 2017.
For the first-round finish, Kelleher earned players 101.5 points on DraftKings. Outside of the 90-point first round finish bonus, he scored with seven significant strikes, a takedown and a pass.
Carlos Diego Ferreira takes out Anthony Pettis with his grappling
Pettis had some moments in this fight striking at distance, but this fight was going to be decided on the floor. Ferreira scored three of his seven takedown attempts. On the ground, he scored with six significant strikes and four passes. It looked like he could basically take Pettis' back at will. Eventually he took advantage of the position and finished the fight with a rear-naked choke. Even though Pettis outlanded him 18 to 16 at distance, this fight was a solid and impressive performance from Ferreira.
Despite not finishing in the first round, Ferreira tied McGregor and Drew Dober for the highest score of the night on DraftKings with 109.5. His ability to fill up the stat sheet with grappling stats makes him an asset to any DFS lineup.
