This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
The UFC returned to FOX for a show in Glendale, Ariz. The main card turned out to be a major crowd pleaser. In the main event, Dustin Poirier established himself as a contender in the lightweight division with a fourth-round stoppage over former WSOF champion Justin Gaethje. 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 FightMetric.com.
Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje put on a show
As always seems to be the case with Gaethje fights, this turned out to be the fight of the night. Poirier and Gaethje combined to land 289 significant strikes, which is the 11th most ever landed in a UFC fight. Gaethje landed 50 of his 115 significant strikes to the legs, but he could not survive long enough to chop down Poirier. "The Diamond" landed 174 significant strikes, with 142 landing against Gaethje's head. Even someone known for the ability to absorb shots can't withstand that many head strikes.
Poirier had not only the most exciting fight of the night and most impressive victory, but also he finished with the highest DraftKings score. He earned players 127 points based on 174 significant strikes and the fourth-round finish bonus.
Alex Oliveira submits Carlos Condit in the second round
Condit has always struggled to defend takedowns. For his UFC career, he has allowed his opponents to average over three takedowns per fight. Early in his career, he defended well and did not take a lot of damage on the floor. Now, in two of his last three fights, he has been taken down and submitted. Even though the finish came via guillotine choke, it appears as if Condit has gotten a step slower in the grappling department. Oliveira has successfully finished all of submission attempts in the UFC.
Oliveira finished with one of the five second-round finished of the night. Despite facing off against the veteran, he earned players 101.5 points. The majority of his points, other than the finish, came on the ground. He won points with four passes and three takedowns.
Israel Adesanya goes to a decision for the first time in MMA career against Marvin Vettori
Going into this fight, Adesanya had won 12-straight flights via stoppage. While this was another victory, he was not able to score the stoppage. Adesanya did end up outlanding Vettori 57 to 46. His striking superiority came into play in term of defense. He forced Vettori into missing 71 percent of significant strike attempts. Fighters on the UFC level will be able to push Adesanya harder than his previous opponents. He will need to learn how to integrate his defensive prowess with his offensive striking power and get back to scoring knockdowns and finishes.
Adesanya was a popular pick to score a quick and dominant victory over Vettori. Even though he won, his score probably did not impress very many players. He earned 58.5 points based on the 30-point decision win bonus and 57 significant strikes.
Michelle Waterson's strike count dominance turned out be enough to defeat Cortney Casey
This fight turned out to be another example of the striking stats not always telling the entire story. Waterson outlanded 61 to 36, but Casey seemed to be landing the hard and better strikes. On top of that, 16 of the 17 media members tracked by MMADecisions.com had the fight for Casey. While Waterson landed three takedowns, Casey was able to register three submission attempts in the three-round fight.
Pulling out the decision turned out to be a big deal for Waterson's DraftKings score. The extra 30 points pushed her score up to 75.5. Her fight with Casey was considered to be a tossup going in, so that likely chased away many players. Outside of the televised-only slates, it turned out to be a good "stay away" since Waterson's score was only 10th best on the night.
