Anthony Pettis

The Storylines: UFC 249 prelims edition

Identifying the most significant storyline for each UFC 249 prelim matchup.

Every UFC fight has a storyline to it. The general public might not always be deeply invested, but whether it’s for a championship or marks a debut, each fight represents a pivotal moment for the athletes.

With every trip to the octagon comes a narrative. What does a win mean in the short term? The long term? What fights are on the horizon with an impressive performance? What new skills or weaknesses will be revealed?

The potential storylines are endless, and we’re here to help identify the most significant one for each fight, this time at UFC 249, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Today, we look at the prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

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ESPN prelims

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]

There’s no starvation for narratives in this one as fan favorites Pettis and Cerrone look to shake the public perception of disappointment in their most recent performances and add some stability to their respective careers.

Pettis is coming off arguably his worst loss to date against Diego Ferreira. “Showtime” has bounced around weight classes in hopes of adding some measure of consistency to his results. It’s been to no avail, but now Pettis is being set up to rematch an opponent he already blew past in less than three minutes back in January 2013. It’s critical for Pettis to win if he wants to keep getting big-name fights, because another loss would push his UFC record to sub-.500 territory.

Cerrone is not in danger of having his winning percentage fall below even, but he is facing the longest skid of his career. The last time “Cowboy” lost three straight he rebounded in resounding fashion, but this assignment feels tougher. Cerrone has been stopped in all three of his recent defeats, and the questions have started to come about damage absorbed entering his 35th UFC fight. That’s a concern that’s not going to go away, but Cerrone can evade hard questions about fighting life with a win.

[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]

Does former UFC heavyweight champ Werdum still have it after a layoff of more than two years due to a USADA suspension? That is the big question surrounding his return bout against fellow submission ace Oleinik.

Werdum, now 42, was the best heavyweight in the world for a good time. It’s hard to envision him returning to that point at his age and following so much time off. Even if he beats Oleinik, it’s not exactly the most telling litmus test for where he stands.

The Brazilian is a welcomed readdition to the heavyweight ranks, though, and his ability to get future fights of worthy is heavily dependent on his performance against Oleinik, who will try to beat an ex-UFC champ for the first time.

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]

It’s been five years since Esparza’s reign as the UFC’s inaugural 115-pound champ came to an end, and dropping some key bouts have prevented her from getting back to the strap. She’s coming off back-to-back wins, though, and if “The Cookie Monster” is ever going to see another title fight, then getting this one against Waterson is essential.

“The Karate Hottie” enters in a similar situation. She’s fallen just shy of securing a title shot on multiple occasions, and opportunities could soon be running out. Beating a former champion like Esparza would be just the statement she needs to continue to connect her name to title contention.

[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]

At long last Hall has seemingly found his way since linking up with Fortis MMA. Hall has started to really come into his own over the past couple fights, but his opponents haven’t been of Souza’s caliber. Can he get through the challenge and start churning out results that support all the hype he got entering the UFC?

“Jacare,” on the other hand, is trying to hang on to his final bits of relevance as a middleweight contender and reinforce that he shouldn’t be written off entirely. Souza is one of the best to never fight for a UFC title, but at 40, on the first losing skid of his career, and now returning to 185 pounds after an unsuccessful experiment at light heavyweight, it feels like a win is needed to extend his fighting life.

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Donald Cerrone keen to avenge Anthony Pettis loss after ‘he kicked my liver out of my body’

Donald Cerrone can avenge his first career knockout loss when he rematches Anthony Pettis at UFC 249.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] can still feel the agony that was attached to his first career loss by strikes. At UFC 249, he gets the chance to numb that pain.

Cerrone’s first knockout loss in MMA competition came courtesy of a devastating [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] body kick less than three minutes into their bout at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013. It was a key matchup for the lightweight division at the time, and now more than seven years later, the pair run it back at UFC 249.

Much has changed since the initial clash. There’s been many highs and lows for Cerrone (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) and Pettis (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) over the years, and they’ll enter the rematch – contested at welterweight – on losing skids. For “Cowboy,” the opportunity to exact revenge is motivating.

“He kicked my liver out of my body (in our first fight),” Cerrone told MMA Junkie. “It sucked. Of course you always want to get a loss back, but it’s just stylistically a good matchup. It’s a good fight with good fun. It’s a fight the people want to see.”

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UFC 249 takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Cerrone vs. Pettis headlines the prelims, which air on ESPN and ESPN+, prior to the pay-per-view main card.

The event is the UFC’s first since the coronavirus pandemic caused the promotion to suspend all events in early April. The card has been ever-changing from its original April 18 version, and Cerrone’s fight was one of the later adds. Unsurprisingly, though, he jumped on the offer.

“The UFC talked about the ‘Fight Island’ and I put out a post like, ‘Man, I’ll fight on ‘Fight Island,'” Cerrone said. “They asked if I was serious. I said yeah. Then they asked if I could fight in the U.S. and I said yes. It didn’t take much convincing to get me to fight. They called and that was that.”

Ahead of the first fight there was great tension between Cerrone and Pettis. This time, though, it’s much different. The pair has formed a bond in recent years, Cerrone said, by both training together and spending personal time.

Cerrone described Pettis as “100 percent my friend” and said they “talk all the time,” but he will gladly set the relationship aside for up to 15 minutes in favor of business.

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It’s an important fight for Cerrone, who enters the event on a three-fight losing skid, which is tied for the longest of his career. His defeats came to elite names in Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson, but that doesn’t make them sting any less.

Cerrone wants to get back on track, and he thinks the circumstances make UFC 249 an environment where he can thrive.

“I’m going out there looking for a win,” Cerrone said. “Three losses is the worst thing I’ve ever done. It’s such a crazy and wild sport, the ups and the downs. This is my wheelhouse. Short-notice fights. I want to win. Go out and there and do what I do. I’m excited for this fight and for this matchup.”

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UFC 249 free fight: Relive Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis before they rematch May 9

Before they rematch at UFC 249, relive the first fight between Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis from in 2013.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] will square off May 9 at UFC 249, but it won’t be the first time.

At UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013, Cerrone and Pettis stepped into the cage in a pivotal 155-pound matchup. The fight would only last 155 seconds.

Targeting the body from the opening bell, Pettis blasted Cerrone’s ribs with knees and kicks. After a hard knee connected, Cerrone visibly tightened up and Pettis went on the attack.

Cerrone was unable to slow Pettis’ onslaught of attacks. A hard left kick from Pettis ripped the body, and Cerrone crumpled to the canvas. Keeled over, Cerrone covered up as Pettis landed two punches to the head.

Referee Herb Dean stepped in and called off the fight 2:35 into Round 1. The fight propelled Pettis into a title fight against then-champion Benson Henderson, who he would defeat by first-round armbar to become UFC champ.

Before Cerrone and Pettis rematch at UFC 249, check out their first fight in the full fight video above.

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UFC drops new promo for UFC 249: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje

The UFC has released a new promo in anticipation of its May 9 return.

Monday, the promotion posted the 30-second UFC 249 hype video with the caption “We’re Back” on various social media platforms. The promo features a handful of the card’s participants including headliners [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag], as well as the night’s co-main event participants, UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] and former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag].

Also featured in the video are heavyweights [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag], featherweights [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] and [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag], heavyweights [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] and [autotag]Yorgan De Casto[/autotag], and welterweights [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag].

UFC 249 takes place May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card is expected to stream on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Check out the new UFC 249 promo video in the tweet embedded below:

WE'RE BACK. #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/cqcKNH2TKZ

— UFC (@ufc) April 27, 2020

The latest UFC 249 lineup includes:

Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz – for bantamweight title
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Yorgan De Castro vs. Greg Hardy
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum
Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa

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eUFC 2: Live streaming simulated fights with MMA Junkie Radio on SportsCastr

Join “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” as they call Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson, Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos, and more.

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For now, the MMA world is left without fights. But Saturday night, we’ve got something unique for you.

MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” built a fight card with some intriguing matchups, and they’ll host a watch-along event on SportsCastr with commentary during the simulated fights.

The live stream goes down at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), when your hosts will break down the simulated fights and discuss the simulated results.

The simulated card includes:

[autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag]
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]

Be sure to check back and follow @MMAjunkie, @MMAjunkieRadio and @SportsCastrLive on Twitter to be notified when the guys go live.

Dana White: UFC to return May 9; Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, other title fights on tap

The UFC is eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined, but a blockbuster lineup in mind.

The UFC may be back sooner than anticipated.

When UFC president Dana White canceled UFC 249, he also postponed all subsequent events indefinitely due to restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as a request to stand down by the UFC’s broadcast partners at ESPN and Disney. However, the promotion is now eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined.

Tuesday, MMA Junkie confirmed the UFC’s considered plans with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting was the first to report the plans.

Dana White later informed ESPN the promotion is looking to rebook various big fights that were delayed by the schedule change, including [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC 249), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (originally in the works to headline UFC 250), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (originally set to co-headline UFC 250), and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC on ESPN 8).

Upon announcing the cancellation and postponements, White promised the UFC would be the first sporting organization to return to normalcy – whether it be on a mysterious “Fight Island” he said the company is currently constructing, or elsewhere.

“We will be the first sport back,” White said. “‘Fight Island’ is real. It’s a real thing. The infrastructure is being built right now, and that’s really going to happen. It will be on ESPN.”

If the event isn’t scheduled for “Fight Island,” the state of Florida could be another potential location for the UFC to hold the May 9 card. In a press release issued Monday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis revealed some sporting events, including WWE, will be deemed essential businesses.

It’s unknown if Tachi Palace Casino in Lemore, Calif. could be in the cards, as well. The Indian reservation casino was targeted to be the new home of UFC 249 on April 18, prior to ESPN and Disney executives asking the UFC to cancel the event entirely.

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Prior to the announcement of postponements, the UFC had 11 events publicly on tap: UFC 249 (April 18 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 31 (April 25 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 32 (May 2 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC 250 (May 9 at Location TBD), UFC on ESPN+ 33 (May 16 in San Diego), UFC 251 (June 6 in Perth, Australia), UFC Kazakhstan (June 13 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakstan), UFC Saskatoon (June 20 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), UFC Austin (June 27 in Austin, Texas), UFC 252 (July 11 in Las Vegas), and UFC Dublin (Aug. 15 in Dublin, Ireland).

The status of all above events are currently unknown.

According to ESPN, the proposed May 9 event includes the following lineup:

Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Champ Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz – for bantamweight title
Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer – for women’s featherweight title
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
[autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]
[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]

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UFC 249 free fight: Tony Ferguson defeats Anthony Pettis in bloody war

Before Tony Ferguson faces Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, relive his war with Anthony Pettis in 2018.

When caught in a dark place, few fighters thrive like [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag].

Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) faced former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] at UFC 229, having miraculously returned from knee surgery just six months later.

Ferguson has been rocked in fights before, but it only seems to make him stronger, and when Pettis had him in deep trouble early in Round 2, he had to show his grit once again.

After being dropped by a counter right, Ferguson started rolling around to get out of danger and, in the midst of the chaos, Pettis was cut badly and the referee intervened to check on his cut. When the action resumed, the momentum started to swing Ferguson’s way, and he fully capitalized.

Ferguson continued to press forward, throwing heavy leg kicks and shots to the body. “El Cucuy’s” constant pressure eventually took its toll on Pettis, who was cut on the other side of his face. After the end of Round 2, Pettis’ corner decided to waive the fight off, and Ferguson was awarded the TKO win.

Since then, Ferguson scored another stoppage win over Donald Cerrone, where he was able to, yet again, inflict a ton of damage to his opponent.

He was scheduled to challenge UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249, but after the travel ban restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak forced Nurmagomedov out, Ferguson was booked against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.

Before he returns to action on April 18, check out Ferguson’s bloody battle with Pettis in the video above.

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UFC 246 medical suspensions: Donald Cerrone gets lengthy term for facial fractures

The Nevada Athletic Commission has released it’s full list of UFC 246 medical suspensions.

[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] is facing a lengthy medical suspension as a result of his UFC 246 loss to [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

Cerrone, a former UFC title challenger, was defeated by McGregor on Saturday due to strikes just 40 seconds into their headliner. As a result of damage suffered from a kick, punches, and even a trifecta of shoulder strikes, “Cowboy” is facing a lengthy 180-day suspension.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC), on the other hand, walked away from the main event unscathed.

The Irishman wasn’t the only fighter to walk away suspension-less. Co-main event participants [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] and [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] were among six other fighters who won’t be mandated to sit out.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who suffered an apparent ACL tear vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag], was handed a 180-day suspension. Pending doctor clearance, she could return sooner than July.

[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] are also looking at potential 180-day suspensions for injuries suffered in their respective bouts.

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UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

MMA Junkie acquired the full list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which you can see below:

J.J. Aldrich: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days
[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Sodiq Yusuff: Suspended 180 days or until right foot x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Maycee Barber: Suspended 180 days or until left knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days do to laceration on left side of forehead
Roxanne Modafferi: No suspension
Anthony Pettis: Suspended 180 days or until right foot is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Diego Ferreira: Suspended 180 days or until right knee MRI is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: No suspension
Maurice Greene: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow MRI and right foot x-ray are cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
Raquel Pennington: No suspension
Holly Holm: No suspension
Conor McGregor: No suspension
Donald Cerrone: Suspended 180 days or until nasal fracture and possible mild orbital fracture are cleared by maxillofacial physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Donald Cerrone and UFC 246’s other losing fighters?

See who Donald Cerrone should fight next after his loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 246.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Conor McGregor and UFC 246’s winning fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 246’s most notable fighters.

Those fighters include [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC), who suffered a first-round TKO loss to Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the welterweight headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) and [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

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Maycee Barber

Should fight: [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag]
Why they should fight: The hype of Barber took a critical hit when, as a massive favorite, she faltered against Roxanne Modafferi and suffered a unanimous decision loss.

Fortunately for Barber, this fight will only serve as a learning experience. She battled through the adversity of a cut and a knee injury but still managed to go the distance. At 21, she can only grow from this moment, but the outcome certainly pushes back her timeline of wanting to be the youngest champion in UFC history.

As far as her next move, almost any fight would be appropriate for Barber in the women’s flyweight division. It remains to be seen how long her injuries will keep her out, but when she’s ready, a matchup with Shevchenko (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who experienced a similarly disappointing outcome against Modafferi not long ago, would be a good fit.

Should fight: [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]
Why they should fight: For the first time in years, Pettis is sitting on a two-fight losing skid. His UFC record is even at 9-9, and now there’s questions about what the future holds for “Showtime.”

Pettis still has a number of fights left on his UFC contract, so anyone clamoring for him to go elsewhere is being premature. It’s hard to imagine he’s in any position to pick fights, though, so he may have to take what the UFC gives him.

That could mean having to take a fight against another upstart lightweight contender like Ferreira, and Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is just that. “The Great” faltered the first time he had a marquee fight against Donald Cerrone in January 2019, but he’s matured and picked up a win since then. Perhaps he gets a different result against Pettis, who would need to get a victory to prove he still has something left in the tank.

Donald Cerrone

Should fight: [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Cerrone should fight Thompson (15-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) next.

UFC 246 post-event facts: Conor McGregor enters rarefied air with finish of Donald Cerrone

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 246, which saw Conor McGregor knock out Donald Cerrone in the main event.

The UFC’s first event of 2020 went down Saturday with UFC 246, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

In the main event, former two-division UFC champ [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) made his glorious return to the octagon when he stopped [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) by TKO just 40 seconds into the welterweight headliner. With the win, “The Notorious” achieved a knockout in his third different weight class.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC 246.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $165,000.

McGregor, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] and [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 246 fight-night bonuses.

UFC 246 marked the first event in company history with five “Performance of the Night” awards.

Debuting fighters went 1-1 on the card.

UFC 246 drew an announced attendance of 19,040 for a live gate of $11,089,129.30.

UFC 246’s live gate total was the fourth highest in company history.

Betting favorites went 6-4 on the card. One fight had even odds.

Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:51:03.

Main card

McGregor improved to 2-1 in welterweight competition.

McGregor has earned 19 of his 22 career victories by knockout. He’s earned 17 of those finishes in the first round.

McGregor has earned eight of his 10 UFC victories by stoppage.

McGregor became the second in UFC history to earn knockout victories in three different weight classes. Jared Cannonier also accomplished the feat.

Cerrone fell to 6-5 in UFC welterweight competition.

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has earned four of her six UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has suffered six of her eight career losses by decision.

Oleinik (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) became the first in MMA history to earn victories in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).

Oleinik has earned 54 of his 58 career victories by stoppage. That includes all seven of his UFC wins.

Oleinik has earned 46 of his 58 career victories by submission.

Oleinik’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (eight).

[autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Kelleher (20-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned 16 of his 20 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by submission.

Ferreira’s (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in lightweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division.

Pettis fell to 4-8 in his past 12 UFC appearance dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.

Pettis suffered the first true submission loss of his career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) improved to 9-5 since her initial UFC release in November 2013.

Modafferi has earned 15 of her 24 career victories by decision.

Modafferi has alternated wins and losses over her past seven fights.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had her eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

Barber fell to 2-1 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March.

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]’s (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Arnold Allen (six), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (11-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (15-10-1 MMA, 4-8 UFC) fell to 2-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.

Elliott has suffered five of his eight UFC losses by decision.

Elliott’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (58) and Wilson Reis (44).

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.on.

[autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]’s (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2017.

Ledet fell to 0-3 since he dropped to the UFC light-heavyweight division in July 2018.

[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fell to 1-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.

Aldrich has suffered two of her three UFC losses by decision.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.