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Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 248 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 248 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
The best facts and figures about UFC 248, which features a Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero middleweight title main event.
The UFC returns to Las Vegas on Saturday with another major event in UFC 248, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC-Fight Pass.
A championship doubleheader sits atop the card. In the main event, undefeated titleholder [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) seeks the first defense of his belt when he takes on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC). The co-headliner, meanwhile, will see [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) attempt to defend her belt for the first time, as well, when she takes on former champ [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC).
For more on the numbers bheind the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC 248.
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Adesanya is one of 13 fighters in UFC history to win an undisputed title with an undefeated record.
Adesanya is one of 11 undisputed middleweight champions in UFC history.
Adesanya’s 18-fight winning streak is third longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28) and Zhang (20).
Adesanya’s 18-fight winning streak is the longest among active UFC middleweights.
Adesanya’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Adesanya’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (13) and Nate Marquardt (12).
Adesanya’s four knockdowns landed against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 are the single-fight record for a UFC title bout.
Adesanya defends 66.7 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Chael Sonnen (67.7 percent) and Marvin Vettori (67 percent).
Adesanya defends 85.7 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Krzysztof Jotko (86 percent).
Adesanya’s six fight-night bonuses for UFC middleweight bouts are tied for third most in company history behind Anderson Silva (11) and Robert Whittaker (seven).
Romero is the second fighter in history to fight for a title following consecutive non-title UFC losses. Tank Abbott also accomplished the feat.
Romero enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He’s 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to July 2017.
Romero’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Silva (13) and Marquardt (12).
Romero’s seven knockout victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Silva (eight) and Thiago Santos (eight).
Romero’s six third-round stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied with Max Holloway and Randy Couture for most in company history. Romero leads the category in knockouts.
Romero is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn back-to-back victories by third-round knockout. He’s accomplished the feat twice in his career.
Romero is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn two knockout victories stemming from a flying knee. Diego Sanchez also accomplished the feat.
Romero is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory stemming from elbow strikes to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 35.
Romero and Robert Whittaker combined for 239 significant strikes landed, the single-fight record for a five-fight UFC middleweight fight.
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Weili is the only UFC champion born in China.
Weili enters the event on a 20-fight winning streak. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since her MMA debut in November 2013.
Weili’s 20-fight winning streak is the longest among female fighters on the UFC roster.
Weili’s 20-fight winning streak is the second longest among all fighters on the UFC roster behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28).
Weili’s four-fight UFC winning streak in strawweight competition is the third longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five) and Yan Xiaonan (five).
Weili’s 42-second victory at UFC on ESPN+ 15 is the second fastest finish in UFC strawweight history behind Poliana Botelho’s 33-second win at UFC 236.
Jedrzejczyk became the first Polish-born champion in UFC history when she defeated Carla Esparza at UFC 185.
Jedrzejczyk is one of 13 fighters in UFC history to win a belt with an undefeated record.
Jedrzejczyk’s six victories in UFC title fights are tied with Ronda Rousey for second most of any female in company history behind Amanda Nunes (seven).
Jedrzejczyk’s 10 victories in UFC competition are third most of any female in company history behind Nunes (12) and Jessica Andrade (11).
Jedrzejczyk competes in her 14th UFC bout, the second most appearances by any female in company history behind Jessica Andrade (15).
Jedrzejczyk’s 10 victories in UFC strawweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Jedrzejczyk has earned 11 of her 16 career victories by decision. That includes seven of her 10 UFC wins.
Jedrzejczyk has out-landed her opponents 1,441-628 in significant strikes over her past 11 UFC appearances.
Jedrzejczyk is one of two fighters UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in seven separate fights. Holloway also accomplished the feat.
Jedrzejczyk’s 225 significant strikes landed against Andrade at UFC 211 are second most for a UFC title-fight record. Holloway holds the record with 290 landed at UFC 231.
Jedrzejczyk’s 76 leg kicks landed against Michelle Waterson at UFC on ESPN+ 19 are the single-fight UFC record.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision.
Klose’s average fight time of 15:00 in UFC lightweight competition is the longest among active fighters in the weight class.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 17, 2018. The 476-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 10-year career.
Magny becomes the seventh fighter to make 21 or more UFC welterweight appearances.
Magny’s 14 victories since 2013 in UFC competition are second most among active fighters in the company behind Donald Cerrone (17).
Magny is the only fighter in modern UFC history to make five or more octagon appearances in consecutive years. He went 4-1 in 2015 after going 5-0 in 2014.
Magny’s five UFC victories in 2014 tied Roger Huerta’s record for most octagon wins in a calendar year. Huerta accomplished the feat in 2007.
Magny’s 100 significant ground strikes landed against Hector Lombard at UFC Fight Night 85 stand as the single-fight UFC record.
Magny’s 142 total strikes landed in the second round of his victory against Lombard stand as the third most in a single UFC round.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is 7-1 in his past eight UFC appearances dating back to July 2016.
Jingliang has earned all six of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Jingliang’s six knockout victories since 2014 in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Vicente Luque for most in the division.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]’s (19-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.
Oliveira is 7-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
Oliveira vs. Yancy Medeiros at UFC 218 is the only fight in UFC history to feature two knockdowns for each fighter.
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since March 3, 2018. The 735-day layoff is the longest of his more than five-year career.
O’Malley has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) drops to the UFC middleweight division after spending his previous promotional appearances at light heavyweight.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has earned 27 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. That includes all five of his UFC wins.
Meerschaert is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 102.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) landed 169 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN+ 12, the single-fight record for a UFC middleweight bout.
[autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]’s (4-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) 61-second victory at UFC on ESPN 1 is the fastest submission in UFC strawweight history.
[autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]’s (10-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
The lineup has been set for what promises to be an explosive night of action in Las Vegas.
UFC 248 will feature a championship doubleheader showcasing four elite competitors from all over the world.
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand will put his title on the line against Yoel Romero, from South Florida by way of Cuba, in the main event.
In the co-main, strawweight champion Weili Zhang of China meets Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland.
The melting pot that is UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Both Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Zhang (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to remain undefeated in the UFC.
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A middleweight matchup between Gerald Meerschaert and Deron Winn is the latest addition to UFC 248.
A pair of middleweights are headed to Las Vegas.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC) will take on [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 248. Both men are looking to get back in the win column.
UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
After a 4-1 start to his UFC tenure, Meerschaert has had some octagon inconsistencies. He has dropped three of his past four fights. In his most recent outing, he lost a split decision to Eryk Anders at UFC on ESPN+ 19.
American Kickboxing Academy’s Winn suffered his first pro loss when he was edged out by Darren Stewart at UFC on ESPN 6 in October.
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With the addition, the latest UFC 248 lineup includes:
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A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
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The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.
Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).
Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.
The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).
The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.
“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.
At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).
The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).
The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).
In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.
In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.
The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.
The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.
The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.
Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.
Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.
“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.
A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.
A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.
A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.
One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)
