The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 258, which saw Kamaru Usman defend his welterweight title vs. in the main event.
The UFC hosted its second pay-per-view of the year on Saturday with UFC 258, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with 10 fighters on a heavily-altered card.
In the main event, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) showed there’s no going back in the conversation about him being an all-time great in the welterweight division when he battered Gilbert Burns (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) for a third-round TKO to secure his third title defense at 170 pounds.
Usman’s name is all over the record books with the win, and for more on the numbers, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC 258.
The pay-per-view portion of UFC 258 started with a bang as Julian Marquez got the nod.
There’s a line of thought in the mixed martial arts world that states it’s always the fight cards that don’t look like much on paper that end up delivering the best action.
[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] and [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] did their part to make this a reality for UFC 258 on Saturday night. The middleweight bout was bumped up to the main card in the wake of several fight fallouts, and it kicked off the pay-per-view in grand style.
Pitolo (13-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC) arguably got the better end of the first two rounds, both of which were all action. Then the third round featured wild swings before Marquez (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who was fighting for the first time in more than two years, finished things at the 4:13 mark of the final frame.
“I know you guys were saying this guy’s done, this guy’s done, but guess what? This guy was not done,” Marquez said in his post-fight interview.
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After escaping Pitolo’s top position and getting back to his feet, Marquez landed a flurry of lefts and rights, then landed a brutal knee to the head in the clinch. Pitolo went for a desperation takedown, but Marquez easily switched position and landed a nifty anaconda choke for the tap, which you can see below (via Twitter):
WELCOME BACK.
🚀 @JMarquezMMA completes the 2.5 year comeback!
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 258 in Las Vegas, featuring a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 258 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 258 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 258 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Make your picks for the five main card fights below.
Julian Marquez will attempt to make his long-awaited return at the third time of asking when he takes on Maki Pitolo at UFC 258.
[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] will attempt to make his long-awaited return at the third time of asking.
Marquez (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC) at UFC 258 on Feb. 13. The event currently doesn’t have an officially confirmed location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Friday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Marquez was initially scheduled to return on Aug. 29 against Saparbek Safarov, but the matchup was moved to UFC Fight Night 182 on Nov. 14 due to undisclosed reasons. However, the matchup was scrapped just one day before fight night, with Safarov forced to withdraw due to weight cut issues.
Marquez hasn’t competed since suffering a fully torn latissimus dorsi during his split-decision loss to Alessio Di Chirico at the TUF 27 Finale in July, 2018. The injury resulted in Marquez undergoing two separate surgeries that forced him out of action for an extended period.
A fellow graduate of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Pitolo will look to rebound from back-to-back losses to Darren Stewart and Impa Kasanganay. Prior to that, he picked up a second-round finish of Charles Byrd at UFC 250 in June.
Despite picking up wins, Polyana Viana and Mallory Martin could be facing up to six months on the sidelines.
Despite picking up wins at UFC on ESPN+ 33, [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] and [autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] could potentially face up to six months on the sidelines due to medical suspensions.
MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.
In the night’s opener, Martin (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up a comeback submission finish of [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) at this past weekend’s event, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the second fight of the night, Viana (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) submitted [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with an armbar in the first round.
Also potentially facing several months on the shelf is [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Kim (9-3-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has to have her right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared or she could be facing six months.
Despite the one-sided loss to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] in the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-16 MMA, 8-4 UFC) will only be facing 45 days, whereas Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) did not receive a suspension.
[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will be facing 45 days for nasal lacerations in his co-main event loss to [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag], whereas Magny (24-7 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will be facing 45 days until the cut on his right elbow is cleared by a doctor.
Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 33 medical suspensions:
Anthony Smith: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Aleksandar Rakic: No suspension.
Robbie Lawler: Suspended 45 days with no contest for 30 days due to nasal lacerations.
Neil Magny: Suspended 45 days or until cut on right elbow cleared by doctor or no contest until Sept. 11.
Ji Yeon Kim: Must have right orbital non-displaced fracture cleared by oral and maxillofacial doctor or ophthalmologist or no contest until Feb. 26; minimum suspension until Oct. 14 with no contact until Sept. 29.
Alexa Grasso: No suspension.
[autotag]Ricardo Lamas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to facial lacerations.
[autotag]Impa Kasangay[/autotag]: Must have right eye laceration cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 11.
[autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Austin Springer[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Christian Aguilera[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to right eyebrow and nose lacerations.
Polyana Viana: Must have right thumb MRI and x-ray of
right foot. If positive, then must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
Emily Whitmire: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 30 days due to left elbow pain.
Mallory Martin: Must have right knee MRI. If positive, must have orthopedic doctor clearance or no contest until Feb. 26, 2021; minimum suspension until Oct. 29 with no contact until Oct. 14.
Hannah Cifers: Must have nose cut cleared by doctor or no contest until Oct. 14; minimum suspension until Sept. 29 with no contact until Sept. 20.
Four fighters are facing lengthy suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 32 injuries.
Four fighters are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their respective UFC on ESPN+ 32 bouts.
[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (neck and arm), [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] (facial fractures), [autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag] (left ribs), and [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag] (right hand, right wrist, and left eye) will not be able to fight until Feb. 5, 2021, unless they are cleared by a doctor beforehand.
On Wednesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.
Headlining victor [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] did not receive a suspension, while his opponent, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], received a 45-day suspension for lacerations sustained in the fight.
Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] and his opponent, [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag], both received 30-day suspensions after their co-main event bout.
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Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 32 medical suspensions:
Derrick Lewis: No suspension.
Aleksei Oleinik: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye and lip lacerations.
Chris Weidman: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to a “hard fight.”
Omari Akhmedov: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to laceration under left eye.
[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left scalp laceration.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: No suspension.
Yana Kunitskaya: Suspended 180 days or until MRI of neck and right arm are cleared by orthopedic doctor; Also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Scott Holtzman: Suspended 180 days or until left inferior orbital floor fracture cleared by maxillofacial surgeon; Also suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
[autotag]Laureno Staropoli[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days due to left eye laceration.
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye lacerations.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left eye laceration.
[autotag]Alexander Munoz[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days, or until right eye is cleared by doctor.
[autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
[autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: No suspension.
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: No suspension.
Peter Barrett: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of left ribs is cleared by an orthopedic doctor; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Irwin Rivera: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right hand and wrist is cleared by doctor and possible left eye corneal abrasion is cleared by an ophthalmologist.
[autotag]Ali Alqaisi[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to sutures on nasal bridge.
Impa Kasanganay and Maki Pitolo will make quick turnarounds against one another, according to Dana White.
[autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] just earned his UFC contract Tuesday night and he already has a date and opponent for his promotional debut.
At DWCS 28 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Kasangany (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) kicked off the event with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Adams. The win was impressive enough for UFC president Dana White to award him a UFC deal – and give him the opportunity to fight [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] at the promotion’s upcoming Aug. 22 event.
White hinted they already had a fight for Kasanganay when he awarded the contract on the broadcast. However, in the post-fight news conference, White revealed the specifics.
“He’s going to fight Pitolo,” White said. “Maki Pitolo, (who’s) from the Contender (Series), too.”
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie the matchup was offered during the Tuesday card, with both parties voicing interest. However, with the recency of Kasanganay’s UFC offer, no bout contracts have been issued or signed.
Pitolo (13-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) competed as recently as Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 32, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to Darren Stewart. Pitolo was inked to a UFC deal after a first-round TKO of Justin Sumter on DWCS, Season 3 in July 2019.
DWCS 28 took place Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event simulcasted on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
All the notable stats to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 32, which took place in Las Vegas, and saw Derrick Lewis knock out Aleksei Oleinik.
The UFC’s loaded August schedule continued on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 32, which went down at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.
The UFC’s busiest heavyweight picked up another notable win in the headliner when [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) overcame the grappling prowess of [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-14-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) to net a second-round TKO and extend his current winning streak to three fights.
“The Black Beast” made UFC history with his finish, and for more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 32.
[autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 32 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 32 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 10-2 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 15-7 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:10:09.
Main card
Derrick Lewis
Lewis’ 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Junior Dos Santos for third most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (18) and Frank Mir (16).
Lewis’ 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Mir (13),
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Lewis’ 11 knockout victories in UFC competition since 2014 are tied with Thiago Santos for most among active fighters in the organization.
Oleinik has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was successful in his return to the middleweight division.
Weidman earned his first UFC victory where he failed to outland his opponent in strikes.
[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (20-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) fell to 3-1-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-1-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.
Akhmedov suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Stewart (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) improved to 5-3 since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in November 2017.
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage.
Yana Kunitskaya
[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 3-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.
Kunitskaya outlanded her opponent 209-to-30 in total strikes. The +179 margin is largest in UFC women’s bantamweight history.
Kunitskaya has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) earned the eighth knockout in UFC history stemming from a spinning backfist.
Dariush’s four-fight stoppage streak in UFC competition is tied with Justin Gaethje and Francis Ngannou for second longest among active fighters on the roster behind Charles Oliveira (seven).
[autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his knockout defeat.
Preliminary card
Tim Means
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (30-12-1 MMA, 12-9 UFC) improved to 10-7 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.
[autotag]Laureano Staropoli[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Alexander Munoz[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his knockout defeat.
[autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with his submission defeat.
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Peter Barrett[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
