A bantamweight bout is the latest addition to the UFC’s first pay-per-view of 2022.
A bantamweight bout is the latest addition to the UFC’s first pay-per-view of 2022.
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] have been booked to fight each other at UFC 270. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Friday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was first to report the news.
Although UFC 270 has a date of Jan. 22, the event does not yet have an announced venue or location.
Stamann (19-4-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) will enter the fight looking to snap the first losing streak of his career after dropping back-to-back decisions Jimmie Rivera and most recently Merab Dvalishvili this past May. Stamann told MMA Junkie in August that he hoped to fight Sean O’Malley, but O’Malley is booked to meet Raulian Paiva on Dec. 11 at UFC 269.
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, will try to kickstart another winning streak after he knocked out Mark Striegl in October 2020.
The updated UFC 270 lineup includes:
Champ Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane – to unify heavyweight title
Said Nurmagomedov got UFC on ESPN+ 38 event off to a hot start with a vicious knockout of Mark Striegl.
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] got Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 38 event off to a hot start with a vicious knockout of Mark Striegl.
Nurmagomedov (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) needed just 51 seconds to score an absolutely crushing knockout of Striegl (18-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their bantamweight bout, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Striegl made the mistake of getting overly aggressive early, and Nurmagomedov responded with a left hook that led to the fight hitting the mat, where he landed vicious ground-and-pound to shut the lights off.
Watch the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):
CLOCKED IN. CLOCKED OUT.
🇷🇺 Said Nurmagomedov needs seconds to finish the job.
With the win, Nurmagomedov rebounded from a loss to Raoni Barcelos at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in December 2019. Striegl had a five-fight unbeaten streak snapped in his octagon debut.
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.
* * * *
EVENTS
Octagon girls at UFC 238
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.
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.
Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes
“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.
Aspen Ladd
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.)
Six fighters are looking at potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 23, including former champion Frankie Edgar.
Six fighters are looking at potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 23, including former champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag], who lost in the main event.
Edgar’s (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC) first-round TKO defeat to [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in this past weekend’s featherweight headliner led to an orbital injury that resulted in a 180-day suspension for “The Answer,” unless he receives clearance from a specialist beforehand.
MMA Junkie today obtained the full medical suspension report from UFC on ESPN+ 23, which went down at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea.
Check it out below.
* * * *
Chan Sung Jung: 7-day mandatory rest
def. Frankie Edgar: Suspended 180 days for right orbital injury (requires clearance from oral and maxillofacial doctor); 60 days mandatory rest and 45 days of no contact
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: 30 days mandatory rest for hard bout; 21 days of no contact
def. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days for left shin hematoma (requires clearance from primary care physician); 30 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: 30 days mandatory rest for hard bout; 21 days no contact
def. [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days for TKO loss and left wrist injury (requires clearance from orthopedic doctor); 45 days mandatory rest and 30 days of no contact
[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag]: 7-day mandatory rest
def. [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days (requires clearance form dentist); 45 days mandatory rest and 30 days of no contact
[autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag]: 7-day mandatory rest
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for nasal laceration; 21 days of no contact
[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for left brow laceration; 21 days of no contact
def. [autotag]Liu Pingyuan[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for left eyelid laceration; 21 days of no contact
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: 7-day mandatory rest
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days for right eyelid laceration and hard bout;; 30 days of no contact
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: 7-day mandatory rest
def. [autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag]: 30 days mandatory rest for hard bout; 21 days of no contact
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right shoulder pain; 21 days of no contact
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days for knockout loss; 30 days of no contact
[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: 30 days mandatory rest for hard bout; 21 days of no contact
def. [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right knee pain; 21 days of no contact
[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days for right foot injury (requires X-ray clearance); 30 days mandatory rest and 21 days of no contact
def. [autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days for right foot injury (requires X-ray clearance); 30 days mandatory rest and 21 days of no contact
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 23, which saw Chan Sung Jung beat Frankie Edgar.
The UFC’s final event of the year – and the decade – took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 23, which went down at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea, with a main card that streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN.
In the main event, [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) proved himself one of the top contenders in the featherweight division when he took out former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC) with a methodical first-round TKO.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 23.
* * * *
General
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $121,000.
Betting favorites fell to 22-18 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:21:54.
Main card
Chan Sung Jung
Jung improved to 3-1 since he returned from a more than three-year layoff from competition in February 2017.
Jung has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Jung’s six stoppage victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (10) and Ricardo Lamas (eight).
Jung’s eight fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts are the most in divisional history.
Jung is the only fighter in UFC history to earn eight total bonuses in his first eight octagon appearances.
Edgar fell to 8-5 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in February 2013.
Edgar has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Volkan Oezdemir
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has earned two of his five UFC victories by split decision.
[autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had his 12-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since his MMA debut in October 2011.
Rakic suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Jourdain (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all 10 of his career victories by stoppage.
Choi’s (14-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2016.
Choi has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) extended his winning streak to 12 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since October 2015.
Jung has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2018.
Rodriguez suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Kyung Ho Kang
[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) improved to 4-1 since he returned to competition from a nearly 3.5-year layoff in January 2018.
[autotag]Marc Andre Barriault[/autotag]’s (11-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.
Barriault has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Ciryl Gane
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind behind Jairzinho Rozenstruik (four).
Gane earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Suman Mokhtarian[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Mokhtarian suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag]’s (16-11-3 MMA, 3-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Ma fell to 3-4 since he dropped to the UFC lightweight division in June 2016.
Ma suffered his first decision loss since Aug. 27, 2010 – a span of 3,403 days (more than nine years) and 16 fights.
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.
Schnell has suffered all three of his UFC losses by knockout.
Raoni Barcelos
[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]’ (15-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak in bantamweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six) and Marlon Vera (five).
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had his seven-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since June 2014.
Nurmagomedov has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (7-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all seven of her career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had her seven-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag] (14-7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past 10 fights.
Benoit was unsuccessful in his UFC bantamweight debut.
Benoit has suffered four of his six career losses by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 23 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
BUSAN – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $121,000.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC on ESPN+ 23 took place Saturday at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 23 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN+ 23: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie” – $121,000
The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 23, which features a Frankie Edgar vs. Chan Sung Jung main event.
The UFC’s final event of the year – and the decade – takes place Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 23. The 13-fight lineup goes down at Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea and streams entirely on ESPN+.
A matchup of featherweight contenders headlines the card. After the original booking between [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] (23-7-1 MMA, 17-7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) fell through in November 2018, the pair will finally share the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, check below for 60 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 23.
* * * *
Main event
Frankie Edgar
Edgar, 38, is the oldest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Edgar’s five losses in UFC championship fights are tied with B.J. Penn for most in company history behind Randy Couture (six).
Edgar is 8-4 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in February 2013.
Edgar’s total fight time of 7:12:33 in UFC competition is the most in company history.
Edgar’s 1,559 significant strikes landed in UFC competition are third most in company history behind Max Holloway (2,071) and Michael Bisping (1,567).
Edgar’s 68 takedowns landed in UFC competition are tied for fourth most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (90), Gleison Tibau (84) and Demetrious Johnson (74).
Edgar’s 259 total strikes landed against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 are the second most in a single UFC/WEC featherweight contest behind Holloway’s 307 against Brian Ortega at UFC 231.
Edgar’s submission of Swanson at the 4:56 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 57 is tied for the third-latest stoppage in a UFC bout behind Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186 (4:59, Round 5) and Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 139 (4:59, Round 5).
Edgar is one of two fighters in UFC history to defeat a single opponent on three separate occasions inside the octagon. He did so against B.J. Penn. Tito Ortiz (Ken Shamrock) also accomplished the feat.
Edgar is the only fighter in UFC history to suffer three knockdowns in a single round and not lose the fight. The feat occurred in his UFC 125 draw with Gray Maynard.
Chan Sung Jung
Jung competes in his sixth consecutive UFC headliner. He’s 3-2 in previous main event fights.
Jung is the only South Korean fighter in history to challenge for a UFC title. He lost to then-champ Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in August 2013.
Jung has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 21.
Jung is 2-1 since he returned from a more than three-year layoff from competition in February 2017.
Jung has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. That includes all five of his UFC wins.
Jung’s 6.2-second knockout of Mark Hominick at UFC 140 is the third fastest knockout in UFC history behind Jorge Masvidal’s five-second win at UFC 239 and Duane Ludwig’s six-second finish at UFC Fight Night 3.
Jung is the only featherweight in UFC/WEC combined history to earn multiple knockout wins in less than one minute.
Jung registered the first twister submission finish in UFC history when he defeated Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24. Bryce Mitchell has the only other finish using the technique in company history.
Jung has received seven fight-night bonus in seven UFC fights.
Jung’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC featherweight bouts are tied with Holloway, Cub Swanson and Yair Rodriguez for most in divisional history.
Co-main event
Volkan Oezdemir
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned 13 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 12 of those wins by knockout.
Oezdemir is one of eight modern-era fighters to earn back-to-back knockouts in less than one minute each. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Walt Harris, Francis Ngannou, Johnny Walker, Mike Swick, Caio Magalhaes and Ilir Latifi also accomplished the feat.
Oezdemir lands 5.04 significant strikes per minute in UFC light heavyweight competition, the second highest rate among active fighter in the weight class behind Ion Cutelaba (5.27).
Aleksander Rakic
[autotag]Aleksander Rakic[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) enters the event on a 12-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since his MMA debut in October 2011.
Rakic’s four-fight UFC winning streak in light heavyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Dominick Reyes (six).
Rakic has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished nine of those wins by knockout.
Rakic is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning backfist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 231.
Rakic landed 78 significant ground strikes at UFC Fight Night 134, the single-fight record for a UFC light heavyweight bout.
Remaining main card
Dooho Choi
[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 14, 2019. The 351-day layoff is the longest of his more than 10-year career.
Choi enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2016.
Choi’s average fight time of 5:26 in UFC featherweight competition is the second shortest in divisional history behind Mike de la Torre (4:25).
Choi has earned all three of his UFC victories by first-round knockout in a total fight time of four minutes and 33 seconds.
Choi’s 18-second knockout of Juan Puig at UFC Fight Night 57 stands as the second-fastest debut in UFC featherweight history behind Makwan Amirkhani’s eight-second win at UFC on FOX 14.
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Da Un Jung
[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) enters the event on an 11-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since October 2015.
[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is 3-1 since he returned to competition from a nearly 3.5-year layoff in January 2018.
Kang has completed at least one takedown in seven of his eight UFC appearances.
Kang lands 64 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
Preliminary card
Ciryl Gane
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) makes his third UFC appearance since debuting with the promotion in August.
Gane has earned all five of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
Gane’s victory at 4:46 of Round 3 at UFC on ESPN+ 20 is the latest submission in a UFC heavyweight fight.
[autotag]Dong Hyun Ma[/autotag] (16-10-3 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is 3-3 since he dropped to the UFC lightweight division in June 2016.
Alexandre Pantoja
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) lands 4.40 significant strikes per minute in UFC flyweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind John Lineker (5.43).
[autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]’s (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Henry Cejudo (four).
Schnell’s victory at 1:23 of Round 1 at UFC on ESPN 5 is second fastest submission in UFC flyweight history.
Schnell earned the first triangle choke submission in UFC flyweight history at UFC on ESPN 5.
Schnell’s two submission victories by triangle choke in UFC competition are tied for the most in company history.
Said Nurmagomedov
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the body. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 2.
[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (6-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since July 16, 2017. The 888-day layoff is the longest of her more than five-year career.
Lemos drops two weight classes to the strawweight division after making her UFC debut at women’s bantamweight.
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Nov. 18, 2017. The 763-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 11-year career.
Benoit moves up to the UFC bantamweight division after spending his previous promotional appearances at flyweight.
Benoit has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 121 in November 2018.
Benoit is one of three fighters to earn a knockout victory stemming from a head kick in UFC flyweight history. Louis Smolka and Dustin Ortiz also accomplished the feat.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
