This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 135, Justin Gaethje got back on track with a first-round knockout over James Vick. The card also featured some very close decisions and the continued emergence of multiple prospects. 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.
Justin Gaethje takes James Vick in the first round
Gaethje picked up his quickest knockout finish since defeating Richard Patishnock under the World Series of Fighting banner in 2014. He landed seven significant strikes and a knockdown in under 90 seconds and finished the fight. While the knockout evened his UFC record and got him back on the right track, it also saved him some punishment. In his previous three UFC fights, he absorbed 420 significant strikes. He made it out of this one after eating only ten.
For Vick, he now has two professional losses, and both were brutal first-round knockouts. Despite his extensive winning streak prior to this fight, Vick has only faced three fighters who were ranked in the top-20 (per Fight Matrix) at the time of the fight. Of those three fights, his only win came over Francisco Trinaldo earlier this year.
Going into this fight, a lot of players seem to think that Gaethje was potentially a high scorer in DraftKings due to his volume striking. While, in the end, his knockout power surprisingly turned out to be the story. He finished with 103.5 points, which was his highest score since his UFC debut.
Michael Johnson handles Andre Fili with accurate striking
With the exception of the second round, this fight was basically a striking contest. In the second round, Fili scored a takedown, pass and submission attempt. However, Johnson survived to continue the fight. In terms of striking, the bout was extremely close when it comes to number of attempts. Johnson threw 116 significant strike attempts, while Fili threw 117. In the end, Johnson got the better of the exchanges as he landed 56 percent compared to only 31 percent for Fili.
As is often the case for close fights, Johnson did not finish with an impressive score in DraftKings. He finished with only 67.5 points, which was the second-lowest score for a winner on the night. In two fights since moving down to featherweight, Johnson has failed to break 70 points.
Cortney Casey takes dubious decision over Angela Hill
Casey took this decision despite being outlanded 121 to 111 on significant strikes overall, as well as in two of the three rounds. While that might seem confusing at first, a quick glance at the stat sheet offers a simple explanation. Casey attempted 333 significant strikes, while Hill attempted 222. Even though Hill was much more accurate and appeared to land the better strikes, the judges might have been swayed by Casey's volume. Judges watch fights through chain link fence in a busy arena, so determining if a strike lands is not always the easiest task.
It was a close fight, but Casey still finished with a respectable DraftKings score due to her volume. She earned players 93.5 points, which was the seventh highest score of the night and highest score for a fighter in a decision.
Bryan Barberena sends Jake Ellenberger into retirement
At this point in Ellenberger's career, it was pretty evident that Barberence was going to take this fight. He did just that. Barberena landed 19 significant strikes at a 54 percent rate, scored a pair of knockdowns and finished the fight in the first round.
After the fight, Ellenberger announced his intentions to retire and left his gloves in the cage. At this point, it is hard to blame him. He has lost his last four fights, and in those fights, he has absorbed five knockdowns.
The quick finish for Barberena resulted in the second-highest score of the night. He finished with 119.5 points for the sub-three-minute fight.
Deiveson Figueiredo passes toughest test to date against John Moraga
In a lot of ways, Moraga is a gatekeeper to the higher levels of the flyweight division. If that is the case, Figueiredo blew those doors open. He got it done standing and on the ground in this fight. On the feet, Figueiredo scored two knockdowns despite landing only seven standing significant strikes. On the ground, he did a great job generating power on his strikes and finished with 22 significant ground strikes.
Figueiredo finished with the highest DraftKings score of the night. His 120.5 points is composed of 29 significant strikes, two passes, two takedowns, two knockdowns and the 70-point second-round finish bonus.
Eryk Anders comes back in the third to best Tim Williams
Anders was by far the biggest favorite on the card, and while he won, he did not look entirely dominant. The former Alabama football player landed only five significant strikes before getting on track in the second round. At the start of the third round, he was falling behind, but he came back with a pair of knockdowns and finished the fight. Anders remains a legitimate prospect, and this victory should do a lot of help him regain that status.
Anders finished with 89 DraftKings points. While that is an okay score, any player who took him was likely expecting more due to his extremely high betting odds.
