This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
In the main event of UFC London, Darren Till came in as the favorite. However, it was Jorge Masvidal who scored the second-round finish and dominated the headlines. The rest of the main card was composed of interesting decisions and some impressive performances from 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 UFCStats.com.
Jorge Masvidal uses his volume to knockoff Darren Till
Going into this fight, it was clear that Till did not have the volume to keep up with Masvidal. However, he was still the favorite due to his recent track record and Masvidal's age. While Till had success and a knockdown early, the volume of "Gamebred" eventually won out. For the fight, Till landed only 2.59 significant strikes per minute compared to 4.33 for Masvidal. The older fighter also made it a point to work the body where he landed 10 of his 12 attempts. In his last two fights, Till has been outlanded 92 to 21, been knocked down twice and finished twice.
On a night with only one first round finish, Masvidal was one of the three fighters to score a second round finish. He finished with 102.5 points on DraftKings, which was the fifth highest score of the night and basically a steal considering his underdog status.
Leon Edwards makes Gunnar Nelson pay for weak tactics
Nelson has never been a volume striker. He prefers to land hard shots and make a difference from dominant positions on the ground. However, his current strategy is basically untenable in the modern UFC. Edwards outlanded him 31 to 9 on significant strikes. The second round was particular dominant for Edwards who landed 23 significant strikes and a knockdown while absorbing only three strikes from Nelson.
Even though Edwards blew Nelson out of the water in terms of volume, landing 31 significant strikes in a 15 minute fight is not exactly frantic. His calculated striking offense and his defensive strategy on the floor kept his DraftKings score low. He finished with 68.5 points, which was the ninth highest score of the night.
Dominick Reyes edges Volkan Oezdemir in a close fight
While it wouldn't be absurd to say that Reyes did enough to win this fight, it would be hard to argue against a scorecard for Oezdemir. In the end, Reyes outlanded his opponent 44 to 35 on significant strikes. However, Oezdemir certainly appeared to be the aggressor at times and won the head strike battle 24 to 16.
The light heavyweight prospect burst onto the scene in 2017 with some quick finishes. However, he has not looked nearly as dynamic since taking a step up in competition. Against Oezdemir he landed 2.93 significant strikes per minute. He had previously never had a rate below 4.38 in his UFC career.
The lack of effective activity is also evidence when reviewing his DraftKings score. He finished with 52 points, which was the 11th highest score of the night and the second lowest score for a winning fighter. For a guy who has shown the ability to finish fights quickly, this had to be a disappointment for DFS players.
Nathaniel Wood gets it done against Jose Quinonez
Wood had some trouble finding his range in the opening round. He landed only 32 percent of his significant attempts and was outlanded 25 to 19 by Quinonez. However, in the second round, he landed 11 of his 22 attempts, scored a takedown, two passes and finished the fight on the floor. At times he looked like the heralded prospect he is supposed to be, but there is certainly room for improvement.
For the submission victory, Wood finished with 109 points, which was the second highest score of the night and the highest scorer without the first round finish bonus. He padded his score with points from his grappling game as he had three passes, two takedowns and a reversal.
Claudio Silva flexes ground skill against Danny Roberts
Say what you want about the referee's stoppage in this fight, but Silva clearly looked great offensively on the ground. For the fight, he earned three takedowns, five passes and four submission attempts. He will need to clean up his defensive grappling to be competitive against stronger fighters. He allowed Roberts to land 18 significant ground strikes and three reversals. That did not end up hurting him here, but it could spell trouble against a more seasoned grappler.
Silva finished with 84.5 points on DraftKings, which is rather impressive considering he only landed 19 significant strikes. For the third round finish, he earned a 45 points bonus compared to the 30 point decision bonus. It is possible those 15 points could have really made a difference in some contests.
Jack Marshman escapes with decision over John Phillips
This was probably the worst decision on the main card, but it was certainly a close fight. In the first round, Phillips appeared to have a legitimate shot at finishing the fight after a knockdown. However, he chose to pose and give Marshman time to recover. For the fight, Phillips landed 32 significant strikes and a knockdown compared to 31 significant strikes for Marshman.
Marshman had the lowest score for a winning fighter only the night with 45.5. Even with the 30 point decision win bonus, he did not really separate himself from Phillips who earned players 26 points.
