This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
The UFC moved to Raleigh following its blockbuster weekend. In the main event, Curtis Blaydes picked up perhaps the biggest win of his career over Junior dos Santos. Also on the main card, Michael Chiesa put himself into the top end of the welterweight division with a win over a former champion. 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.
Curtis Blaydes takes out Junior dos Santos without his trademark wrestling
Not only did Blaydes fail to score a takedown against dos Santos, but he never really even came close. He failed on all six of his takedown attempts, and his opponent's footwork gave him a lot of trouble. None of that really mattered in the end, as Blaydes landed 28 of his 60 significant strike attempts, including 14 in the second round to lead to the stoppage. Dos Santos seemed more focused on maintaining range and defending takedowns than striking. He landed only seven of his 30 significant strike attempts, which is well below his normal accuracy level.
Blaydes finished with the sixth-highest score of the night on DraftKings. His 84 points were the lowest among the five fighters to score finishes on the night. He normally relies on his wrestling to handle his opponents, but it is also normally a big contributor to his score. Blaydes took the victory, but DFS players were probably hoping for some more five-point takedowns.
Michael Chiesa defeats Rafael Dos Anjos while landing only nine significant strikes
Dos Anjos always seems to end up in fights that require him to defend takedowns. That was the case again here, and he was not really able to keep Chiesa off of him. "Maverick" landed six of his eight takedown attempts. He only landed nine significant strikes in the 15-minute fight, but he passed three times on the ground and imposed his will via submission attempts. The fight showed the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters, and it played out basically as expected.
Chiesa scored only 4.5 points via striking on DraftKings, but thanks to his grappling, he was able to finish with 73.5 points. It was only the eighth-highest score on the night, but he came in as his as a +194 underdog, so players got a solid return on investment.
Alex Perez makes quick work of Jordan Espinosa
This was supposed to be a close fight between flyweight contenders. Instead, Perez scored an early takedown, passed on the ground and finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke. He landed only two significant strikes on the ground, but he did more than enough for the victory. It was his first submission victory in the UFC since his UFC debut in 2017.
Perez finished with 99 points on DraftKings, which was the fourth-highest score of the night. He scored via two significant strikes, one takedown, one pass and the 90-point first-round finish bonus.
Angela Hill puts it on Hannah Cifers in the second period
Neither fighter was particularly accurate at distance. In this position, Hill landed 38 of her 106 attempts, while Cifers landed 43 of her 100 attempts. The big difference came in the second round, when Hill was able to score a takedown and establish top position. She landed 29 significant strikes on the ground, and the referee was forced to stop the fight. Hill came into the sport as mostly a kickboxer, so it is good to see her continue to learn on the job.
The volume striking really boosted Hill's score on DraftKings. She had the highest score of the night. Thanks to her 70 landed significant strikes, two passes and takedown, she earned players 116 points.
Jamahal Hill makes an impression against Darko Stosic
Stosic actually showcased some solid striking defense in this fight, but Hill overcame that with volume. In the 15 minute fight, he attempted 233 significant strikes, which equates to 15.53 significant strike attempts per minute. Not only did he have that volume, but it was consistent throughout the contest. He landed 101 of those attempts, and that also prevented Stosic from really getting his offense going. Stosic landed only 31 significant strikes throughout the contest.
Hill finished with 80.5 points, which was the second-highest score for a fighter who did not finish a fight. Even with the impressive volume, he did not fill out that stat sheet with anything other than striking numbers.
