This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
In the main event of UFC Wichita, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos was able to stop Derrick Lewis and move closer to another title shot. Overall, the event may have lacked big-name value, but the fights certainly delivered. 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.
Junior dos Santos schools Derrick Lewis at distance
On paper dos Santos had a big advantage in terms of distance striking going into this fight, and that turned out to be the case in the cage as well. At distance -- that is standing and not in the clinch -- dos Santos landed 20 significant strikes and a knockdown. Lewis, on the other hand, managed only 7 significant strikes there and in the fight. Dos Santos not only attempted more significant strikes, 55 compared to 25, but he also landed at a much higher percentage 52 percent compared to 28 percent. The story for Lewis is always the same. If he can land the big shot, he can win. Otherwise, he will struggle.
By finishing in the second round instead of the first, Dos Santos cost some DraftKings players some points. He finished with 94.5 points, which was the seventh highest score of the night. If he had stopped the fight in the first round, the extra 20 points would have left with the second highest score.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos makes quick work of Curtis Millender
This fight was a total washout for dos Santos, and it certainly looks that way on the stat sheet. Millender didn't even manage to land a single strike, while Dos Santos landed a takedown, two passes and the fight-ending submission in a little over 1:30. This was dos Santos' first submission victory in the UFC and only his second first round finish.
Zaleski didn't have a lot of time to put up DraftKings points, but he still finished with the fifth-highest score of the night. Outside of the first round finish bonus, he scored points with six significant strikes two passes and a takedown.
Niko Price lands harder against Tim Means
For a time, it looked like Means was getting the better of the striking and on his way to a victory in this fight. He landed 31 significant strikes at a 64 percent clip. However, even though Price was much less accurate (he landed only 47 percent of his attempts), he landed the harder strikes including a knockdown and the fight-ending blow. He finished the bout with 32 significant strikes.
Price finished with the highest score of the night on DraftKings. He was one of only two fighters to score a knockdown and the only one to also finish in the first round.
Blagoy Ivanov edges Ben Rothwell via unpopular decision
For the fight, Ivanov finished with a slight advantage in terms of significant strikes. He landed 72, compared to only 70 for Rothwell. Each round was also relatively close. In the first, Ivanov outlanded Rothwell 19 to 9. That advantage fell to 29 to 28 in the second. In the third round, Rothwell pulled ahead and finished with a 33 to 24 advantage. The majority of the media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com favored Rothwell, and it sounded like the fans in the building agreed.
Ivanov delivered a solid performance and a solid score on DraftKings. He earned 66 points on DraftKings based on 72 significant strikes and the decision win bonus.
Beneil Dariush's persistence leads to submission win over Drew Dober
Dariush clearly had the edge on the ground in this fight. In the first round, he could not take the fight there as he failed on all three of his takedown attempts. Dober had a great opening round and landed 28 significant strikes. In the second round, Dariush was able to get his wrestling in order. He scored a takedown and nearly finished via submission. He then scored another takedown, and this time was able to latch on the armbar and beat the final bell. The victory was Dariush's first submission victory since he bested Daron Cruickshank in 2015.
For the second-round finish, Dariush finished with the third-highest score of the night on DraftKings. He earned players 110.5 points, and he scored with both his significant strikes and his grappling. He put up points with four passes, two takedowns and 37 significant strikes.
Omari Akhmedov stays ahead of Tim Boetsch
Akhemdov had the technical striking edge in this fight, and he used it to stay ahead of Boetsch and take the decision. Even though he landed only 38 percent of his attempts, he outlanded Boetsch 52 to 41 on significant strikes. Akhmedov has gone to decision in his last three fights, and he has landed 52, 51 and 52 significant strikes respectively. He is consistent if nothing else.
Akhmedov finished with the lowest score among winner on DraftKings. His scored only 56 points with 30 coming via the decision win bonus.
