The past decade of UFC action has seen a lot unfold, and it is arguably the most important in the organization’s history from in terms of evolution.
Only within this era have statistics truly come to the forefront. After so many years of fights, the groundwork for what’s viewed as meaningful and the history attached has finally been laid out. The athletes and techniques have evolved, too, meaning new methods of causing damage and finishing fights are attempted and pulled off with a higher rate of frequency.
That evolution is apparent in the history books, because some of the most significant moments and records in UFC history have occurred over this past decade.
Let’s dig into the archives.
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EVENT FEATS
The UFC held 363 events in 159 difference venues across 26 countries over the past decade.
“UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in October 2019 had the highest announced attendance in company history at 57,127.
“UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor” in November 2016 sold a largest live gate in company history at $17.7 million.
“UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” in November 2017 had the most total fight time of any event in company history at 3 hours, 4 minutes and 18 seconds.
“UFC Fight Night 55:: Rockhold vs. Bisping” in November 2014 had the least total fight time of those events at 1 hour, 3 minutes and 51 seconds.
The UFC canceled four events over the decade: UFC 151 in September 2012; UFC 176 in August 2014; UFC Fight Night 97 in October 2016 and UFC 233 in January 2019.
“UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping” and “UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington” in May 2018 each featured 11 stoppage results, the most for any card in company history.
“UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez” in April 2013, “UFC Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller” in July 2014, “UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2,” in June 2016 and “UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2” in December 2017 each featured eight knockout results, the most of the decade.
“UFC on FUEL TV 10: Werdum vs. Nogueira” in June 2013 featured eight submission results, the most for any card in company history.
Seven events each featured 10 decision results, the most for any card in company history.
“UFC Fight Night 134: Shogun vs. Smith” in July 2018 and “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” each featured nine consecutive decision results, the longest streak on a card in company history.
“UFC Fight Night 79: Henderson vs. Masvidal” in November 2015 and “UFC 222: Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya” in March 2018 each featured five split-decision results, the most for any card in company history.
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” in June 2019 featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a single-event record for the company.
“UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta” in April 2018 featured seven fighters who landed 100 or more significant strikes, a single-event record for the company.
“UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2” in June 2016 featured 15 knockdowns, a single-event record for the company.
“UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor” in July 2015 was the only event in company history to feature two knockouts stemming from flying knee strikes.
“UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till” in September 2018 was the only event in company history to feature two kneebar submission results.
“UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre” in November 2017 marked the only event in history to feature three title changes.
Next page: General feats
GENERAL FEATS
The UFC began the decade with five weight classes. It ended with 12.
A total of 1,540 different fighters stepped in the octagon to compete over the past decade.
Anderson Silva’s company record 16-fight winning streak came to an end in a knockout loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July 2013.
Donald Cerrone had the most UFC fights of the decade, competing 33 times since his debut at UFC 126 in February 2011.
Cerrone had the most wins of the decade, earning a company record 23 victories since his debut in February 2011.
Cerrone had the most finishes of the decade, earning a company record 16 since his debut in February 2011.
Cerrone finished seven different fights by knockout stemming from a head kick, the most of any fighter in company history. No one else has more than four such wins.
Cerrone received the most fight-night bonuses of the decade, earning a company record 18 since his debut in February 2011.
Conor McGregor became the only fighter in company history to earn eight consecutive fight-night bonuses with his bout at UFC 205 in November 2016. No other fighter has won bonuses in more than six-straight fights.
Charles Oliveira took his record submission wins total to 13. He broke Royce Gracie’s longstanding record of 10 with his win at UFC Fight Night 137 in December 2018.
Rousimar Palhares became the first in history to record five leg-lock submission victories in UFC competition.
Ronda Rousey became the first female to win a fight under the UFC banner when she defeated Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February 2013.
Urijah Faber became the only UFC Hall of Fame fighter to earn an octagon victory after being inducted when he won at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in July 2019.
Diego Sanchez became the first fighter in company history to fight to a decision 20 times in his loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC 239 in July 2019.
Neil Magny was the only fighter over the course of the decade to earn five UFC wins in a calendar year. He accomplished the feat in 2014.
Dan Henderson, 45, became the oldest fighter in company history to earn a knockout victory when he beat Hector Lombard at UFC 199 in June 2016. He owned the previous record set at 44.
Sage Northcutt, 19, became the youngest fighter in history to earn an octagon victory when he defeated Francisco Trevino at UFC 192 in October 2015.
Max Holloway, 25, became the youngest fighter in UFC history to earn 15 victories with the organization when he won at UFC 218 in December 2017. He ended the decade with 17 octagon wins.
Kelvin Gastelum, 21, became the youngest winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show when he won Season 17 of the series in April 2013.
Julianna Pena became the first female winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show. She won Season 18 of the series in November 2013.
Kron Gracie became the first Gracie family member since 1994 to earn an octagon victory when he won at UFC on ESPN 1 in February 2019.
Jeremy Stephens became the only fighter in history to suffer 15 octagon losses when he was defeated by Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 235 in March 2019. He ended the decade with 16 UFC defeats.
John Lineker became the only fighter in history to miss weight for five separate UFC fights.
B.J. Penn became the only fighter in history to suffered seven consecutive octagon losses when he was defeated by Clay Guida at UFC 237 in May 2019.
Next page: Championship feats
CHAMPIONSHIP FEATS
The UFC crowned 56 new undisputed champions over the past decade.
Those 56 champions were born from 13 different countries, with nine of those getting their first titleholder. The United States had the most title wins, with 32 of the 56.
Jose Aldo became inaugural UFC featherweight champion when he was awarded the title at UFC 123 in November 2010.
Dominick Cruz became inaugural UFC bantamweight champion when he was awarded the title at WEC 53 in December 2010.
Demetrious Johnson became inaugural UFC flyweight champion when he defeated Joseph Benavidez to conclude a four-man tournament at UFC 152 in September 2012.
Ronda Rousey became inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion when he was awarded the title at UFC on FOX 5 in December 2012.
Carla Esparza became the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion when she defeated Rose Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in December 2014.
Germaine de Randamie became the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion when she defeated Holly Holm at UFC 208 in February 2017.
Nicco Montano became the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion when she defeated Roxanne Modafferi at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale in December 2017.
McGregor became the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016. Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo would subsequently accomplish the feat.
Cormier became the first fighter in UFC history to record successful title defense in two weight classes when he defended the heavyweight belt against Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 in November 2018 following multiple defenses at light heavyweight.
A. Silva became the first champion in UFC history to achieve 10 consecutive title defenses when he defeated Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 in July 2012.
Demetrious Johnson eventually broke Silva’s mark when he recorded his 11th consecutive defense in a win over Ray Borg at UFC 216 in October 2017.
Jon Jones finally broke Tito Ortiz’s longstanding record for most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses when he recorded his sixth with a defense against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September 2013.
Stipe Miocic became the first heavyweight champion in history to earn three consecutive title defenses when he defeated Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 in January 2018. Four other champions were previously tied at two defenses.
Michael Bisping earned a UFC championship in his 26th octagon appearance at UFC 199 in June 2016, the most bouts it’s ever taken for a fighter to claim a belt.
Georges St-Pierre became the first UFC champion to voluntarily vacate his belt since Frank Shamrock in November 1999 when he walked away from the welterweight title in December 2013.
St-Pierre returned and set a new mark for most victories in UFC championship fights with his 13th at UFC 217 in November 2017. Jones would later tie that record with a win at UFC 239 in July 2019.
Rousey’s 14-second submission of Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in February 2015 marked the fastest submission in title-fight history.
Rousey vs. Zingano at UFC 184 marked the only title fight in company history to feature zero strikes landed by either competitor.
Rousey’s streak of six consecutive stoppage wins in championship fights, capped off against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in August 2015, is the longest title-fight finishing streak in company history.
McGregor’s 13-second knockout of Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015 marked the fastest title-fight stoppage company history.
Cejudo became the only fighter in history to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC championship when he claimed the flyweight title at UFC 227 in August 2018.
Robbie Lawler became the first in history to force a UFC title to change hands by split decision when he defeated Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 in December 2014.
Kamaru Usman outlanded Tyron Woodley by a margin of 336-60 (+275) in total strikes at UFC 235 in March 2019, the company record for largest disparity in a championship fight.
Next page: In-fight feats
IN-FIGHT FEATS
Renan Barao set the record for most consecutive takedown attempts defended when he put together a streak of 32 over 13 fights from May 2011-September 2016.
Edson Barboza earned the first spinning wheel kick knockout in company history when he defeated Terry Etim at UFC 142 in January 2012.
Barboza became the only fighter in history with knockout finishes stemming from a head kick, body punch, body kick, leg kicks and flying knee.
Vitor Belfort became the only fighter in history to with three consecutive head-kick knockout victories when he won at UFC on FX 7, UFC on FX 8 and UFC Fight Night 32, all in 2013.
Travis Browne became the only fighter in history to record two knockouts stemming from standing elbow strikes when he when won at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale and UFC 168, both in 2013.
Colby Covington attempted 533 total strikes against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 in August 2019, the single-fight company record.
Frankie Edgar became the only fighter in history to suffer three knockdowns in a single round and not lose the fight. The feat occurred in his draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 in January 2011.
Edgar became the only fighter in history to log more than seven hours of UFC fight time.
Edgar’s record streak without a UFC stoppage loss was ended at 6:32:33 of cage time when he suffered a knockout against Brian Ortega at UFC 222 in March 2018.
Josh Emmett became the first in history to score four knockdowns in a round when he defeated Felipe Arantes at UFC Fight Night 118 in October 2017.
Justin Gaethje became the only fighter in history to land 100 or more significant strikes in each of his first three fights with the company.
Holloway landed 290 significant strikes against Ortega at UFC 231 in December 2018, the single-fight company record.
Holloway and Ortega combined for 400 significant strikes landed at UFC 231, the single-fight company record.
Holloway landed 100 or more significant strikes in 10 separate fights, the most such performances in company history. No one else has more than seven such performances.
Holly Holm became the first female fighter in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a head kick when she defeated Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015.
Anthony Johnson became the only fighter in history to earn five knockout victories in less than one minute each.
D. Johnson earned the latest submission in company history when he tapped out Kyoji Horiguchi at the 4:59 mark of Round 5 at UFC 186 in April 2015.
Chan Sung Jung earned the first twister submission in UFC history at UFC Fight Night 24 in March 2011. Bryce Mitchell earned the only such finish afterward at UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019.
Dong Hyun Kim landed the first spinning elbow knockout in history when he defeated John Hathaway at The Ultimate Fighter: China Finale in March 2014.
Nikita Krylov earned the fastest head kick knockout in history when he stopped Walt Harris in 25 seconds at UFC on FOX 10 in January 2014.
Derrick Lewis became the first in history to have his first eight octagon appearances end in a knockout when he fought Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Fight Night 86 in April 2016.
Lewis and Francis Ngannou combined for 31 total strikes landed at UFC 226 in July 2018, the second fewest in a three-round UFC fight behind Jens Pulver vs. Joao Roque (23) at UFC 26 in June 2000.
Lewis’ knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 in October 2018 despite a -82 significant strike differential marked the greatest statistical striking comeback in company history.
Hector Lombard became the only fighter in company history to be disqualified for illegal strikes after the bell when he lost to C.B. Dollaway at UFC 222 in March 2018.
Jorge Masvidal broke the longstanding mark for fastest knockout in company history when he stopped Ben Askren in five seconds at UFC 239 in July 2019.
Miocic landed 361 total strikes against Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 65 in May 2015, the single-fight record in company history.
Aleksei Oleinik earned the only two Ezekiel choke victories in history when he submitted Viktor Pesta at UFC Fight Night 103 in January 2017 and Junior Albini at UFC 224 in May 2018.
Yair Rodriguez earned the latest knockout in company history when he stopped Chan Sung Jung at the 4:59 mark of Round 5 at UFC Fight Night 139 in November 2018.
Rousey earned the fastest submission company history with her 14-second victory over Zingano at UFC 184 in February 2015.
Ovince Saint Preux achieved four of the six Von Flue choke submissions in company history. He’s the only fighter in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce combined history to earn more than one.
Ben Saunders earned the first omoplata submission victory in history against Chris Heatherly at UFC Fight Night 49 in August 2014.
A. Silva earned the first knockout in history stemming from a front kick when he stopped Belfort at UFC 126 in February 2011.
Andre Soukhamthath became the only fighter in history to suffer a decision loss despite scoring three knockdowns of his opponent when he was defeated by Alejandro Perez at UFC Fight Night 114 in August 2017.
J. Stephens tied the single-fight knockdown record, set by Forrest Petz vs. Sam Morgan at UFC Fight Night 6 in 2006, when he dropped Gilbert Melendez five times at UFC 215 in September 2017.
Gain Villante became the only fighter in history to absorb 100 or more significant strikes in three consecutive bouts.
Villante became the first fighter in UFC history to fight to four consecutive split decision results.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
