UFC on ESPN 47 pre-event facts: Kevin Lee returns with records intact
The UFC’s rampant summer schedule continued on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 47, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.
Opening a four-event lineup in July will be a middleweight headliner between Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who are scheduled for five rounds.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s prevent facts about UFC on ESPN 47.
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Sean Strickland
Strickland is one of 17 fighters in history to earn victories in three UFC weight classes. He’s won at light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight.
Strickland is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn victories at light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight. Ildemar Alcantara and Trevin Giles also accomplished the feat.
Strickland has earned nine of his 13 UFC victories by decision.
Strickland lands 6.01 significant strikes per minute in UFC middleweight competition, the fourth-best rate in divisional history behind Dricus Du Plessis (6.72), Paulo Costa (6.49) and Gregory Rodrigues (6.09).
Strickland defends 66.2 percent of all opponent strike attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Strickland’s two victories in a 14-day stretch at UFC Fight Night 181 and UFC Fight Night 182 are tied for the third shortest span between non-tournament UFC wins.
Abus Magomedov
Magomedov’s 19-second TKO victory in his debut at UFC Fight Night 209 is the fourth-fastest finish of any debuting fighter in middleweight history.
Magomedov has earned 15 of his career victories by first-round stoppage.
Damir Ismagulov vs. Grant Dawson
Grant Dawson (19-1-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) is 3-0-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in March 2020.
Dawson has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage.
Dawson’s knockout at the 4:59 mark of Round 3 at UFC on ESPN 21 is tied for the second latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight. Ricky Simon holds the record (5:00, Round 3) at UFC Fight Night 128.
Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto
Ariane Lipski (15-8 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has scored three knockdowns in UFC women’s flyweight competition, tied with Taila Santos for most in divisional history.
Melissa Gatto (8-1-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is one of five fighters in women’s UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a body kick. She accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 199. Joanne Calderwood, Poliana Botelho, Irene Aldana and Gina Mazany have also won with the technique.
Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
Kevin Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returns to the UFC for the first time since August 2021. He went 1-0 between stints with the promotion.
Lee is 1-2 since he moved up to the welterweight division in May 2019.
Lee has completed at least one takedown in 16 of his 18 UFC fights.
Lee’s 96 significant ground strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 128 are the second most in a single UFC fight behind Neil Magny’s 100 landed at UFC Fight Night 85.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) enters the event on an 19-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since June 2013.
Yana Santos vs. Karol Rosa
Yana Santos (14-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) returns to the women’s featherweight division for the first time since March 2018.
Santos lands 56.1 percent of her significant strike attempts in UFC women’s bantamweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Karol Rosa (56.5 percent).
Santos out-landed her opponent 215-to-35 in total strikes at UFC Fight Night 185. The +180 margin is the largest in UFC women’s bantamweight history.
Ivana Petrovic vs. Luana Carolina
Luana Carolina (8-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) defends 74.1 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC women’s flyweight competition, the third-best rate in divisional history behind Viviane Araujo (80 percent) and Santos (75 percent).
Alexandr Romanov vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Alexandr Romanov (16-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 16-0.
Romanov has earned 15 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 11 of those wins in Round 1.
Romanov absorbs 2.0 significant strikes per minute in UFC heavyweight competition, the second-lowest rate among active fighters in the weight class behind Curtis Blaydes (1.89).
Romanov lands 62.1 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the third-best rate among active fighters in the weight class behind Serghei Spivac (65.9 percent) and Blaydes (53.5 percent).
Blagoy Ivanov’s (19-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) average fight time of 16:26 in UFC heavyweight competition is the longest in divisional history.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
