UFC Fight Night 221 pre-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili best takedown artist in bantamweight history
The UFC’s busy March schedule rolls on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which takes place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas with a lineup that streams entirely on ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight contenders collide. Former UFC champion Petr Yan (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will attempt to snap a two-fight losing skid when he takes on the streaking Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who has won his past eight consecutive bouts inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 221.
Petr Yan
Petr Yan
Yan enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t arena a victory since October 2021.
Yan became the first fighter in UFC history to lose a title by disqualification against Sterling at UFC 259.
Yan is one of two fighters in UFC history to hold the interim and undisputed bantamweight titles. Renan Barao also accomplished the feat.
Yan’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Vera for most in divisional history.
Yan and Cory Sandhagen combined for 318 significant strikes landed at UFC 267, the second most in a single bantamweight fight behind Vera vs. Rob Font (430) at UFC on ESPN 35.
Yan lands 56.4 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the fourth-highest rate in divisional history behind Montel Jackson (75.9 percent), Brad Pickett (61.9 percent) and Matthew Lopez (60 percent).
Yan defends 90.1 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC bantamweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the second-longest active streak in the division behind Aljamain Sterling (eight).
Dvalishvili has earned 11 of his 15 career victories by decision. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.
Dvalishvili’s 50 takedowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are most in divisional history.
Dvalishvili is one of two fighters in history to land 10 or more takedowns in three separate UFC bouts. Demetrious Johnson also accomplished the feat.
Dvalishvili out-landed Marlon Moraes by 212 total strikes at UFC 266, the largest differential in a single UFC/WEC bantamweight bout.
Alexander Volkov vs. Alexandr Romanov
Alexander Volkov
[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is a former Bellator heavyweight champion.
Volkov has earned 26 of his 35 career victories by stoppage.
Volkov has earned all five of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned 15 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 11 of those wins in Round 1.
Romanov absorbs just 1.35 significant strikes per minute in UFC heavyweight competition, the third-lowest rate in divisional history behind Jon Madsen (1.18) and Ricco Rodriguez (1.31).
Romanov lands 62.1 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the third-best rate in divisional history behind Serghei Spivac (65.9 percent) and Cheick Kongo (63.2 percent).
Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann
Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (28-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) is 4-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018.
Krylov is 13-6 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in March 2014.
Krylov has earned 26 of his 28 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 21 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has earned 18 of his 21 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 16 of those wins in Round 1.
Krylov’s 25-second knockout at UFC on FOX 10 marked the second-fastest finish stemming from a head kick in UFC history behind Abdul Razak Alhassan’s 17-second win at UFC on ESPN 30.
Ricardo Ramos vs. Austin Lingo
Ricardo Ramos
[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is 3-2 since he moved up to the featherweight division in November 2019.
Ramos is the only fighter in UFC history to earn multiple knockout victories stemming from a spinning back elbow.
Ramos has earned two of the five spinning back elbow knockouts in UFC history. Dong Hyun Kim, Jiri Prochazka and Molly McCann also accomplished the feat.
Raphael Assuncao vs. Davey Grant
Raphael Assuncao
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 12-6 UFC) competes in his 18th UFC bantamweight bout, tied with Pedro Munhoz for the most appearances in divisional history.
Assuncao is 12-5 since he dropped to the UFC bantamweight division in August 2011.
Assuncao’s 12 victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Marlon Moraes for third-most in divisional history behind Aljamain Sterling (13) and T.J. Dillashaw (13).
Assuncao’s nine decision victories in UFC bantamweight competition are most in divisional history.
Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earned a submission victory by triangle-armbar combination. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 212.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage. He has finished all of those opponents inside the first round.
Ariane Lipski vs. JJ Aldrich
Ariane Lipski
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (14-8 MMA, 3-5 UFC) has scored three knockdowns in UFC women’s flyweight competition, tied with Taila Santos for most in divisional history.
[autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is 4-3 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.
Aldrich has earned all seven of her UFC victories by decision.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
