Fight Facts: UFC 294 ‘Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 7,393
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 668

The Ultimate Fighting Championship could not stick the landing with its blockbuster show, as even the dramatic final result did not save an otherwise rough spectacle. Rules seemed optional, fouls ran rampant and Dundasso was on full display. UFC 294 featured the likely crowning of the pound-for-pound king, a deflating fall from grace for man who once held that spot and a letter of the day.

Where’d the Doctor Get His Degree? Two different matches ended via no contest in the cage after an illegal knee to a grounded opponent and an accidental groin kick. This makes UFC 294 the first card since UFC Fight Night 187 in 2021 to feature multiple no contests.

V Here! Get Your Letter V! Nine different competitors with surnames ending in the letter “v” appeared during the event. Of those nine, just one lost: Muin Gafurov, but he was facing Said Nurmagomedov.

Islammed: Destroying Alexander Volkanovski in the first round, Islam Makhachev picked up his eighth finish as a UFC lightweight. Just eight 155ers in company history have recorded more stoppages than the champ, with Jim Miller’s 15 holding the top spot.

Drove His Chevy to the Levy: Not counting his 160-pound battle with Bobby Green, Makhachev has now amassed a win streak of 12 in a row at lightweight. This ties the divisional record also held by Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Makh Two: With his belt on the line for the second time, Makhachev is now one of six men to ever defend the lightweight strap on multiple occasions. The record is three, held by B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson and Nurmagomedov.

Low Voltage: Volkanovski suffered his first stoppage loss since facing Corey Nelson in May 2013. At that time, just 11 of the other 25 fighters competing at UFC 294 had made their pro debuts, while Tim Elliott was the only one on the UFC roster then.

Chim Chim Cher-ee: En route to a majority decision win, Khamzat Chimaev grounded Kamaru Usman on four separate occasions. The undefeated “Borz” becomes the first fighter in the Octagon to land more than one takedown on the former welterweight champ.

Usman Down: Usman has now lost back-to-back bouts via majority decision, and he joins Penn as the only other fighter in promotional history to lose multiple times in this fashion. He is the lone combatant in the UFC to suffer this type of consecutive defeat.

Ikrammed the Knee Through His Face: Ikram Aliskerov pounded Warlley Alves with a flying knee and follow-up punches to earn his seventh victory in a row – with six by finish. His last three wins have all come within two minutes, 10 seconds of the first round.

He Said, She Said: In 73 seconds, Nurmagomedov strangled Gafurov with a power guillotine choke. The Dagestan native unrelated to the former champ has racked up five finishes since joining the roster in 2018, tying him with several other bantamweights for the ninth-most in the division’s history.

Making a Mockery of 125: At 23 years of age, Muhammad Mokaev celebrates a 11-0 record with a no contest following his tapout of Elliott. “The Punisher” has earned four wins by submission in the UFC thus far, putting him one behind all-time flyweight leader Demetrious Johnson.

Peeking at the Cards: After starting his career with a fight ending via groin kick, Trevor Peek racked up eight straight wins by knockout. The Tennessean by way of Alabama has since fought to the final bell twice, with his decision win over Mohammad Yahya the first of his career.

Brimming with Jubilation: Staging a mighty late comeback, Mike Breeden decked Anshul Jubli in the third round. “Money” has performed 82% of his wins via knockout.

Dude, Where’s My Freys: Although she missed weight, Victora Dudakova managed to pick up a decision win over Jinh Yu Frey. The Russian woman’s record lifted to 8-0 in what was just her second victory at the hands of the judges.

Sharing is Caring: Prevailing via decision over Bruno Silva, Sharabutdin Magomedov remained perfect as a professional with 12 wins in pro MMA. “Shara Bullet” has heard the final bell just twice in those 12, and he procured stoppages in his first nine bouts.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 294, Gafurov had never been finished (23 fights), Yahya (15 fights) and Abu Azaitar (18 fights) had never lost on the scorecards and Jubli had never been defeated (seven fights).

Death Must be Easy Because Life is Hard: As one of the most commonly used walkout artists in UFC history, 50 Cent tracks have been selected at least 120 times to date in the Octagon. About a quarter of those selections are “Many Men (Wish Death),” including Breeden at UFC 294, placing its win percentage at .600 as one of the higher rates for a song used that often.

Written by Bo Diddley: In all 11 of his entrances, Nathaniel Wood has chosen “I’m a Man” by Black Strobe for his in-arena music. Even after a loss to Muhammadjon Naimov, he still posts a win percentage of .727 with the track.