Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 36 ‘Blachowicz vs. Rakic’

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: 6,629
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 605

The Ultimate Fighting Championship swung back to Las Vegas for a three-show stay at its headquarters of the UFC Apex before it heads far East. This ESPN-to-ESPN2 fight card cruised with a solid enough fare, although it ended late despite the trim billing. UFC on ESPN 36 featured a remarkable distinction for a top flyweight contender, a comic book-style clash that was violent for as long as it lasted and the continuation of bad luck for heavy fighters.

Cecil Peoples Cringed Watching: The main event between Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic ended anticlimactically with a knee injury suffered by the Austrian. This event is the first to end via injury since UFC 264 in 2021, when Conor McGregor snapped his leg after kicks and checks from Dustin Poirier.

Marvel Demands a Rematch: Before the midpoint of the opening round, Ryan Spann snagged a guillotine choke to put Ion Cutelaba away. “Superman” defeated “The Hulk” and advanced his career finish rate to 85% in the process.

Dangerous is Right: By smiting Louis Smolka early into Round 3, “Dangerous” Davey Grant rebounded from a losing streak and boosted his overall stoppage rate to 86%. His last three victories have all come by clean knockout.

Was It the Best Fight That Night? After 15 close minutes of action, Katlyn Chookagian snagged a split decision win over Amanda Ribas. The “Fight of the Night” honors going to the two flyweights, Chookagian earned her first post-fight bonus check in her 15th UFC bout.

Chook by Decision Is a Safe Bet: The victory was Chookagian’s 11th on the roster, and all 11 have come on the scorecards. She is the only fighter in UFC history to ever amass this win total without recording a single finish.

Efficient to a T: In the women’s flyweight division, Chookagian claimed the lead spot, tied it or exceeded her own record for the following categories: most fights (12, tied), most wins (nine), most decision victories (nine) and highest significant strike total (790).

Loco for Cocoa Puffs: Manuel Torres made his successful promotional debut by knocking Frank Camacho out in Round 1. “El Loco” has not gone the distance since 2018, for a span of eight straight fights that have ended in the first round, win or lose.

The Blonde Hair Did It: By a clear-cut decision, Allan Nascimento picked up his first UFC win over Jake Hadley. The teammate of former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira lowered his career stoppage rate to 79% with the win, and he has alternated wins and losses in his seven fights.

Atrocious Cornering Advice: Although she lost on the scorecards, Andrea Lee dropped Viviane Araujo in the first round to record her first knockdown in the Octagon. Only four women’s flyweights have ever secured more than one knockdown under the UFC banner, and the record of three stands with Taila Santos and Ariane Lipski.

The Old Menace Form: Michael Johnson knocked Alan Patrick out cold with a barrage of punches, during which he also clocked in with his 10th knockdown as a UFC lightweight. The only two UFC fighters to knock down more opponents at 155 pounds are Donald Cerrone (11) and Melvin Guillard (13).

Take a Step Back in Competition: Outworking Angela Hill over three rounds, Virna Jandiroba handed Hill her 12th career loss. Every one of Hill’s defeats has come in the UFC, extending her lead for the most in women’s divisional history.

Durable Yet Unsuccessful: Of her 12 setbacks inside the Octagon, 10 for Hill been by decision. Regardless of gender, Hill is tied with Jim Miller for the second-most losses on the scorecards, and Jeremy Stephens’ 12 stands alone as the most in organizational history.

A New Hope for Japan: Born in 2000, Tatsuro Taira upped his unbeaten record to 11-0 as a pro by taking a decision over Carlos Candelario. The win snapped a three-fight submission streak for the prospect out of Japan, while maintaining the 125er’s finish rate at a decent 73%.

A Welcomed Trend Continuing: Before their rescheduled flyweight pairing, Candelario missed weight by half a pound against Taira. Of the 10 fighters to officially miss weight this year, the heavy fighter has only prevailed twice, following Candelario’s loss to Taira.

He Said He Was the Best Wrestler: In 76 seconds, Andre Petroski snatched up an anaconda choke and put Nick Maximov to sleep. The “TUF 29” semifinalist retained his flawless 100% finish rate in victory, with exactly half his wins coming by submission and the other half via knockout.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 36, Rakic had never been knocked out (16 fights), Ribas had never lost on the scorecards (13 fights) and Hadley (eight fights) and Maximov (eight fights) had never been defeated.

Grant Me Revenge! Ahead of his triumphant headliner, Blachowicz changed his walkout tune to “Anvil of Crom” as composed by Basil Poledouris, also known as the main theme from “Conan the Barbarian.” The only other fighter in company history to pick this music is Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch, who often won when accompanied to this powerful track.

Time-Lagged vs. Cross-Sectional Curse Studies: In the last year, Torres became the second fighter to win when walking out to a track featuring Eminem, as he picked “Last Kings” by Snoop Dogg and a number of artists including Eminem. Andre Muniz is the only other to do so, picking up a win over Eryk Anders at the end of 2021, while several others have tasted defeat.

Get That Yoko Stuff Outta There: With “Power to the People” by John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band playing behind him, Taira emerged to the cage and subsequently beat Candelario. Before Taira, the lone competitor to use John Lennon as a walkout artist is Jeff Monson, who famously selected “Imagine” before his match with Tim Sylvia in 2006.