Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 62 ‘Cannonier vs. Borralho’

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: 7,822
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 703

The Ultimate Fighting Championship wrapped up a seven-week run with a show tossed into the Apex as the de facto finale episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: Season 32.” The heart of the UFC was not in this event, even as fighters performed well on the main card, with UFC chief Dana White not in the building to hand out trophies to winners. UFC on ESPN 62 featured a marvelously mustached record holder, a combatant crossing the 2,000 significant strike threshold and a former kickboxer who scored a bonus the day after her knockout.

Edge of Seventeen: Caio Borralho earned the biggest win of his career by outdueling Jared Cannonier over five rounds. The Brazilian pushed his unbeaten streak to 17 in a row with his victory.

Triple Strike: As a UFC fighter, Borralho had never connected with more than 51 significant strikes en route to victory. Lumping Cannonier up with 153 sig strikes throughout their 25-minute engagement, Borralho tripled his previous best in the promotion.

Late Shark Week: Tabatha Ricci needed all three rounds to get past Angela Hill, earning the nod on all three scorecards. “Baby Shark” has fought beyond Round 1 in nine straight outings, encompassing her whole UFC run and beyond.

Fists Flying Everywhere: Hill outstruck her opponent on the feet, adding 112 significant strikes to her ledger. She has passed the 2,000 mark, becoming the third fighter in organizational history and the first woman to achieve this feat. Her 2,036 trails only Sean Strickland (2,069) and Max Holloway (3,378).

Close but No Cigars: In a close but unsuccessful effort, Hill added to her loss total of 14 with the organization. This remains the most among all women to ever set foot in the Octagon, with no other female fighter sporting more than 10 (Jessica Andrade, Jessica Eye and Randa Markos).

Cue Hill’s Disappointed Face: Of Hill’s 14 defeats, 12 have come on the scorecards. She ties Jeremy Stephens and Jim Miller for the most losses via decision in UFC history.

Who Watched the Season: Both finals ended by knockout in the second round. This is the third season of TUF, where both finalists won their bracket via knockout, joining seasons 19 (Eddie Gordon and Corey Anderson) and 30 (Mohammed Usman and Juliana Miller).

Lode Off His Mind: Ryan Loder crucified Robert Valentin and pounded him out with elbows to win the middleweight bracket of TUF. He has earned five of his seven pro victories via knockout.

Ending “Genghis Kaan”: Claiming the featherweight trophy for Season 32 of TUF, Mairon Santos crushed Kaan Ofli with one punch. “The Legend” serves as the first Brazilian to win a main season of the show—not counting TUF Brazil—since Diego Brandao on TUF 14 in 2011.

Mighty Challengers Await: It took Michael Morales less than a round to run through Neil Magny. The Ecuadorian now sports a flawless record of 17-0, with 76% of those victories coming inside the distance.

Ever the Torchbearer: In defeat, Magny made his 33rd walk to the Octagon on Saturday. He puts further space between the pack for the most at 170 pounds, with Tim Means (25) the next closest active welterweight.

Saw That Coming: Gerald Meerschaert defied the odds again, putting Edmen Shahbazyan away with an arm-triangle choke. 95% of his pro wins, including all his victories in the Octagon, have come by stoppage.

GM12: By tapping Shahbazyan, “GM3” collected his 12th finish as a UFC middleweight. He passes Anderson Silva for sole possession of the record with the most wins inside the distance at 185 pounds.

On Your Left: Eleven of Meerschaert’s 12 wins have come by submission following his arm-triangle of Shahbazyan. He adds to his division-leading total, with Brendan Allen’s six at the no. 2 spot.

Gerald Gracie: Meerschaert ties Demian Maia for the third-most submissions among all competitors to grace the UFC cage. Miller (12) and Charles Oliveira (16) are the only combatants to score more.

We All Gassed in This Fight: Before facing Jose Medina, Zachary Reese had seen all eight pro outings, win or lose, conclude before 4:13 of Round 1. Reese could not put Medina away, settling for his first win at the hands of the judges.

That Really Was His Nickname: Viacheslav Borshchev required all 15 minutes to surpass James Llontop, doing so by split decision. It marked his second decision win overall and his first since his second bout when he beat the man then known as “Anabolic” Ali Zebian.

Earned an Extra 50G on Sunday: Introducing herself to UFC brass in a big way, Cong Wang clobbered Victoria Leonardo in 62 seconds. The 32-year-old from China celebrates two first-round knockouts, two wins via choke and two triumphs by decision.

Everybody Wang Cong Tonight: Wang closed as a massive -1100 betting favorite against the +650 Leonardo. She holds the widest line for a debuting UFC fighter since Bo Nickal at -1800 thrashed Jamie Pickett (-1150) at UFC 285 in 2023.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 62, Borralho had never competed beyond the third round (18 fights), Ofli had never been finished (14 fights) and Shahbazyan had never been submitted (17 fights).

Not Enough Power: Walking out to “I’ve Got the Power” by Snap!, Cannonier became the second fighter in UFC history to use this tune. Magomed Mustafaev previously selected this against Brad Riddell in 2020, and like Cannonier, he lost by decision.

Stop Shaking, Start Sleeping: For the fifth recorded time in the Octagon, “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC played directly before a fight. Leonardo has used this four times along with Jake Matthews once, and they combine for a win percentage of .200.