This article is part of our Fight Stat Wrap series.
The lackluster main event will almost certainly be what everyone remembers about the UFC's most recent trip to Sao Paulo. Jan Blachowicz picked up yet another victory in the light heavyweight division over former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. However, the way he won is unlikely to inspire very much interest. The rest of the main card was a mix of advancing prospects and developing veterans. The following is a by-the-numbers recap that highlights the stats and milestones that stood out on the main card, with stats courtesy of UFCStats.com.
Jan Blachowicz wins slow striking match against "Jacare"
This fight was a real slog. "Jacare" could not get the fight on the ground, so it basically became a tepid kickboxing fight. Blachowicz never really got into a rhythm and landed only 70 significant strikes. Fortunately for him, that was more than enough to take the decision here. Souza failed on all five of his takedown attempts and landed only 20 significant strikes. He finished with under 10 landed significant strikes in all five rounds and landed only two total in the last two rounds. Blachowicz is now riding an impressive streak at light heavyweight, but this victory will likely not inspire very much enthusiasm for putting him in a marquee fight.
Even though this was a five-round fight, Blachowicz finished with only 65.5 points on DraftKings. The scores shows just how uneventful this main event really was on Saturday.
Mauricio Rua and Paul Craig fight to questionable draw
Rua probably has reason to gripe with the judges' call here. Craig blasted him early in the fight and outlanded Rua 31 to seven in the opening round. However, Rua held top position over the next two rounds and likely did enough to take the decision. Despite that, it was not a very strong performance for the former Pride FC star. His 25 landed significant strikes were his lowest total ever in a decision fight. Craig also showed odd tactics by going to the ground in the final round when he appeared to have the edge standing.
Draws are particularly damaging to a DraftKings lineup. Neither fighter took home a win bonus, and therefore both scores were low. Craig finished with only 33.5 points, while Rua earned players 20.5 points.
Charles Oliveira makes quick work of Jared Gordon
Through his first 23 fights in the UFC, Oliveira did not have a KO/TKO victory. He now has back-to-back wins via striking stoppage. He needed less than a minute and a half to stop Gordon, and his two TKO victories have come on only 48 significant strikes. Oliveira is still dangerous on the ground and in the grappling game, but performances like this show that he has been learning on the job and might continue to do so.
Oliveira was one of only two fights to win via first-round stoppage on the night. He finished with 105 points, which was the third-highest score of the night on DraftKings. The only fighters to finish ahead of his were James Krause (134) and Ricardo Ramos (108).
Andre Muniz edges Antonio Arroyo but has room for improvement
This was a close fight in terms of striking. Arroyo actually outlanded Muniz 29 to 22 overall on significant strikes. However, Muniz was able to have the edge thanks to his wrestling. He was persistent with seven attempts and landed three takedowns. Oh his 85 landed total strikes only 22 were declared significant strikes. If he wants to be successful against higher level opponents, he will need to find a way to land meaningful strikes on the floor.
Muniz finished with 62 points on DraftKings. He was one of six fighters on the night to win and still finish with under 70 points. It was yet another night of low scores.
Wellington Turman outperforms his stats against Markus Perez
Turman showed some solid grappling in this fight, but it really didn't come across in the stats. He scored two of his nine takedown attempts and registered only a single pass on the floor. Perez actually took the significant striking edge 49 to 48 overall, but he pretty clearly lost all three rounds.
Turman finished with only 67 points on DraftKings. He was one of seven fighters to win a decision on the night, and he finished tied for the second highest score among that group.
