Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 46 ‘Kara-France vs. Albazi’

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: 7,164
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 649

The Ultimate Fighting Championship began its run of potentially four months of consecutive Saturday coverage in the UFC Apex, starting with a show that had its moments. A few names stood out, and several vets showed they still have plenty left in the tank. UFC on ESPN 46 featured a record win for a mulleted veteran, a new takedown leader at 125 pounds and a rough look for an OG known as “The Pit Bull.”

Sour Note: After five rounds of action, Amir Albazi snagged a controversial split decision over Kai Kara-France. It marked just the third time in his career that he had ever prevailed on the scorecards, lowering his finish rate to 82% in the process.

Turned a Corner: Alex Caceres defeated Daniel Pineda to earn his 11th victory as a UFC featherweight. This ties him with Ricardo Lamas for the fourth-most in the division’s history. They trail Cub Swanson (13), Darren Elkins (16) and Max Holloway (19).

Finish or Bust: “Bruce Leeroy” needed all three rounds to overcome Pineda. Across Pineda’s 36-fight career spanning over 16 years, every time he has gone to the judges, he has lost.

Hall of Very Good: In less than 30 seconds, Jim Miller blasted Jesse Butler to score his 25th victory as a UFC fighter. He extends his own record by getting his hand raised once again.

Jared Gordon Dodged a Bullet: The stoppage came at the 23-second mark, good for the fastest finish the 54-fight career of “A-10.” The longtime vet had never notched a stoppage faster than 58 seconds before.

Fight Matt Brown Next: The appearance for Miller was his 42nd on the roster, which puts more distance between the rest of the active pack while keeping up with fellow UFC on ESPN 46 competitor Andrei Arlovski (40).

Old Man Strength Blossoming: Securing the knockout, Miller claimed his 17th win inside the distance since joining the organization back in 2008. The only man with more is Charles Oliveira, who celebrates 19 including one over Miller.

Enough for a New Haircut: Over the years, Miller has racked up 14 post-fight bonuses. This ties him with Anderson Silva for the fifth-most in promotional history. Donald Cerrone and Oliveira both share the lead with the most, at 18 apiece.

Miller’s Book: At lightweight alone, Miller also maintains the following records: most fights (39), most wins (22), most stoppages (15), second-most submissions (nine) and third-most bonuses (13). His total fight time at 155 pounds over six hours and 19 minutes is also the highest in the category by nearly an hour.

Elliott Has Won Four of Five Now: Across his two stints with the organization, Tim Elliott has now competed 17 times as a flyweight, following his decision win over Victor Altamirano. The only man with more fights in the weight class is Joseph Benavidez (19).

Frantic Fists Flying: While Demetrious Johnson holds the significant strike record at flyweight by several hundred, by Elliott landing 153 total strikes on Altamirano, he passed Johnson for overall strikes at 125 pounds with 1,715 for the top spot.

Includes Four on Mighty Mouse: Elliott also procured six takedowns against Altamirano, giving him 58 in total as a 125-pound UFC fighter. He and Johnson are now tied for the most in the history of the weight class. The next closest active fighter is Brandon Moreno (25).

No Hyperextension, Just Devastation: To keep her finish rate at 100%, Karine Silva torqued Ketlen Souza’s knee to pull off an unorthodox lateral kneebar. The 29-year-old has performed 12 of those 16 stoppages in the opening round.

Go for the Heel: With the unusual move now on her ledger, Silva becomes the fifth female fighter in organizational history to land a leg-based submission on her opponent. All five have come in some variation of kneebar.

The King of Kong: In the second round, Don'Tale Mayes clocked Andrei Arlovski with a right hand to put the former champ away. “Lord Kong” boosted his pro finish rate to 70% with the win, and just two of his career stoppages have come in the opening frame.

Busy Belarusian: Although he suffered a loss, Arlovski entered into his 40th pro fight as a UFC heavyweight. While Frank Mir fought 27 times in the promotion, Derrick Lewis is the next closest still competing with 26.

Slice of Silver Lining: Landing 24 significant strikes before getting stopped, Arlovski added to his record total to amass 1,453 overall. He holds over 500 more than the next closest active fighter in the promotion, Alexander Volkov (923).

Sun’s Getting Real Low: Losing by knockout once again, Arlovski has now been stopped with strikes eight times as a member of the UFC roster. This ties five other fighters including Alistair Overeem and Mir for the most in the history of the company.

Tajikistand Up: While countryman Muin Gafurov was unsuccessful in the next match, Muhammadjon Naimov prevailed for his home country of Tajikistan by knocking out heavy favorite Jamie Mullarkey. “Hillman” debuted by boosting his pro finish rate to 78%.

Not Enough Volume: Jinh Yu Frey lost a decision to Elise Reed earlier on the prelims to drop her third straight. The Fortis MMA product has gone to decision in 13 of her 20 career fights, including five of her last six.

Let Go of the Submission: In the second round, Da'Mon Blackshear dispatched Luan Lacerda with a series of ground strikes. “Da Monster” claimed his 10th stoppage win across 13 victories, and it marked just his second with his fists.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 46, neither Kara-France (35 fights) nor Albazi (17 fights) had ever competed beyond Round 3, Abubakar Nurmagomedov had never lost on the scorecards (21 fights) and Lacerda had never been knocked out (14 fights).

Hope You Got Your Things Together: For the 20th recorded time in his UFC tenure, Miller emerged to “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The 39-year-old picked up his 13th win accompanied by that tune, with one no contest along the way.

Run on for a Long Time: Two fighters walked out to Johnny Cash tracks at this event: Butler introduced himself by walking out to “Ain’t No Grave” and Arlovski switched back to an old favorite of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” Both men lost by knockout.