Fight Facts: UFC Fight Night 250 ‘Adesanya vs. Imavov’

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: 8,020
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 719

The Ultimate Fighting Championship cruised into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its first of several shows in the Middle East this year. The fairly solid Fight Night offering on paper brought something for everyone, although the action left a bit to be desired. UFC Fight Night 250, also known as UFC Saudi Arabia, featured a torch violently passed at 185 pounds, an old dog who still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and lightweight that must have something against judges.

Nouveau Challenger Approaching: Nassourdine Imavov made relatively short work of Israel Adesanya in the main attraction, knocking out the former champ 30 seconds into the second round. This marks the shortest Octagon time for Imavov in a single fight, a far cry from a career that started on the regional circuit with seven first-round stoppages.

King of the Hill No Longer: While he was ultimately unsuccessful, the appearance was Adesanya’s 14th in a UFC headliner. He ties Michael Bisping for the fifth-most in organizational history, with all of the names on the list trailing Anderson Silva’s 21.

Nightmarish Health Condition: Moving back to middleweight to outwork Sharabutdin Magomedov, Michael Page returned to the division he introduced himself to when competing for Super Fight League nearly 12 years ago. At that time, 19 of the other 21 fighters on the billing had yet to make their pro debuts.

Booooooo: In a lackluster decision, Sergei Pavlovich prevailed over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The Russian that sports all 15 of his stoppage wins in the first round saw his finish rate fall to 79%.

A Rare Loss for the Name: Springing the upset over Said Nurmagomedov, Vinicius Oliveira outgrappled his grappling-centric foe over the course of three rounds. Two of the four career decision wins for “LokDog” have come in the Octagon, with the others scattered through his other 18 outings.

Streets of Ziam: Picking up the win on the scorecards over Mike Davis, Fares Ziam extended his win streak to five. The Frenchman has reached the third round in his last 11 victories dating back to 2018.

Bahraini Bomber: With one punch, Shamil Gaziev leveled Thomas Petersen to put himself on a win streak. The finish rate for the KHK MMA competitor elevated to 86% with the win, with nine of 12 coming in Round 1.

Any Way He Wants It: Celebrating eight victories by knockout and another eight by submission, Terrance McKinney evened his distribution of stoppage by drumming out Damir Hadzovic on the canvas. He has yet to hear the final bell after 23 pro outings.

Leisurely Beatdown: At Cage Fury FC 81 in 2020, Jasmine Jasudavicius wrecked Gabriella Gulfin with knees in the first round. Since then, the Canadian’s last 12 appearances have reached the third round or later following her one-sided win over Mayra Bueno Silva.

Graduation Day: Lifting his stoppage rate to 80% in his UFC debut, Bogdan Grad introduced himself to the masses by pummeling Lucas Alexander with elbows and punches. Getting the finish at 4:22 of the second stanza, it is the latest he has ever put an opponent away in his career.

Technically That: Egyptian heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab started his career with five knockouts, and joined the roster in 2022. After a decision that led to a failed drug test and a no contest, his split call over Jamal Pogues is officially the first decision win or loss as a pro.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC Fight Night 250, Magomedov had never been defeated (15 pro fights), Ofli had never dropped consecutive bouts (15 fights) and no woman had prevailed in the Octagon in Saudi Arabia (Jasudavicius).

John Kay or Bust: Every five years dating back to 2015, one fighter has selected a song by Steppenwolf for use in the UFC. Ildemar Alcantara was the first, Brendan Allen the second and Jasudavicius the third, when she picked “Magic Carpet Ride.” The Canadian went on to win, like Allen did in 2020.

Heartbreak Hotel: Numerous competitors have selected songs from Elvis Presley’s catalogue before entering the Octagon. Petersen went with “Jailhouse Rock” and came up short, lowering the UFC win percentage of “The King” to .214.