UFC statistics range from simple statistics, such as strikes landed by a fighter in one fight, to more complex stats such as the number of strikes absorbed by a fighter across a five-fight span. The UFC has been around since 1993. In that time, the promotion has kept track of some fascinating and surprising stats. Continue reading to find out about 10 surprising UFC stats.
UFC Statistics: Most UFC Finishes
The UFC features most of the best fighters in the world, so wins by submission or KO/TKO are fairly common. One might expect that the fighter with the most UFC finishes is in one of the higher weight classes. This is not the case. Charles Oliveira, the former UFC lightweight champion, has the record for most UFC finishes with 20.
Additionally, Oliveira has the most submission wins in UFC history with 16. Oliveira is one of the most dangerous fighters in UFC history and deserves proper recognition for this.
Most Total Fight Time
Some UFC fighters manage to stick around in the promotion for quite some time and have many fights. As a result, there are some long-time UFC veterans with quite a bit of total fight time in the UFC. The record for total UFC fight time belongs to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. He has spent eight hours, 41 minutes, and 49 seconds fighting in the UFC thus far.
Dos Anjos is still active, having lost against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 in March 2024. He could still extend this record. The closest active fighter to Dos Anjos’s record is former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, though he still has about 50 fewer minutes of UFC fight time so far. It is remarkable that Dos Anjos has spent so much time in the Octagon.
Shortest Average Fight Time
By contrast, some UFC fighters don’t spend too long in the Octagon per fight. The fighter with the current record for the shortest average fight time is UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall’s average fight time is only two minutes, 10 seconds. Aspinall maintained his reputation for quick fights by finishing Sergei Pavlovich in one minute, nine seconds in the first round. That won Aspinall the UFC interim heavyweight title.
Sergei Pavlovich is second in terms of shortest average fight time, with only two minutes, 13 seconds per fight on average. It is unsurprising to see two heavyweights at the top of this list, considering the rate of finishes in the UFC heavyweight division.
UFC Statistics: Longest Average Fight Time
Some fighters spend very little time in the Octagon per fight, but some fighters tend to have longer fights. The fighter with the longest average fight time is Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She spent an average of 18 minutes and 37 seconds in the Octagon per fight across her Hall of Fame career. She retired in 2022 after a knockout loss to current UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
However, the active fighter with the longest average fight time is Dominick Cruz. Cruz’s average fight time in the UFC is 18 minutes and 20 seconds. Cruz is semi-retired now and former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya ranks third in longest average fight time. Adesanya’s UFC fights last 18 minutes and 16 seconds on average.
Most Ground Control Time
The UFC has seen some dominant wrestlers over its more than 30 years in existence. As such, some fighters have racked up quite a bit of ground control time over the course of their careers. Georges St-Pierre, the former UFC welterweight champion and former UFC middleweight champion, stands above all others in this statistic, though. St-Pierre accumulated two hours, 42 minutes, and four seconds of ground control time in his UFC career.
Clay Guida ranks second in UFC control time, with two hours, 36 minutes, and 28 seconds. Considering Guida’s age, he likely won’t surpass GPS’s ground control time record. It is still technically possible, though.
Least Time Spent in Bottom Position
It is usually best for a fighter to avoid being in bottom position on the ground. As a result, a number of UFC fighters have barely spent any time in bottom position. Tom Aspinall currently holds the record for least time spent in bottom position. Aspinall has only spent one second in bottom position in his UFC career so far.
UFC Statistics: Most Knockdowns Landed
Naturally, the UFC has seen its fair share of excellent strikers. There are a number of UFC fighters with more than 10 knockdowns landed. However, former UFC fighter Donald Cerrone has the most knockdowns landed in UFC history with 20. Among active fighters, Edson Barboza ranks first for knockdowns landed with 16,
Most Significant Strikes Landed
Part of what makes a fighter a top-tier striker is significant strike accuracy. Some fighters have been extremely accurate with their significant strikes. One man stands far above the rest, though. Max Holloway has the record for most significant strikes landed in UFC history, with an absurd 3,378 significant strikes landed so far in his UFC career. No other UFC fighter even has 2,000 significant strikes landed.
Highest Significant Strike Accuracy
Speaking of significant strike accuracy, Max Holloway isn’t the record-holder for that statistic. Alistair Overeem has the highest significant strike accuracy in UFC history, landing 74.3% of his significant strikes. Among active UFC fighters, Tatiana Suarez has the highest significant strike accuracy with 64%.
Current UFC light heavyweight and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira ranks second among active UFC fighters in terms of significant strike accuracy. Pereira has landed 62.8% of his significant strikes. That is one reason why he has enjoyed so much success in his relatively short UFC career thus far.
Best Takedown Defense Rate
As mixed martial arts has evolved, most fighters have become well-rounded. That includes successfully defending takedowns. The fighter with the best takedown defense rate is one you might not have heard of before now. Julio Arce, who currently fights in the UFC featherweight division, has the record for best takedown defense rate at 96.2%. Current UFC heavyweight and former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones ranks second in takedown defense rate at 95%.
UFC Statistics: More Cool Sports Stats Are On the Way
Those were 10 surprising and interesting UFC stats. The best takedown defense rate, most total fight time, and most knockdowns landed stats were particularly surprising. Visit our site again soon for more interesting sports statistics articles.