The UFC returned from its holiday hiatus on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and although it wasn’t the most stacked lineup, UFC Fight Night 234 delivered seven stoppage results out of 11 bouts.
In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) produced definitive closure on his rivalry with Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), scoring a second-round knockout in their light heavyweight rematch to potentially set himself up for a championship opportunity.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 234.
Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $159,500.
Debuting fighters went 1-2 at the event.
Ankalaev, Jim Miller, Bruno Ferreira and Marcus McGhee earned $50,000 UFC Fight Night 234 fight-night bonuses.
The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC Fight Night 234, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate.
Betting favorites went 8-3 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 1-0 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:49:17.
Magomed Ankalaev def. Johnny Walker
Ankalaev’s 12-fight UFC unbeaten streak at light heavyweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Ankalaev’s 12-fight UFC unbeaten streak at light heavyweight is the second-longest in divisional history behind Jon Jones (18).
Ankalaev has earned all six of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Walker fell to 4-5 with one no contest in his past 10 fights dating back to November 2019.
Walker has suffered six of his eight career losses by stoppage.
Walker has suffered all three of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.
Jim Miller def. Gabriel Benitez
Miller’s (37-17 MMA, 26-16 UFC) 26 victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Miller’s 23 victories in UFC lightweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Miller’s 18 stoppage victories in UFC competition are second-most in company history behind Charles Oliveira (20).
Miller’s 16 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are most in divisional history.
Miller’s 48 submission attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
Miller’s 12 submission victories in UFC competition are second-most in company history behind Oliveira (15).
Miller’s 10 submission victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Oliveira for most in divisional history.
Miller’s 14 fight-night bonuses for UFC lightweight bouts are tied with Donald Cerrone for second-most in divisional history behind Joe Lauzon (15).
Mario Bautista def. Ricky Simon
Mario Bautista’s (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the second-longest active streak in the division behind Merab Dvalishvili (eight).
Brunno Ferreira def. Phil Hawes
Brunno Ferreira (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all 11 of his career victories by stoppage.
Phil Hawes’ (12-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2022.
Hawes fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to November 2021.
Hawes has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Andrei Arlovski
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision.
Andrei Arlovski (34-23 MMA, 23-17 UFC) fell to 13-13 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.
Arlovski’s 17 losses in UFC competition are tied for third-most in company history behind Jeremy Stephens (18) and Clay Guida (18).
Preston Parsons def. Matthew Semelsberger
Preston Parsons (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Matthew Semelsberger’s (11-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2022.
Semelsberger fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2022.
Semelsberger has suffered four of his five UFC losses by decision.
Marcus McGhee def. Gaston Bolanos
Marcus McGhee (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all nine of his career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Gaston Bolanos (7-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by stoppage.
Bolanos suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Farid Basharat def. Taylor Lapilus
Farid Basharat (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned two of his three UFC victories by decision.
Taylor Lapilus (19-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
Lapilus has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
Jean Silva def. Westin Wilson
Jean Silva (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 11 of his 12 career victories by stoppage.
Westin Wilson (16-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered seven of his nine career losses by stoppage.
Wilson has suffered both of his UFC losses by knockout.
Nikolas Motta def. Tom Nolan
Nikolas Motta (14-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all 10 of his career stoppage victories by knockout. That includes both of his UFC wins.
Tom Nolan (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Joshua Van def. Felipe Bunes
Joshua Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage.
Felipe Bunes (13-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
