The UFC returns to its home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday following three weeks on the road with UFC on ESPN 51, which saw nine of 13 fights end inside the distance.
The main event was one of few that needed the judges. Vicente Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) managed to outwork former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (33-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the welterweight bout and used a lot of grappling to get it done.
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 on ESPN 51.
Event stats
UFC on ESPN 51 featured seven first-round stoppage results, tied with eight other events for most in modern company history.
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $173,000
Debuting fighters went 2-1 at the event.
Khalil Rountree, Iasmin Lucindo, Marcus McGhee and Da'Mon Blackshear earned $51,000 UFC on ESPN 51 fight-night bonuses.
The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC on ESPN 51, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate.
Betting favorites went 9-4 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 17-11 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 1:55:14.
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Vicente Luque def. Rafael dos Anjos
Luque snapped his two-fight losing skid for his first victory since August 2021.
Luque’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fifth-most in divisional history behind Neil Magny (21), Georges St-Pierre (19), Matt Brown (17) and Matt Hughes (16).
Luque’s eight takedowns landed marked a single-fight high for his UFC career.
Dos Anjos fell to 6-6 in UFC main events.
Dos Anjos fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC welterweight division in December 2022.
Dos Anjos’ total fight time of 8:26:49 in UFC competition is the most in company history.
Dos Anjos has landed 2,594 significant strikes in UFC competition, the second-most in company history behind Max Holloway (3,366)
Dos Anjos has suffered eight of his 13 UFC losses by decision.
Cub Swanson def. Hakeem Dawodu
Cub Swanson (29-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) 19 victories in UFC/WEC featherweight competition are tied with Holloway for most in combined divisional history.
Swanson’s 14 victories in UFC featherweight competition are third-most in divisional history behind Holloway (19) and Darren Elkins (18).
Hakeem Dawodu (13-4-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
Khalil Rountree def. Chris Daukaus
Rountree’s (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Jamahal Hill and Carlos Ulberg for the longest active streak in the division.
Rountree’s 12 knockdowns landed in UFC light heavyweight competition are third-most in divisional history behind Mauricio Rua (14) and Chuck Liddell (14).
Chris Daukaus’ (12-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2021.
Daukaus was unsuccessful in his light heavyweight debut.
Daukaus has suffered all seven of his career losses by stoppage.
Daukaus has suffered all four of his UFC losses by knockout.
Iasmin Lucindo def. Polyana Viana
Lucindo (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned 11 of her 14 career victories by stoppage.
Polyana Viana (13-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has suffered both of her career stoppage losses by submission.
AJ Dobson def. Tafon Nchukwi
Tafon Nchukwi’s (6-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2021.
Josh Fremd def. Jamie Pickett
Jamie Pickett’s (13-10 MMA, 2-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2022.
Marcus McGhee def. JP Buys
McGhee (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
McGhee has earned seven of his eight career victories by knockout.
JP Buys’ (9-6 MMA, 0-4 uFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2020.
Buys suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage.
Terrance McKinney def. Mike Breeden
Terrance McKinney (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned all 14 of his career victories by stoppage.
McKinney has earned all four of his UFC victories by (first-round) stoppage.
Mike Breeden’s (10-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is he longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2021.
Breeden has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Isaac Dulgarian def. Francis Marshall
Isaac Dulgarian (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all six of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins in Round 1.
Francis Marshall (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 7-0.
Marshall suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a knockout defeat.
Martin Buday def. Josh Parisian
Martin Buday’s (13-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is the second-longest active streak in the division behind Sergei Pavlovich (six).
Buday has earned nine of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
Josh Parisian (15-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has suffered four of his seven career losses by stoppage.
Jaqueline Amorim def. Montserrat Ruiz
Jaqueline Amorim (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all seven of her career victories by stoppage.
Montserrat Conejo (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of her UFC losses by knockout.
Da'Mon Blackshear def. Jose Johnson
Blackshear (14-5-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC) has earned 11 of his 14 career victories by stoppage.
Blackshear earned just the third Twister submission finish in UFC history. Bryce Mitchell and Chan Sung Jung also accomplished the feat.
Luana Santos def. Juliana Miller
Luana Santos (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned the first knockout victory of her career.
Juliana Miller (3-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) earned the first knockout victory of her career.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
