Fight Facts: UFC Fight Night 224 ‘Aspinall vs. Tybura’

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: 7,253
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 656

The Ultimate Fighting Championship shipped off across the pond to its favorite stomping ground of the O2 Arena in London. Due in part to middling success for local competitors, the crowd seemed muted compared to past events. It all paid off at the end for the fans who put their faith in the home country headliner. UFC Fight Night 224 featured a speedster in the form of a giant, a towering new middleweight addition planting his flag in the rankings and the valiant debut of a man who calls himself “The Sluggernaut.”

No Postlims, Please: With 15 fights on the lineup, UFC Fight Night 224 tied five previous events – including the previous UFC London card this march – for the most bouts on a single card. It is the first of those six to not air stateside on pay-per-view or a major cable network.

Time Ran Over: Due to a jam-packed schedule, the UFC was forced to run a main card with seven bouts on it. This is the first show for the promotion since UFC on ESPN 42 in 2022 to feature this many main card matches.

All Was Forgiven: Atop the bill, Tom Aspinall brought the record for UK fighters competing on the card above .500 to 6-5 on the night. He did so by smoking Marcin Tybura in the first round with an elbow and follow-up punches, thereby maintaining his perfect finish rate of 100%.

Speed Kills, Who’s Buying: With 16 pro fights under his belt, the Manchester, England, representative has still yet to compete beyond 3:59 of the second round. Twelve of his 13 victories have come in the opening frame.

Needs an Aspirin: Before this headlining attraction, Aspinall brought with him an average fight time in the Octagon of 2:30, having reached five UFC bouts. This 73-second effort dropped that time down to 2:19, or one second less than the record held by inaugural HOFA inductee Drew McFedries.

A Good Trick for a Pony to Have: Lithuania’s Julija Stoliarenko silenced the London crowd by landing an armbar on Molly McCann. With 11 wins under her belt, 10 of those have come by that specific submission. All 10 occurred in the first round.

Put the Wood to Him: Over the course of three rounds, Nathaniel Wood outworked Andre Fili to secure the win on the scorecards. “The Prospect” has gone the distance in each of his last five outings, accounting for five of the seven of his career decisions.

It Worked: Successful in his new weight class, Paul Craig thrashed Andre Muniz with elbows towards the end of Round 2. “Bearjew” still sports a 100% finish rate, with three of the four knockouts on his ledger coming across his last four victories.

The Black Country Grappler: For only the fourth time in his 18-fight career, Jai Herbert left his fight in the hands of the judges, doing so when he came up short to Fares Ziam.

Time for a Step Up: By topping Joshua Culibao after three rounds of combat, Lerone Murphy stayed undefeated while boosting his pro record to 13-0-1. He has heard the final bell in half of his pro appearances.

If You Say So: Via a contentious split decision, Daniel Marcos prevailed over Davey Grant. The Peruvian fighter retained his unblemished record, lifting it to 15-0. Each of the last eight bouts for Marcos have gone beyond the first round.

I’m the Sluggernaut, B: “The Sluggernaut” Jonny Parsons outslugged Danny Roberts and put him away with seconds left in Round 2. The victorious UFC debut for the Nevada native elevated his knockout rate as a professional to 78%.

Where Is the Instant Replay: Following a clash of heads, Joel Alvarez wrangled Marc Diakiese and tapped him with a brabo choke. As the result currently stands, “El Fenomeno” has earned finishes in 20 of 20 pro wins, with 17 of those now occurring by submission.

Left His Parking Brake On: Now 7-0 early into his heavyweight tenure, Michael Parkin outdueled Jamal Pogues to pick up the decision. “Mick” went the distance for the first time as a pro, as his previous six matchups had all concluded before the end of the second stanza.

Mismatch Makhmud: Unable to put Bryan Barberena away, Makhmud Muradov settled for a lopsided decision win. The fighter born in Tajikistan, native to Uzbekistan and living in the Czech Republic saw his win rate inside the distance drop to 77% in the process.

Leave the Kettle On: Courtesy of her wrestling, Ketlen Vieira handled Pannie Kianzad en route to a decision victory. After 11 fights in the Octagon, Vieira has involved the judges in nine of those, including each of her last six.

Panned Performance: Not to be outdone by her triumphant opponent, the final horn has blared for all nine of Kianzad’s last pro matches, win or lose. Decisions account for about 74% of her career fights.

Dunked On: Chris Duncan opened his career with seven straight wins, all by stoppage. After his 2021 loss to Viacheslav Borshchev, he has gone to decision in three of four bouts. This includes the decision win over Yanal Ashmoz on the prelims.

Do You Feel It: After surviving an early knockdown, Jafel Filho recovered to submit Daniel Barez with an arm-triangle choke. Finishes now account for 14 of his 15 wins, and half of those have come in Round 1.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC Fight Night 224, Muniz had never dropped consecutive bouts (28 fights), Herbert (17 fights) and Pogues (13 fights) had never lost on the scorecards and Ashmoz (seven fights) and Shauna Bannon (five fights) had never been defeated.

Cursed to Mediocrity: Inside the Octagon this year, only two fighters have picked Eminem tracks thus far. Jack Jenkins is 2-0 in the UFC with both of his wins accompanied by the rap battle from the film “8 Mile.” On the other hand, Muniz has picked “Lose Yourself” in his two appearances, and he has lost by stoppage in both.

He Got Knocked Down, But He Got Up Again: For the first time since Forrest Griffin rematched Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 in 2009, a fighter selected “Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba. Barberena was the one to choose this track, and he came up short to Muradov.

God Save (the) Queen: Both Bruna Brasil and Bannon selected songs from the catalogue of Queen, as Brasil went with “We Will Rock You” while Bannon countered with “Don’t Stop Me Now.” While Queen is among the 20 most frequently selected artists or bands for walkout music, this marks the first recorded time in company history where there have been dueling Queen entrances.