Fight Facts: UFC 2023, a Year in Review

The Ultimate Fighting Championship put on more fights than ever this past year while pushing the limit on how many Saturdays it can reasonably assimilate. Content was king as the promotion jammed prelims with as many matches as possible. In this expansive Fight Facts review, join us as we dive into the seemingly never-ending cycle of fight cards the last 12 months, which hit a new high in submissions, crowned a new all-time king of the bonuses and had a few hits stuck on repeat for walkout music.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS IN 2023: 520
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS IN 2023: 43
Knockouts: 58
Technical Knockouts: 101
Submissions: 102
Decisions: 243
Draws: 6
No Contests: 9

It’s Time to Start Running

More Is Always Better: The UFC set a record in 2023 by holding 520 fights, more than ever. It did so across 43 events, tying 2021 for the second-most shows in company history, with both behind 2014’s 46.

Later Vegas: A slight uptick compared to the year before, 21 different UFC shows took place outside of Las Vegas. The only non-Vegas town that doubled up on cards was London’s O2 Arena.

Still in Excess: With 2022 seeing a record-high 31 fight cards inside of the UFC Apex, the promotion cut that number nearly in half this year. Seventeen events, all Fight Night or “on ESPN,” played out in that building in 2023.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends: From UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3 to UFC Fight Night 228 on Sept. 23, the UFC ran events on 17 consecutive Saturdays. This stretch of non-stop weekends serves as the second-longest streak in organizational history. In 2020, 24 cards from July 11 to Dec. 19 set that record.

More Pages on Passports: Doubling the tally from 2022, the promotion put on 10 shows outside of the U.S. This included the UFC’s second excursion to France with UFC Fight Night 226 and a stop-off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to stage UFC 294.

An Offramp for Bruce Buffer: Alternate announcer Joe Martinez received 16 assignments to call UFC events in 2023. This sets his single-year high, established at 15 the year before.

Too Long: Before 2023, three events in organizational history had seen 15 fights play out throughout the night: UFC 2, UFC on ESPN 14, and UFC 259. This year alone had three, as UFCs 283 and 286, along with UFC Fight Night 224, all hit that upper limit, all cards outside of the U.S.

Still Just as Elite as Ever: A fighter competed five times in the Octagon for the first time since Kevin Holland in 2020. Jessica Andrade made five walks to the cage, bookending her 2023 campaign with victories but having a rough six months in the middle.

Loopy Good Year: Lupita Godinez is the first combatant since Holland, Giga Chikadze and Marcin Tybura—all in 2020—to claim four victories in a single year. “Loopy” is the first woman in the promotion’s history to achieve this feat.

Slumps: Four fighters suffered three defeats throughout the year: Charles Johnson, Denis Tiuliulin, Andrade and Shannon Ross. Of those four, Ross has since been released by the promotion.

Draw On, Drawers: With six bouts scored even throughout 2023, this year checked in one shy of the record set in 2016.

Made a Dent: Like 2022, one single match ended via disqualification, making it seven years straight that at least one DQ happened each year. Jacob Malkoun drove an elbow into the back of Cody Brundage’s head to cost himself the victory at UFC Fight Night 228.

Weed Kills: For various reasons, from multiple premature stoppages to drug test failures, a whopping nine bouts this year have been overturned to no contests. This ties 2013 for the most, when several results were overturned for marijuana.

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Consecutive Normal Punches

Foot Off the Gas: In 2021 and 2022, exactly 171 knockouts took place—ranging from clean knockouts to referee stoppages to submitting to strikes—which still stands as the record. This year, although there were more fights than ever, 159 matches ended via knockout, the third-most in a single year for the UFC.

Moderate Hysteria: No show in 2023 reached the record of eight knockouts in one event, unlike 2022. Four events did come in one shy of that high: UFCs 283, 290, 295 and Fight Night 225.

Triple Axel: Far fewer than in recent memory, two different bouts ended via spinning strikes. Uros Medic clocked Matthew Semelsberger with a spinning back fist. Additionally, Amanda Ribas became the first woman in the UFC to record a knockout via spinning kick when she blasted Luana Pinheiro with a spinning wheel kick.

Jump Jive an’ Wail: Like the spinning strike category, two fights concluded courtesy of flying strikes in 2023. Ismael Bonfim flattened Terrance McKinney with a flying knee, and Ikram Aliskerov put Warlley Alves away with a flying knee and follow-up punches.

Save Yourself: Following the trend starting in 2020, a single matchup was stopped when the corner threw in the towel. In March, Derek Brunson’s team saved him from his toughness against Dricus Du Plessis.

Slams It In: No UFC event had ever seen multiple slam finishes until UFC on ESPN 52 in December. In back-to-back showcases, Drakkar Klose and Brundage put Joe Solecki and Zachary Reese out with slams.

A Brief Battle: In just 14 seconds, Bryan Battle demolished Gabriel Green to notch the quickest finish in the Octagon of 2023. Five knockouts under 30 seconds took place this year, including two at UFC 290 for Denise Gomes and Jesus Santos Aguilar.

Thirty-eight Special: Bo Nickal and Robbie Lawler ran through their foes in exactly 38 seconds at UFC 290. This marks the third time UFC events have featured two sub-minute stoppages in the same second. UFC Fight Night 44 in 2014 and UFC 235 in 2019 were the first two, and those cards each had a pair of 38-second finishes.

When in Rome: Roman Kopylov ruled the roost in 2023 as the lone combatant to score three knockouts. He put Punahele Soriano down in January with a body kick and follow-up punches. The Russian went on to lamp Claudio Ribeiro with a head kick in July and ended his year by thrashing Josh Fremd with a body shot in September.

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Choke

A Less Gentle Art: Throughout 43 events, fighters performed 102 submissions in the Octagon. This sets the new record for any calendar year for the promotion, with no previous year surpassing 100.

Knee Explosion: When facing Ketlen Souza at UFC on ESPN 46, Karine Silva had her foe in a kneebar setup. Instead of finishing it with typical hyperextension, Silva cranked the limb to the side to pull off the first lateral kneebar in company history.

Long Arms: With Tai Tuivasa flat on his back, Alexander Volkov cinched his arms together to secure an ultra-rare Ezekiel choke. Volkov’s submission was the fourth seen in the UFC, and heavyweights have performed all four.

Not in Kansas Anymore: Turning Jose Johnson’s torso in one direction and his bottom half the other, Da'Mon Blackshear pulled off a twister at UFC on ESPN 51. His is the third in promotional history, joining Chan Sung Jung and Bryce Mitchell as the only ones ever to land this maneuver.

Just Squeeze: Five times this year, fighters elected to crush a fighter’s face with a rear-naked choke grip instead of sliding their forearm under the chin. More tapouts from this pain-based face crank came in 2023 than in all previous years.

Shout It Out Loud: Completely tied up in knots, with Tatsuro Taira hanging onto a triangle choke and an armbar simultaneously, Aguilar had to shout out to tap. His was the only verbal submission in the UFC this year.

Screaming in Your Sleep: Each of the last four years saw exactly 11 technical or verbal submissions take place in the cage. 2023 exceeded that tally, with 12 in that combined category.

All the Way In: Brendan Allen concluded 2023 as the sole participant to lace three submissions, all via rear-naked choke. “All In” started strong by becoming the first man to tap Andre Muniz, submitted Bruno Silva four months later and wrapped up a breakout year by putting away Paul Craig in mid-November.

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The Champion

Gotta Sell PPVs: In 2016, 22 separate championship bouts took place, whether for interim or undisputed straps. This year brought 21, which places it alone in the No. 2 spot.

Plus One Odd Interim: Ten different divisions in the UFC currently have champions, with the promotion not likely to open women’s featherweight again while women’s bantamweight remains vacant. Just four champs started the year with the belt and held it all 365 days: Weili Zhang, Alexander Volkanovski, Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards.

Now Try Islam vs. Leon: Edwards and Makhachev were the only two champions to notch multiple defenses this year. Edwards held his grip on gold with a rematch against Kamaru Usman and a grudge match with Colby Covington, while Makhachev twice staved off Volkanovski.

Some Can Defense: The only new champion winning and defending his belt this year came in the flyweight division. Alexandre Pantoja snatched the strap from Brandon Moreno and held it against Brandon Royval. Of note, Alexa Grasso claimed the women’s 125-pound throne from Valentina Shevchenko and later retained it in a draw.

Hotter Potato: The UFC light heavyweight crown changed hands numerous times in 2023. It lay vacant until January, when Jamahal Hill prevailed over Glover Teixeira, only for Hill to suffer an injury and vacate it in July. Alex Pereira picked it up in November in another vacant championship match with Jiri Prochazka.

Almost Fighter of the Year: Pereira first served as the middleweight king until April, losing that title to Israel Adesanya. “Poatan” moved up to light heavyweight and became one of nine fighters in league history to hold belts in two different weight classes—he achieved this feat in seven UFC fights, smashing that record previously held by Randy Couture’s 10 appearances.

No More Two-Division Junk: With Shevchenko falling—after setting the women’s record for seven straight title defenses—the longest-reigning champion in the promotion is featherweight kingpin Volkanovski. He has fought off five challengers for his strap while also shifting gears twice to try his hand at lightweight.

No Tap, Just Go: Grasso claimed the throne at 125 pounds by cranking Shevchenko’s face until surrender. Claiming Sherdog’s 2023 “Submission of the Year” award, the new champion joined a small group of fighters that won belts by defeating the champ in the fourth round.

Not the Best Look: Grasso and Shevchenko battled it out to an unexpected split draw in their rematch. Their even bout is just the third championship match scored in such a fashion since 2016.

It Counts: In an interim variety, Tom Aspinall picked up the heavyweight belt by wrecking Sergei Pavlovich. He is the third Brit to win UFC gold, joining Michael Bisping and Edwards.

A Dish Best Served With 4oz. Gloves: Adesanya earned his belt back for about five months by exacting revenge on Pereira, knocking out his rival in the second round. He is now 1-3 against “Poatan” across two combat sports.

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Cash Rules Everything Around Me

Generosity of Spirit: Even with a few events cracking open the UFC’s piggy bank, the promotion did not exceed its high of bonuses awarded in 2022. It did tie the record for the most “Performance of the Night” checks issued.

500 G’s Baby: When UFC on ESPN 52 concluded, the UFC doled out 10 post-fight bonus checks, including eight for POTN and two $50,000 prizes for Rodolfo Bellato and Ihor Potieria’s “Fight of the Night.” This $500,000 treasure trove trails the $550k issued in two shows in 2022.

Still Only 34: By dominating Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira claimed his 19th post-fight bonus. This broke a tie with Donald Cerrone for the most all-time.

It’s the Hair: Diego Lopes ended his year $150,000 richer in bonus awards alone as the only fighter to claim three additional checks. He scored two POTNs for his quick finishes of Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini while taking home FOTN in his promotional debut against Movsar Evloev.

Give a Finish Bonus: Same as in 2022, no fighter ended up with double bonuses at night’s end. At UFC Fight Night 220, UFC on ESPN 50, UFC Fight Night 227, UFC 295 and UFC on ESPN 52, the league elected to share additional wealth with the fighters by issuing at least five bonuses on those cards.

Lucky Geoff: Geoff Neal significantly missed weight ahead of his thriller against Shavkat Rakhmonov, and the two claimed FOTN. The UFC decided that Neal would still get to keep his half of the award despite his weight miss, deviating from its standard policy of heavy fighters losing eligibility for bonuses.

Still Earned a Title Shot: Mayra Bueno Silva landed an incredibly rare ninja choke on Holly Holm and earned a POTN bonus. After Silva failed her post-fight drug test, her win was overturned, and her $50,000 check was rescinded.

Early Bird Gets the Worm, Not the Check: Sixteen UFC cards featured at least 13 matches on their billing. No curtain-jerker won a post-fight bonus on any of those events.

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A Bet’s a Bet

Chalk Line Improvement: Of the 520 matches to take place inside the Octagon, per sportsbook Bovada, 498 closed with a favorite and an underdog—the remaining 22 were pick-‘ems. As a result, 67.7% of the betting favorites prevailed—significantly higher than last year’s rate, slightly below 65%.

Cranking Up the Upset: When landing her “Submission of the Year”-winning face crank on Shevchenko, Grasso also sprang the largest betting upset of the year. The underdog came in with massive +600 odds as she procured just the second submission of her career, doing so against the huge -900 favorite.

No for Bo: With -900 Shevchenko the most heavily favored fighter to suffer defeat, all eight competitors with lines above that in the UFC prevailed. Bo Nickal was the lone combatant prohibitively favored twice, at -1800 against Jamie Pickett and -1400 against Valentine Woodburn.

More Bettors, More Sharps: Smashing the previous high of 38 from 2022, 46 fighters checked in with betting odds of -500 or above in 2023. The four favored that highly who lost included Shevchenko, Guram Kutateladze, Adesanya and Grant Dawson, while -600 Javid Basharat ended with a no contest against +425 Victor Henry.

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Get Off the Scale

Does Not Count Canceled Fights: An even 30 fighters missed weight and still competed on fight night, an uptick from the year before but lower than in 2020 and 2021. The win percentage of .433 for those who missed weight also improved from the year preceding it.

No Tafa, No Hardy: Unlike the last few years, no competitor above middleweight missed their mark and carried out their fight. There were more weight misses at lightweight than in any other division.

Ex-145ers Have Nowhere to Go: Of the three currently active women’s divisions, bantamweight saw more weight offenders than the others. The weight class above it, featherweight, only featured four bouts in total and likely is closed.

Not Gooden: The worst weight miss—of fights that still occurred—came when Jared Gooden hit the scales six pounds above the welterweight cap. He went on to lose a decision to Carlston Harris in March.

Still No Super Lightweight: Eleven different fights were intentionally booked as catchweights for various reasons. This is the third-highest number of matches set outside of standard weight classes in any year in the UFC.

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Give Me the Music

Multiple Repeat Offenders: Unlike years past, two different tracks closed with over 10 uses in the Octagon—far and away greater than last year, for example, when no song was heard more than six times. AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” went 6-4 in 2023, while the theme song for Parana Vale Tudo of “PRVT e Hora de Vencer” by Faccao 288 accompanied four wins and seven defeats.

Continued Redemption for AC/DC: Nine other songs were played at least five times in the promotion, with AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” leading that pack with a record of 6-1. It is tied with “Thunderstruck” for the most wins attributed to any song, thus making AC/DC the winningest band or artist in 2023.

Power Chords Work: With a win percentage of .636, fighters going with AC/DC picked up strong from the year before—about 68% of competitors using the Aussie rock band won their fights in 2022. AC/DC was the only act heard at least 20 times in the Octagon.

Even Worse Year for Kanye: As one of the most frequently used walkout artists, 15 different entrances featuring Kanye West occurred in 2023. Evan Elder at UFC on ESPN 49 against Genaro Valdez was the only fighter to win across those 15 fights.

Eternally Cursed: Fighters selecting tracks from Eminem suffered throughout the year, beyond Jack Jenkins, who went 2-1. Overall, Eminem’s tracks accompanied a low win percentage of .333 across their many uses for many competitors.

Time for a New Theme: The PRVT theme song came in as the most frequently used track, but it also served as the one with the most losses. Four different women stuck by it, to largely unsuccessful results.

Zombie Zombie Zombie: Claiming Sherdog’s 2023 “Walkout Song of the Year” award, Chan Sung Jung went with his customary choice of “Zombie” by “The Cranberries” in what is currently his retirement bout. Even with fighters in the UFC going 1-3 when using this song this year, it is the only track to win this award twice.