Fight Facts: UFC on ESPN 59 ‘Namajunas vs. Cortez’

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.

* * *

TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 7,751
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 697

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took its roster to high elevation and thin air in its first return to Denver in years. The patchwork event had its fair share of shakeups along the way, but for the most part, it delivered until it fizzled out at the end. UFC on ESPN 59 featured a new contender at a new weight class, a three-inch head wound and a middleweight with the worst luck.

Without Thorns: Rose Namajunas emerged the victor over Tracy Cortez, outworking the Arizonan en route to a decision nod. This is her 11th win in the Octagon; she is now one of eight women to pass 10 victories in the promotion. Jessica Andrade’s 17 sit atop the pack.

Punched the Highlights Out of Her Hair: In the first round, Namajunas dropped Cortez with a left hook. By Cortez surviving to reach the final bell, it marked the first time “Thug Rose” had registered a knockdown and not gone on to finish the fight.

Not Counting the Loss to Blanchfield: Cortez made her pro debut in 2017 against Cheri Muraski, suffered a submission defeat, and went on to win 11 straight fights. While her win streak was snapped, Cortez still went the distance in eight consecutive bouts, accounting for her UFC tenure and beyond.

Senior Circuit: Needing all three rounds to snag a split decision over Santiago Ponzinibbio, Muslim Salikhov saw his finish rate fall to 75% with the win. Four of the 40-year-old’s five wins on the scorecards have come in the Octagon.

Ice Cold: Fighting Nerds product Jean Silva made a two-week turnaround after knocking out Charles Jourdain to carve up Drew Dober. He is one of five fighters in modern UFC history to notch two wins within 14 days, joining Khamzat Chimaev, Chas Skelly, Chris Leben and Sean Strickland.

He Slices, He Dices, He Liquifies: “Lord” Silva boosted his overall stoppage rate to 93% by slicing open Dober. He has earned knockouts in the first, second and third rounds since debuting in the promotion at the beginning of the year.

Stitches and Checks: After a spirited effort worthy of “Fight of the Night,” the doctor suggested that the battle be waved off due to Dober’s enormous cut. Dober has earned post-fight bonus awards in four of his last six outings, win or lose.

Go Back to Destroying: It took Gabriel Bonfim 15 full minutes to defeat Ange Loosa. In doing so, the 26-year-old out of Cerrado MMA went to a decision for the first time in his 17-fight career.

Equal Opportunity Highlight Reel: Julian Erosa landed a guillotine choke to upset Christian Rodriguez in Round 1. “Juicy J” has seen 83% of his wins take place before the final horn.

Seven Years Bad Luck: When attempting a takedown, Cody Brundage was struck with multiple illegal elbows from Abdul Razak Alhassan, resulting in a no-contest. Brundage is the first fighter in organizational history to suffer fight-ending fouls in multiple bouts, as Jacob Malkoun was previously DQed for illegally elbowing Brundage in 2023.

Skullet Power: Charles Johnson ended a streak of five consecutive decisions with a comeback knockout of Joshua Van in the third frame. “InnerG” has now won three fights in a row, which is a personal best.

Fearsome Canadian Wrestling: Outworking newcomer Fatima Kline, Jasmine Jasudavicius picked up the decision win. She has reached the third round in 10 straight fights, with nine of those going the distance.

Secret Contender: Montel Jackson scored the second-fastest knockout in UFC bantamweight history by dispatching Da'Mon Blackshear in 18 seconds. Erik Perez’ 17-second mollywhopping of Ken Stone at UFC 150 in 2012 remains the record at 135 pounds.

Smaller Man, Bigger Power: Jackson has registered at least one knockdown for the seventh fight in a row. By icing Blackshear, Jackson stands alone at bantamweight with the most knockdowns (11).

Back to the Tattoo Parlor: By submitting Mariya Agapova in Round 1 with a rear-naked choke, half of Luana Santos’ pro wins have come via submission. She has never repeated the same move twice.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC on ESPN 59, Rodriguez had never been submitted (12 fights), Van had never been knocked out (11 fights) and Blackshear had never been finished (21 fights).

Religious On-Hold Music: Namajunas went with gospel track “Prolific Praise” by Trey McLaughlin & the Sounds of Zamar for the sixth time in her last seven fights as her entrance tune. She has won five of those six matchups.

We’re on Guard This Time: Andre Petroski selected “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider, made famous by the soundtrack of “Vision Quest.” He is the first to choose this song beloved by wrestlers since Andrew Sanchez picked it in 2020, and like Sanchez, he won.