Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: A Look at the FightMetric Numbers

Statistics can be an effective way of manipulating an audience into thinking something that you want them to. Unless you know what you're looking at, statistics can be deceptive enough to convince you to believe something other than what you saw with your own eyes.

At UFC 155, Cain Velasquez met Junior dos Santos in a five-round beatdown in which most statistics speak for themselves. However, if you're a fight nerd like me, you'll enjoy a look at the numbers.

The numbers show us some things that may have been missed. Most notable is the fact that Junior dos Santos actually averaged more than two significant strikes landed per minute of competition. He ultimately scored 57 strikes of this magnitude.

Another surprising statistic comes in the takedown department. With new champion Velasquez scoring an incredible 11 takedowns against Cigano, it's easy to overlook the fact that Junior shrugged off twice as many.

As the fight went on, Cain began to tire as dos Santos got his second wind. This led to dos Santos being able to fend off attempts on seven of eight occasions. 

So what happened to Velasquez that showed a chink in his never-ending-cardio armor?

When we look at the numbers, we can see that the AKA fighter threw a total of 245 strikes in the first three rounds, as well as attempting 19 takedowns in the same period of time.

In terms of totals, one metric jumps out at me: significant strikes.

Over the course of five rounds, Velasquez nearly doubled the successful output of his opponent. Notably, he outscored Junior 42-17 in Round 1 and 24-2 in Round 2. 

But in the end, the most important numbers come in written form on the scorecards. Although each member of the panel had a different opinion as to how many 10-8 rounds took place, Velasquez won all five rounds according to each judge.