Key Statistics from the Month of May in the UFC

The month of May has come and gone and with it a pair of UFC events—UFC on FX 8 and UFC 160.

The former took place on May 18 in Brazil. It featured a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Strikeforce import, as well as former champion, Luke Rockhold. The latter, a pay-per-view event, was headlined by a heavyweight rematch between champion Cain Velasquez and top contender Antonio Silva.

But May featured much more than a pair of main events, and we have the top statistics to prove it. 

Check out where the month of May stands in comparison to the first four months of 2013 in the UFC, what six-year-old record was broken at UFC 160 and other key stats from the past 30 days.  

Over 50 Percent of Fights Ended by Way of Stoppage

Between the two events combining for 25 total fights, fans were treated to a respectable 13 stoppages. 

UFC on FX 8 featured seven stoppages out of 13 contests, including Vitor Belfort's incredible finish of Luke Rockhold in the main event. 

Meanwhile, UFC 160 featured Cain Velasquez's technical knockout win over Antonio Silva. The event had an equal number of stoppages and decisions, as six of 12 fights ended by way of submission or knockout. 

That leaves us with 52 percent of fights in the month of May ending by way of stoppage. That's respectable, but May is hardly the most stoppage-riddled month in the UFC thus far in 2013. Have a look at the numbers:

• January 2013: 12 stoppages in 22 fights for 54.5 percent
• February 2013: 13 stoppages in 37 fights for 35 percent
• March 2013: Eight stoppages in 23 fights for 35 percent
• April 2013: 29 stoppages in 48 fights for 60 percent
• May 2013: 13 stoppages in 25 fights for 52 percent

So that puts May in the middle of the pack for stoppages per month thus far in 2013. It wasn't April, which featured a staggering amount of finishes, but at least it wasn't February or March either.

For individual cards, both UFC on FX 8 and UFC 160 fared reasonably well in terms of their stoppage rates: 

• TUF 17 Finale: 75 percent
• UFC on Fox 7: 67 percent
• UFC on FX 7: 54.5 percent
• UFC on Fox 6: 54.5 percent
• UFC on Fuel TV 9: 54 percent
• UFC on FX 8: 54 percent
• UFC 160: 50 percent
• UFC 159: 45 percent
• UFC 157: 42 percent
• UFC 158: 42 percent
• UFC 156: 38 percent
• UFC on Fuel TV 8: 27 percent
• UFC on Fuel TV 7: 25 percent

Just 1 Upset Occured out of 9 Main Card Fights

Out of nine main card fights—four from UFC on FX 8 and five from UFC 160—just one underdog managed to overcome the odds set against him. 

His name is TJ Grant, and he is the top-billed man in the greatest career turnaround story in mixed martial arts, save, maybe, for Mark Hunt's unexpected rise into UFC heavyweight contention.

Grant entered his main card fight at UFC 160 against former top contender Gray Maynard as just a slight dog. The best closing odds for anyone interested in betting on Grant last minute came in at plus-130, according to Bovada. The improbable contender made anyone betting on him a little bit richer with a first-round technical knockout win over "The Bully."

Aside from Grant, the main cards from May's two events didn't feature any more upsets. Here are the eight main card favorites from May who managed to pull off victories, from largest to smallest:

• Cain Velasquez (-700) def. Antonio Silva (+450)
• Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (-650) def. Chris Camozzi (+425)
• Junior dos Santos (-500) def. Mark Hunt (+350)
• Glover Teixeira (-450) def. James Te Huna (+325)
• Rafael Natal (-310) def. Joao Zeferino (+240)
• Donald Cerrone (-285) def. K.J. Noons (+225)
• Rafael dos Anjos (-230) def. Evan Dunham (+180)
• Vitor Belfort (-130) def. Luke Rockhold (+100)

If you went chalk, you probably did quite fine. If you went Rockhold over Belfort or Hunt over Junior dos Santos...well, you shouldn't have. 

Note: All odds courtesy of Bovada.

Fabio Maldonado Landed Most Significant Strikes in May

Fabio Maldonado joined a short list of fighters who have reached the triple-digit mark on significant strikes landed in a fight in 2013. 

While we have yet to reach the midpoint of the year, Maldonado, who defeated Roger Hollett via unanimous decision at UFC on FX 8, joined just eight other fighters who have reached the mark—but he did so just barely.

According to FightMetric.com, the light heavyweight landed exactly 100 significant strikes out of the 151 he threw. He is the first fighter to land 100-plus significant strikes since Luke Barnatt accomplished the task at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. Barnatt landed 113 of a prodigious 232 attempts.

Obviously, having just barely reached triple digits, Maldonado takes the bottom spot on the list of those who have dealt 100 or more significant strikes. He came well short of Court McGee's 166, which he landed at UFC 157. 

However, it's also worth noting that Maldonado is second in significant strike accuracy in UFC history behind middleweight champion Anderson Silva (also according to FightMetric.com). To join those ranks, one must have at least five UFC fights and have thrown at least 350 significant strikes.

Here are the nine fighters who have landed 100 significant strikes in 2013 thus far: 

1. Court McGee: 166 at UFC 157 
2. Pascal Krauss: 163 at UFC on Fox 6
3. Demetrious Johnson: 127 at UFC on Fox 6*
4. Nah-Shon Burrell: 121 at UFC 157
5. Dennis Bermudez: 120 at UFC 157
6. Brad Tavares: 116 at UFC on Fuel TV 8
7. Luke Barnatt: 113 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale
8. Georges St-Pierre: 105 at UFC 158*
9. Fabio Maldonado: 100 at UFC on FX 8

*Achieved in five-round championship fight

Khabib Nurmagomedov Set Single-Fight Takedown Record at UFC 160

While Maldonado had a good month of May in the striking game, Khabib Nurmagomedov had a far more accomplished month with his record-setting performance at UFC 160.

According to FightMetric.com, Nurmagomedov, who missed weight the night before the fight, earned a staggering 21 takedowns in his three-round fight against Abel Trujillo. He attempted 28 takedowns during the 15 minutes of lopsided fighting.

The 21 takdowns robbed Sean Sherk of the top spot in the record books for most takedowns landed in a single fight. Sherk's 16 takedowns against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 was the previous top mark. However, those 16 takedowns came in a five-round championship fight, meaning he averaged just over three takedowns per round.

Nurmagomedov averaged seven takedowns per round in his preliminary card fight in 10 fewer minutes of fighting. 

What may be even more shocking is the fact that Nurmagomedov landed a combined three takedowns in his first three UFC fights. All three of those takedowns came in his UFC debut, meaning he went without a takedown in two of his four UFC contests. 

Oh, and if it weren't already obvious, he defeated Trujillo via unanimous decision in one of several lopsided fights from UFC 160.