Fight Facts: UFC Vegas 106 ‘Burns vs. Morales’

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: 8,188
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 733

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took to the Apex once more before a short break, although there will be UFC-adjacent matches going next weekend in Shanghai. A fight card with little acclaim overdelivered from a violence and excitement standpoint, giving the faithful fans that tuned in something to cheer about virtually every step of the way. UFC Vegas 106, also known as UFC Fight Night 256, featured yet another remarkable breakthrough talent at 170 pounds, the continued fall of New England MMA and a beautiful submission under lock and key.

Blazing Fast Finish: Michael Morales blazed through Gilbert Burns in under four minutes to cement himself as another top contender at 170 pounds. A perfect 18-0 as a pro, the 25-year-old has seen 14 of those victories go down before the final bell.

Scorching Heat: The finish for Morales came in the opening frame. Exactly half of the Ecuadorian’s wins since turning professional in 2017 have gone down in the first round.

Twice Burned: In the course of his 3:39 beating of Burns, Morales put Burns down twice with strikes. Across his UFC tenure, Burns has suffered two knockdowns in four separate bouts, losing each one.

Out with La Leyenda, In with The Legend: Outworking Sodiq Yusuff over the course of three rounds, Mairon Santos lowered his finish rate to precisely 50% with his decision win. “The Legend” has reached the second round in each of his last 10 outings, win or lose.

2x5, 3x5, Doesn’t Matter: For the third time in his 49-fight career, Nursulton Ruziboev needed the full time allotment to get his hand raised, winning on the scorecards against Dustin Stoltzfus. A fighter out of the Commonwealth of Independent States, one of the previous two was a 10-minute bout.

Best Kind of Streak Breaker: After 15 back-and-forth minutes, Melquizael Costa had done enough to get past Julian Erosa. The two picked up “Fight of the Night” checks for their handiwork, giving Costa his first post-fight bonus award after seven UFC appearances.

Give Him More: Costa celebrated his third win of the calendar year by beating Erosa. In comparison, just 20 athletes earned at least three UFC victories in 2024, while Costa has already done so by the middle of May.

The Proper Weight: Relocating to 155 pounds, Gabriel Green submitted Matheus Camilo with a face crank. He has stopped his opponent in 11 of his 12 wins.

Flash, Whoa Oh: Jared Gordon blew the doors off of Thiago Moises with a barrage of punches. From 2013 to 2017, the New Yorker authored six knockouts. Since 2017, “Flash” has notched just two, both within the last couple years.

Houston Beat New England Again: Newcomer Yadier Del Valle put Connor Matthews away in under three minutes with a rear-naked choke. All of the unbeaten Cuban’s submissions have taken place in the first round.

Americana for Some: Putting Tainara Lisboa’s arm on backwards, Luana Santos registered an ultra-rare keylock in UFC competition. While fewer than 10 have taken place in the Octagon, hers is the first to happen between women.

Not So Denice: Denise Gomes belted Elise Reed in the second stanza to earn her third knockout win as a UFC strawweight. The all-time divisional record is four, held by Jessica Andrade.

No Peace: Advancing his young, spotless record to 10-0, Hyun Sung Park did away with Carlos Hernandez by submission in under half a round. “Peace of Mind” has dispatched nine of his 10 foes before the final horn.

Built for Endurance: As she has done for 13 of her 15 pro triumphs, Tecia Pennington involved the judges to get her hand raised, outpointing Luana Pinheiro. She has only seen two of 22 total matches end before time expired, both wins on her ledger.

Drawing Straws: The win for Pennington was her 11th at 115 pounds. She is now one shy from divisional lead Angela Hill’s 12. She tied Hill for the most decision victories in the weight class, with nine apiece.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC Vegas 106, Morales had never headlined a UFC card (17 fights, 5 UFC bouts), Matthews had never been submitted (10 fights) and Paul Craig had never lost a bout on fight night (27 fights).

No One Mess with It: Making his successful promotional debut, Yadier Del Valle made easy work out of Connor Matthews. Ahead of the match, Del Valle paid homage to his adopted state, walking out to “Texas” by BigXthaPlug.

Coldplay Blooded: For the third time in three UFC walks, Park picked Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” as his entrance tune. He becomes the most successful fighter to ever use Coldplay as a walkout artist, surpassing Neil Seery.