The UFC opened a non-stop schedule of summer events on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 45, which took place at the promotion’s home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The main event saw Amir Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remain undefeated inside the octagon and take the next step as a flyweight contender when he edged Kai Kara-France (24-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by split decision.
There were a number of other noteworthy results on the card. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 45.
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Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $199,500
Debuting fighters went 1-3 at the event.
Alex Caceres, Daniel Pineda, Jim Miller and Muhammad Naimov earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 45 fight-night bonuses.
The UFC sold VIP tickets to fans for UFC on ESPN 45, but the promotion did not make public the total number of tickets sold or the gate.
Betting favorites went 9-4 on the card
Betting favorites improved to 11-7 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:37:18.
Amir Albazi def. Kai Kara-France
Albazi’s four-fight UFC winning streak at flyweight is tied with Muhammad Mokaev for the longest active streak in the division.
Kara-France has suffered two of his four UFC losses by decision.
Alex Caceres def. Daniel Pineda
Caceres (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) improved to 11-5 since he returned to the UFC featherweight division in January 2015.
Caceres’ 11 victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (19), Darren Elkins (16) and Cub Swanson (13).
Caceres has earned 10 of his 16 UFC victories by decision.
Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC) fell to 2-2 with one no contest since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2020.
Pineda has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.
Jim Miller def. Jesse Butler
Miller’s (36-17 MMA, 25-16 UFC) 25 victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Miller’s 22 victories in UFC lightweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Miller’s 17 stoppage victories in UFC competition are second-most in company history behind Charles Oliveira (19).
Miller’s 15 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are most in divisional history.
Miller’s 13 fight-night bonuses for UFC lightweight bouts are third-most in divisional history behind Joe Lauzon (15) and Donald Cerrone (14).
Jesse Butler (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Tim Elliott def. Victor Altamirano
Tim Elliott (19-12-1 MMA, 8-10 UFC) improved to 6-6 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.
Elliott has earned seven of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Elliott has landed 58 takedowns in UFC flyweight competition are tied with Demetrious Johnson for most in divisional history.
Victor Altamirano (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
Karine Silva def. Ketlen Souza
Karine Silva (16-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all 16 of her career victories by stoppage. She’s finished 12 of those wins in Round 1.
Silva has earned both of her UFC victories by submission.
Silva earned the fifth submission in women’s UFC history to stem from a leg technique.
Ketlen Souza (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of her career losses by stoppage.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7 MMA, 10-3 UFC) has earned six of his 10 UFC victories by decision.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) fell to 3-3-1 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2018.
Nurmagomedov suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Daniel Santos def. Johnny Munoz
Johnny Munoz (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights dating back to September 2019.
Munhoz has suffered two of his three career losses by decision.
Don'Tale Mayes def. Andrei Arlovski
Don'Tale Mayes (10-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has earned seven of his 10 career victories by stoppage.
Andrei Arlovski (34-22 MMA, 23-16 UFC) fell to 13-12 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.
Arlovski has suffered 15 of his 22 career losses by stoppage.
Arlovski’s 10 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are second-most in combined organizational history behind Alistair Overeem (13).
John Castaneda def. Muin Gafurov
Muin Gafurov (18-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by decision.
Muhammad Naimov def. Jamie Mullarkey
Naimov (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned seven of his nine career victories by stoppage.
Jamie Mullarkey (16-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has suffered four of his six career losses by stoppage.
Mullarkey has suffered all four of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Elise Reed def. Jinh Yu Frey
Elise Reed (7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
Jinh Yu Frey’s (11-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since July 2021.
Da'Mon Blackshear def. Luan Lacerda
Da'Mon Blackshear (13-5-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC) has earned 10 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
Luan Lacerda (12-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Lacerda suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Philipe Lins def. Maxim Grishin
Philipe Lins (17-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 3-0 since he dropped to the UFC light heavyweight division in April 2022.
Lins’ three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Jamahal Hill (four) and Carlos Ulberg (four).
Lins has earned two of his three UFC victories by decision.
Maxim Grishin (32-10-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
