This Day in the Data
13 years ago today · UFC 161 · June 15, 2013
Rashad Evans def. Dan Henderson — Split Decision (3 rounds), Light Heavyweight
The numbers twist: He landed fewer significant strikes — and still won.
Thirteen years ago today in Winnipeg, two former champions met, and the stat sheet tells a quietly strange story. Dan Henderson actually out-landed Rashad Evans in significant strikes, 40 to 39 — a one-strike edge over fifteen minutes. By the eye test of who connected more, it was Henderson's round-for-round. But Evans won, and the gold dataset shows exactly why: 220 seconds of control time to Henderson's 1. Evans spent nearly four minutes of the fight in dominant position; Henderson spent one second there. Neither man scored a takedown or a knockdown — this was won on positional grappling and ring generalship, not damage. The judges still split on it, a reminder that 'control' and 'effective' don't always read the same on three different scorecards. It's a clean case study in what wins close rounds when nobody gets hurt: the man dictating where the fight happens, even when the strikes come out even.
Source: ufc_gold_dataset_final.csv (UFC 161, 2013-06-15). Historical recap — no prediction, no grading, no betting advice.