Let’s be honest: Every now and then it’s fun to get down into the nitty-gritty statistics and see if we can’t perform some MMAth. It helps us analyze future fights and make predictions based on previous history. Fans of all sports do it, so why can’t we? It can help us look for potential trends in a fighter as well. So, with thanks to Sherdog and FightMetric.com for the raw data, let’s examine the main event of the upcoming UFC Fight Night 35: Luke Rockhold vs Constantinos Philippou.
Stats for Suckas: Luke Rockhold vs Constantinos Philippou
|
Luke Rockhold |
Constantinos Philipou |
| Age | 29 | 34 |
| Camp | American Kickboxing Academy | Bellmore Kickboxing Academy |
| Record | 10-2 | 12-3 (1 N/C) |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Reach | 77.0″ | 74.5″ |
| Win Percentage | 2 (T)KOs (20%) 6 Submissions (60%) 2 Decisions (20%) |
6 (T)KOs (50%) 1 Submission (8%) 5 Decisions (42%) |
| Loss Percentage | 2 (T)KO (100%) | 3 Decisions (100%) |
| Last (T)KO Victory | Jan. 7th, 2012, over Keith Jardine | Dec. 29th, 2012, over Tim Boetsch |
| Last Submission Victory | Feb. 26th, 2010, over Paul Bradley | Feb. 20th, 2009, over Aaron Meisner |
| Last Decision Victory | July 14th, 2012, over Tim Kennedy | July 7th, 2012, over Riki Fukuda |
| Last (T)KO Loss | May 18th, 2013, to Vitor Belfort | N/A |
| Last Submission Loss | N/A | N/A |
| Last Decision Loss | N/A | Sep. 21st, 2013, to Francis Carmont |
| Submission Victories by Method | RNC 4x (67%) Armbar 1x (11.5%) Punches 1x (11.5%) |
RNC 1x (100%) |
| Submission Losses by method | N/A | N/A |
| Non-UFC MMA titles held | Strikeforce Middleweight Title | Ring of Combat Middleweight Title |
| Most significant strikes absorbed in a single fight | 49, on Sep. 10th, 2011, against Ronaldo Souza | 58 on Mar. 2nd, 2012, against Court McGee |
| Decision Victories in the UFC | 0 | 3 |
| Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute | 3.33 | 2.39 |
| Striking Accuracy | 41% | 37% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 1.69 | 2.45 |
| Striking Defense | 63% | 59% |
| Average Takedown Attempts per 15 Min. | 0.21 | 0.5 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 20% | 50% |
| Takedown Defense Percentage | 70% | 73% |
| Average Submission per 15 Min. | 0.83 | 0.33 |
| Average Submission Completion Rate | 100.00% | 28.10% |
| Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Fight | 97, on Sep. 10th, 2011, against Ronaldo Souza | 60, on Mar. 2nd, 2012, against Court McGee |
| Total Fight Time | 1 hr, 18 min, 6 sec | 2 hr, 41 min, 43 sec |
After all the hype over UFC 168, and the to-do over the UFC’s Singapore debut on FightPass with Fight Night 34, I feel like this fight’s getting slept on. You have a pair of top 10 middleweights looking for redemption after a loss, both of whom have reputations for getting into wars. It’s surprising, really, that Luke Rockhold even gets into these exchanges. I’m not sure how his two fights not listed on FightMetric would affect his Submission Completion Rate, but there is not a single fighter in the UFC who can match his submission completion rate. The guy can flat-out go on the ground, even surviving five rounds with “Jacare” Souza en route to winning a decision and the Strikeforce Middleweight Title. Costa Philippou is no slouch on the ground either, as the BJJ purple belt was originally a member of Team Serra-Longo before jumping to Bellmore Kickboxing Academy to avoid the risk of a teammate-vs.-teammate fight were he to get a shot at Chris Weidman and his UFC Middleweight Title.
Still, I have a feeling that this fight will stay on the feet, as that’s former pro boxer Philippou’s bread and butter and Rockhold has a horrible takedown game to counterbalance his phenomenal skills once the fight actually hits the mat. While striking is definitely the Cypriot’s milieu, his Californian counterpart is no slouch at it either. In fact, while Rockhold may not have the vicious stopping power of “Costas,” I would say he’s a better overall technician on the feet. He is more active and absorbs less damage, and has a variety of kicks to keep his shorter-armed opponent at bay. If Rockhold is not successful in finishing this in the first round – where all his finishes have occured – then I can see him riding the 25 minute fight out, using his superior technique and conditioning to grind Philippou down and gain a decision victory.
