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 TUF: Nations Finale: Tim Kennedy vs. Michael Bisping.
Statistics |
Tim Kennedy |
Michael Bisping |
| Age | 34 | 35 |
| Camp | Jackson’s MMA | HB Ultimate |
| Record | 17-4 | 24-5 |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Reach | 73.0″ | 75.5″ |
| Win Percentage | 6 (T)KO (35%) 8 Submissions (47%) 3 Decisions (18%) |
14 (T)KOs (58%) 4 Submissions (17%) 6 Decisions (25%) |
| Loss Percentage | 1 (T)KO (25%) 3 Decisions (75%) |
2 (T)KOs (40%) 3 Decisions (60%) |
| Last (T)KO Victory | Nov. 6th, 2013, over Rafael Natal | Dec. 3rd, 2011, over Jason Miller |
| Last Submission Victory | Jan. 12th, 2013, over Trevor Smith | Nov. 26th, 2005, over Ross Pointon |
| Last Decision Victory | July 6th, 2013, over Roger Gracie | Apr. 27th, 2013, over Alan Belcher |
| Last (T)KO Loss | Aug. 31st, 2001, to Scott Smith | Jan. 19th, 2013, to Vitor Belfort |
| Last Submission Loss | N/A | N/A |
| Last Decision Loss | July 14th, 2012, to Luke Rockhold | Jan. 28th, 2012, to Chael Sonnen |
| Submission Victories by Method | Guillotine 2x (25%) RNC 2x (25%) Punches 2x (25%) N/S Choke 1x (12.5%) Forearm Choke 1x (12.5%) |
Armbar 2x (50%) Choke 1x (25%) Strikes 1x (25%) |
| Submission Losses by method | N/A | N/A |
| Side Job When Not Fighting | Military Sniper | DJ |
| Finishes in the UFC | 1 | 8 |
| Decision Victories in the UFC | 1 | 6 |
| Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute | 2.86 | 4.62 |
| Striking Accuracy | 50% | 41% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 1.42 | 2.45 |
| Striking Defense | 66% | 71% |
| Average Takedown Attempts per 15 Min. | 2.63 | 1.82 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 37% | 46% |
| Takedown Defense Percentage | 78% | 64% |
| Average Submission per 15 Min. | 0.88 | 0.56 |
| Average Submission Completion Rate | 54.14% | 33.00% |
| Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Fight | 69, on Aug. 21st 2010, against Ronaldo Souza | 118, on Oct. 16th, 2010, against Yoshihiro Akiyama |
| Total Fight Time | 3 hrs, 11 min, 51 sec | 3 hrs, 3 min, 31 sec |
Michael Bisping gets a lot of criticism for being “pillow-fisted,” and while it’s nice to laugh at it, if you take enough shots to the head from a pillow, it can still put you out. Tim Kennedy doesn’t have that same level of volume striking, and while he’s slightly more accurate than his British counterpart, it quite likely won’t be enough to save him. Bisping is hard to take down, with even accomplished MMA wrestlers like Chael Sonnen having a difficult time keeping him down, and Kennedy doesn’t have that kind of wrestling pedigree. With “The Count” holding the reach advantage as well, it will be difficult for Kennedy to put his sniper training to good use and pot-shot from the outside. What this all boils down to – at least going by the stats – is that Bisping will likely take the unanimous decision victory.
