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 42: Benson Henderson vs. Rustam Khabilov.
| Statistics | Benson Henderson | Rustam Khabilov |
| Age | 30 | 27 |
| Camp | MMA Lab | Jackson’s MMA |
| Record | 20-3 | 17-1 |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Reach | 70.0″ | Not Available |
| Win Percentage | 2 (T)KOs (10%) 8 Submissions (40%) 10 Decisions (50%) | 4 (T)KOs (24%) 5 Submissions (29%) 8 Decisions (47%) |
| Loss Percentage | 2 Submissions (67%) 1 Decision (33%) | 1 Decision (100%) |
| Last (T)KO Victory | Apr. 5th, 2009, over Shane Roller | Apr. 27th, 2013, over Yancy Medeiros |
| Last Submission Victory | Apr. 24th, 2010, over Donald Cerrone | Nov. 6th, 2010, over Sergei Utochkin |
| Last Decision Victory | Jan. 25th, 2014, over Josh Thomson | Nov. 6th, 2013, over Jorge Masvidal |
| Last (T)KO Loss | N/A | N/A |
| Last Submission Loss | Aug. 31st, 2013, to Anthony Pettis | N/A |
| Last Decision Loss | Dec. 16th, 2010, to Anthony Pettis | Feb. 12th, 2011, to Ruslan Khaskhanov |
| Submission Victories by Method | Guillotine 4x (50%) RNC 2x (25%) Punches 2x (25%) | Armbar 4x (80%) Triangle 1x (20%) |
| Submission Losses by method | Armbar 1x (50%) Anaconda (50%) | N/A |
| Most Takedowns Allowed in a Fight | 9 | 1 |
| Fewest Significant Strikes in a Victory | 3 | 3 |
| Decision Victories in the UFC | 8 | 1 |
| Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute | 2.78 | 2.43 |
| Striking Accuracy | 44% | 35% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 1.49 | 2.12 |
| Striking Defense | 65% | 63% |
| Average Takedown Attempts per 15 Min. | 2.74 | 6.07 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 48% | 44% |
| Takedown Defense Percentage | 65% | 50% |
| Average Submission per 15 Min. | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| Average Submission Completion Rate | 33.07% | 61.75% |
| Most Significant Strikes Landed in a Fight | 124, on Dec. 8th, 2012, against Nate Diaz | 32, on Nov. 6th, 2013, against Jorge Masvidal |
| Total Fight Time | 5 hrs, 2 min, 24 sec | 2 hrs, 31 min, 49 sec |
This is a tough one to call, really. Benson Henderson is about as solid a defensive fighter as you’ll see in the UFC these days. Unfortunately, his decision luck appears to be running out, as he was able to eke out only a split decision over Josh Thomson in his last bout. Rustam Khabilov, on the other hand, out-hustles his opponents en route to his decisions – or finishes them. That is likely the key difference between Khabilov and “Bendo” going into this fight, as both are strong grapplers with solid striking, but only the Dagestani seems to be trying to finish fights. Given that, and his absolutely heroic takedown attempt average, I’m going to have to give the edge in this fight to “The Tiger.” Expect the Jackson’s MMA product to take the decision.
