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 29: Jake Shields vs. Demian Maia.

Stats For Suckas: Jake Shields vs Demian Maia

While some of my counterparts in the MMA media are not excited for this fight, I am. I love a good grappling battle, and with this clash of Brazilian and American Jiu Jitsu is making me a happy camper. However, I can’t help but feel that it’s going to be the resurgent Demian Maia taking the win here, with his slightly better takedown defense, striking accuracy, and superior submission completion rate. I don’t consider total cage time as a factor here, due to Shields’ grinding, top control heavy style. The bulk of this fight is going to take place on the ground, and I think that Maia’s trickier takedowns (even Chael Sonnen sings his praises) will allow him to get the fight to the ground while staying on top, and allow him to either grind out a decision or catch a late submission.