BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Joseph Benavidez vs.
Zach Makovsky

Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.

15-6-0 Joseph Benavidez · UFC
3-4-0 Zach Makovsky · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.

15-6-0
UFC record
3-4-0
Flyweight
Division (benchmark)
Flyweight
42
AgeΔ 1.3 yrs
43.3
5'4"
HeightΔ 0"
5'4"
65"
ReachΔ 1"
64"
Southpaw
Stance
Southpaw
65
Layoff (months)Δ 50.8 mo
115.8
LLLWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LLLWL
The read

What the numbers say.

Scouting notes, auto-generated — only stats deviating more than 25% from the division median make this list. No narratives, just deviations.

Zach Makovsky hunts takedowns — 3.71 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.30 Flyweight norm.
Joseph Benavidez carries real power — 0.37 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.18 Flyweight norm.
Zach Makovsky owns the mat — in control 25% of cage time, vs a 17% Flyweight norm.
Level of competition

Who did they actually beat?

Full-career records re-graded by the tier of opposition — the same grading the Contender Series pick model uses. Records built on tier-4 competition are worth less than records built on killers.

Joseph Benavidez

Full career not yet synced for Joseph Benavidez — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).

In the UFC: 10-6 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +2.2 wins over .500

Zach Makovsky

Full career not yet synced for Zach Makovsky — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).

In the UFC: 1-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.7 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

9383.91/min · norm 3.49
Sig. strikes landed
2041.94/min · norm 3.49
7223.01/min · norm 3.24
Sig. strikes absorbed
2352.24/min · norm 3.24
36.9%norm 44.6%
Striking accuracy
43.0%norm 44.6%
57.1%norm 56.4%
Striking defense
62.3%norm 56.4%
60.37/15 · norm 0.18
Knockdowns
00.00/15 · norm 0.18

Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)

Joseph Benavidez

Distance 89.3% (norm 85.1%) · Clinch 6.8% (norm 6.0%) · Ground 3.9% (norm 7.3%)

Zach Makovsky

Distance 82.1% (norm 85.1%) · Clinch 8.2% (norm 6.0%) · Ground 9.7% (norm 7.3%)

What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)

Joseph Benavidez

Head 71.2% (norm 75.9%) · Body 16.9% (norm 13.3%) · Legs 11.9% (norm 9.3%)

Zach Makovsky

Head 77.4% (norm 75.9%) · Body 11.2% (norm 13.3%) · Legs 11.4% (norm 9.3%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.

Zone Benavidez L/AAccFlyweight med Makovsky L/AAccFlyweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 764 / 2271 33.6% 40.0% 142 / 389 36.5% 40.0%
In the clinch 111 / 174 63.8% 70.4% 29 / 39 74.4% 70.4%
On the ground 63 / 98 64.3% 69.7% 33 / 46 71.7% 69.7%
BY TARGET
To the head 505 / 1810 27.9% 37.6% 119 / 367 32.4% 37.6%
To the body 243 / 431 56.4% 68.5% 38 / 53 71.7% 68.5%
To the legs 190 / 302 62.9% 80.0% 47 / 54 87.0% 80.0%

Zones with fewer than 25 attempts are marked "too few to rate". Each fighter is measured against the median of leaderboard-eligible fighters in his own division (Flyweight: 73 fighters · Flyweight: 73 fighters).

What lands on them Opponents' accuracy against each man

Green ≤ division median — harder to hit than the typical man in his division.

Zone vs Benavidez L/AOpp accFlyweight med vs Makovsky L/AOpp accFlyweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 536 / 1429 37.5% 40.1% 131 / 463 28.3% 40.1%
In the clinch 126 / 182 69.2% 68.8% 66 / 107 61.7% 68.8%
On the ground 60 / 71 84.5% 71.1% 38 / 54 70.4% 71.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 439 / 1292 34.0% 35.2% 143 / 496 28.8% 35.2%
To the body 206 / 289 71.3% 68.2% 62 / 91 68.1% 68.2%
To the legs 77 / 101 76.2% 80.3% 30 / 37 81.1% 80.3%
Grappling

The ground war.

Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.

2430.8% acc · 1.50/15 · norm 1.30
Takedowns landed
2630.6% acc · 3.71/15 · norm 1.30
5767.9% def · norm 62.5%
Takedowns stopped
1356.5% def · norm 62.5%
40:5517.0% of cage time · norm 17.0%
Control time
25:4724.6% of cage time · norm 17.0%
20:421:17 per 15 · norm 2:44
Time under control
21:023:00 per 15 · norm 2:44
40.25/15 · norm 0.58
Submission attempts
20.29/15 · norm 0.58

Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Benavidez has more cage time on record.

Next move

Let the engine settle it.