BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs.
Darrell Horcher

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

13-0-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov · UFC
1-3-0 Darrell Horcher · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

13-0-0
UFC record
1-3-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
37.9
AgeΔ 1.1 yrs
39
5'10"
HeightΔ 0"
5'10"
70"
ReachΔ 0"
70"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
69.4
Layoff (months)Δ 22.8 mo
92.2
WWWWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LLWL
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.

Khabib Nurmagomedov hunts takedowns — 5.32 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 Lightweight norm.
Khabib Nurmagomedov owns the mat — in control 55% of cage time, vs a 20% Lightweight norm.
Darrell Horcher rarely shoots — 0.35 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 Lightweight 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.

Khabib Nurmagomedov

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

In the UFC: 10-0 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +4.2 wins over .500

Darrell Horcher

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

In the UFC: 0-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.5 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

7054.10/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
892.05/min · norm 3.42
3011.75/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
1834.21/min · norm 3.37
48.8%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
44.7%norm 43.5%
65.4%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
39.2%norm 56.3%
20.17/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
00.00/15 · norm 0.25

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

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Distance 61.1% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 2.8% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 36.1% (norm 8.0%)

Darrell Horcher

Distance 66.3% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 16.6% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 17.1% (norm 8.0%)

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

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Head 91.3% (norm 78.2%) · Body 6.0% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 2.7% (norm 7.9%)

Darrell Horcher

Head 86.4% (norm 78.2%) · Body 9.0% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 4.5% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Nurmagomedov L/AAccLightweight med Horcher L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 298 / 883 33.7% 37.9% 39 / 132 29.5% 37.9%
In the clinch 27 / 40 67.5% 67.3% 25 / 33 75.8% 67.3%
On the ground 380 / 521 72.9% 69.1% 25 / 34 73.5% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 604 / 1318 45.8% 35.0% 68 / 172 39.5% 35.0%
To the body 65 / 87 74.7% 69.1% 13 / 18 too few to rate 69.1%
To the legs 36 / 39 92.3% 81.9% 8 / 9 too few to rate 81.9%

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 (Lightweight: 201 fighters · Lightweight: 201 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 Nurmagomedov L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Horcher L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 260 / 822 31.6% 38.9% 57 / 141 40.4% 38.9%
In the clinch 30 / 35 85.7% 68.6% 19 / 23 too few to rate 68.6%
On the ground 11 / 13 too few to rate 68.0% 107 / 137 78.1% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 167 / 661 25.3% 35.1% 126 / 233 54.1% 35.1%
To the body 88 / 155 56.8% 68.1% 32 / 35 91.4% 68.1%
To the legs 46 / 54 85.2% 81.5% 25 / 33 75.8% 81.5%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

6148.0% acc · 5.32/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
150.0% acc · 0.35/15 · norm 1.38
1184.6% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
847.1% def · norm 64.0%
94:4155.1% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
9:5222.7% of cage time · norm 19.5%
2:330:13 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
17:205:58 per 15 · norm 2:46
90.79/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
20.69/15 · norm 0.49

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.