BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Nassourdine Imavov vs.
Joaquin Buckley

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

9-2-0 (1 NC) Nassourdine Imavov · UFC
11-6-0 Joaquin Buckley · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

9-2-0 (1 NC)
UFC record
11-6-0
Middleweight
Division (benchmark)
Middleweight
30.4
AgeΔ 1.9 yrs
32.3
6'3"
HeightΔ 5"
5'10"
75"
ReachΔ 1"
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
10.9
Layoff (months)Δ 8 mo
2.9
WWWWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LLWWW
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.

Joaquin Buckley carries real power — 0.68 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.32 Middleweight norm.
Nassourdine Imavov is a submission threat — 0.98 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.47 Middleweight norm.
Nassourdine Imavov rarely shoots — 0.74 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.42 Middleweight 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.

Nassourdine Imavov

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 102
Tier 3 — regional circuit 72

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.39 · 10 tier-1/2 wins · 11 finish wins over 22 documented bouts

In the UFC: 7-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +4.1 wins over .500

Joaquin Buckley

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 148
Tier 2 — LFA / Cage Warriors (feeder belts) 20
Tier 3 — regional circuit 50

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.4 · 16 tier-1/2 wins · 15 finish wins over 29 documented bouts

In the UFC: 9-5 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.2 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

7844.28/min · norm 3.25
Sig. strikes landed
7233.62/min · norm 3.25
5813.17/min · norm 3.20
Sig. strikes absorbed
6193.10/min · norm 3.20
55.0%norm 47.4%
Striking accuracy
36.4%norm 47.4%
58.7%norm 53.8%
Striking defense
58.9%norm 53.8%
20.16/15 · norm 0.32
Knockdowns
90.68/15 · norm 0.32

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

Nassourdine Imavov

Distance 80.9% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 9.5% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 9.6% (norm 10.3%)

Joaquin Buckley

Distance 85.6% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 3.5% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 11.0% (norm 10.3%)

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

Nassourdine Imavov

Head 77.5% (norm 78.0%) · Body 14.7% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 7.8% (norm 8.4%)

Joaquin Buckley

Head 79.5% (norm 78.0%) · Body 16.0% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 4.4% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Imavov L/AAccMiddleweight med Buckley L/AAccMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 573 / 1153 49.7% 40.5% 544 / 1701 32.0% 40.5%
In the clinch 119 / 136 87.5% 70.3% 42 / 69 60.9% 70.3%
On the ground 92 / 137 67.2% 69.1% 137 / 218 62.8% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 534 / 1105 48.3% 38.9% 449 / 1581 28.4% 38.9%
To the body 155 / 210 73.8% 71.7% 202 / 319 63.3% 71.7%
To the legs 95 / 111 85.6% 83.3% 72 / 88 81.8% 83.3%

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 (Middleweight: 174 fighters · Middleweight: 174 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 Imavov L/AOpp accMiddleweight med vs Buckley L/AOpp accMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 527 / 1330 39.6% 39.5% 440 / 1182 37.2% 39.5%
In the clinch 48 / 72 66.7% 70.9% 42 / 59 71.2% 70.9%
On the ground 6 / 6 too few to rate 69.0% 137 / 264 51.9% 69.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 341 / 1055 32.3% 37.9% 425 / 1227 34.6% 37.9%
To the body 112 / 184 60.9% 71.3% 124 / 189 65.6% 71.3%
To the legs 128 / 169 75.7% 82.1% 70 / 89 78.7% 82.1%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

932.1% acc · 0.74/15 · norm 1.42
Takedowns landed
1945.2% acc · 1.43/15 · norm 1.42
3581.4% def · norm 63.1%
Takedowns stopped
4070.2% def · norm 63.1%
28:3715.6% of cage time · norm 19.75%
Control time
21:5310.9% of cage time · norm 19.75%
45:433:44 per 15 · norm 3:00
Time under control
39:552:59 per 15 · norm 3:00
120.98/15 · norm 0.47
Submission attempts
10.08/15 · norm 0.47

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.