BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Sergio Pettis vs.
Joseph Benavidez

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

9-5-0 Sergio Pettis · UFC
15-6-0 Joseph Benavidez · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

9-5-0
UFC record
15-6-0
Flyweight
Division (benchmark)
Flyweight
33
AgeΔ 9 yrs
42
5'6"
HeightΔ 2"
5'4"
69"
ReachΔ 4"
65"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
82.5
Layoff (months)Δ 17.5 mo
65
WLLWL
Last 5 (newest first)
LLLWW
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.

Joseph Benavidez carries real power — 0.37 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.18 Flyweight norm.
Sergio Pettis rarely shoots — 0.85 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.30 Flyweight norm.
Joseph Benavidez is wasteful with head shots — only 28% land, vs a 38% 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.

Sergio Pettis

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

In the UFC: 5-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.6 wins over .500

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

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

8193.88/min · norm 3.49
Sig. strikes landed
9383.91/min · norm 3.49
6152.91/min · norm 3.24
Sig. strikes absorbed
7223.01/min · norm 3.24
37.4%norm 44.6%
Striking accuracy
36.9%norm 44.6%
65.4%norm 56.4%
Striking defense
57.1%norm 56.4%
10.07/15 · norm 0.18
Knockdowns
60.37/15 · norm 0.18

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

Sergio Pettis

Distance 93.2% (norm 85.1%) · Clinch 2.7% (norm 6.0%) · Ground 4.1% (norm 7.3%)

Joseph Benavidez

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

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

Sergio Pettis

Head 88.4% (norm 75.9%) · Body 6.7% (norm 13.3%) · Legs 4.8% (norm 9.3%)

Joseph Benavidez

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

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Pettis L/AAccFlyweight med Benavidez L/AAccFlyweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 730 / 2039 35.8% 40.0% 764 / 2271 33.6% 40.0%
In the clinch 42 / 59 71.2% 70.4% 111 / 174 63.8% 70.4%
On the ground 47 / 90 52.2% 69.7% 63 / 98 64.3% 69.7%
BY TARGET
To the head 645 / 1935 33.3% 37.6% 505 / 1810 27.9% 37.6%
To the body 82 / 147 55.8% 68.5% 243 / 431 56.4% 68.5%
To the legs 92 / 106 86.8% 80.0% 190 / 302 62.9% 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 Pettis L/AOpp accFlyweight med vs Benavidez L/AOpp accFlyweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 517 / 1610 32.1% 40.1% 536 / 1429 37.5% 40.1%
In the clinch 35 / 56 62.5% 68.8% 126 / 182 69.2% 68.8%
On the ground 63 / 113 55.8% 71.1% 60 / 71 84.5% 71.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 383 / 1433 26.7% 35.2% 439 / 1292 34.0% 35.2%
To the body 144 / 231 62.3% 68.2% 206 / 289 71.3% 68.2%
To the legs 88 / 115 76.5% 80.3% 77 / 101 76.2% 80.3%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

1240.0% acc · 0.85/15 · norm 1.30
Takedowns landed
2430.8% acc · 1.50/15 · norm 1.30
5067.6% def · norm 62.5%
Takedowns stopped
5767.9% def · norm 62.5%
18:118.6% of cage time · norm 17.0%
Control time
40:5517.0% of cage time · norm 17.0%
56:424:01 per 15 · norm 2:44
Time under control
20:421:17 per 15 · norm 2:44
50.36/15 · norm 0.58
Submission attempts
40.25/15 · 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.