BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs.
Michael Bisping

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

2-5-0 Yoshihiro Akiyama · UFC
20-9-0 Michael Bisping · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

2-5-0
UFC record
20-9-0
Middleweight
Division (benchmark)
Middleweight
51
AgeΔ 3.6 yrs
47.4
5'10"
HeightΔ 3"
6'1"
75"
ReachΔ 0"
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
128.3
Layoff (months)Δ 24 mo
104.3
LWLLL
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.

Yoshihiro Akiyama absorbs 4.96 sig. strikes per minute, well above the 3.20 Middleweight norm — hittable.
Yoshihiro Akiyama hunts takedowns — 1.97 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.42 Middleweight norm.
Michael Bisping defends head shots well — opponents land just 26%, vs a 38% 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.

Yoshihiro Akiyama

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

In the UFC: 2-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +2.6 wins over .500

Michael Bisping

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

In the UFC: 14-8 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +2.7 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

3013.29/min · norm 3.25
Sig. strikes landed
15674.29/min · norm 3.25
4544.96/min · norm 3.20
Sig. strikes absorbed
9992.73/min · norm 3.20
39.2%norm 47.4%
Striking accuracy
37.7%norm 47.4%
55.0%norm 53.8%
Striking defense
65.4%norm 53.8%
00.00/15 · norm 0.32
Knockdowns
80.33/15 · norm 0.32

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

Yoshihiro Akiyama

Distance 85.4% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 2.3% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 12.2% (norm 10.3%)

Michael Bisping

Distance 88.1% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 5.8% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 6.1% (norm 10.3%)

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

Yoshihiro Akiyama

Head 89.8% (norm 78.0%) · Body 3.5% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 6.6% (norm 8.4%)

Michael Bisping

Head 86.5% (norm 78.0%) · Body 6.8% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 6.7% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Akiyama L/AAccMiddleweight med Bisping L/AAccMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 239 / 656 36.4% 40.5% 1271 / 3664 34.7% 40.5%
In the clinch 9 / 18 too few to rate 70.3% 152 / 241 63.1% 70.3%
On the ground 53 / 94 56.4% 69.1% 144 / 255 56.5% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 242 / 690 35.1% 38.9% 1132 / 3600 31.4% 38.9%
To the body 20 / 27 74.1% 71.7% 195 / 283 68.9% 71.7%
To the legs 39 / 51 76.5% 83.3% 240 / 277 86.6% 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 Akiyama L/AOpp accMiddleweight med vs Bisping L/AOpp accMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 388 / 897 43.3% 39.5% 820 / 2543 32.2% 39.5%
In the clinch 44 / 78 56.4% 70.9% 84 / 168 50.0% 70.9%
On the ground 22 / 33 66.7% 69.0% 95 / 173 54.9% 69.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 289 / 784 36.9% 37.9% 587 / 2294 25.6% 37.9%
To the body 58 / 80 72.5% 71.3% 185 / 312 59.3% 71.3%
To the legs 107 / 144 74.3% 82.1% 227 / 278 81.7% 82.1%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

1260.0% acc · 1.97/15 · norm 1.42
Takedowns landed
2643.3% acc · 1.07/15 · norm 1.42
3088.2% def · norm 63.1%
Takedowns stopped
6263.3% def · norm 63.1%
22:0924.2% of cage time · norm 19.75%
Control time
33:069.1% of cage time · norm 19.75%
5:500:57 per 15 · norm 3:00
Time under control
54:532:15 per 15 · norm 3:00
10.16/15 · norm 0.47
Submission attempts
50.21/15 · norm 0.47

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.