Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov – Preview & Matchup Analysis

UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. In one of the matchups on the fight card, Joseph Benavidez will take on Askar “Bullet” Askarov in the Flyweight Bout. You can view the full UFC 259 card.

In this post, we will break down Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov matchup. Let’s take look at the fighter’s ages, their height, records, reach, fight stats and more below ⤵

The 39-year-old, Joseph Benavidez is coming in with a 28-7-0 record. Benavidez will be fighting for the first time since a loss via submission against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 in July.

Askarov, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision win against Alexandre Pantoja on July 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 and holds a 12-0-1 record.

Joseph Benavidez has an southpaw fighting stance with a 65″ reach. The 31-year-old, Askar Askarov is an orthodox fighter with a 67″ reach. An orthodox fighter stands with their left side forward and jabs with their left hand, the southpaw fighter is the opposite, southpaw stands with their right side forward and jabs with their right hand. In most cases, orthodox fighters are right-handed, if you are left-handed, then you fight southpaw.

Joseph Benavidez:
→ Benavidez’s striking accuracy is 34%.
→ Benavidez lands 3.54 significant strikes per minute.
→ Benavidez’s takedown accuracy is 30%.
→ Benavidez’s takedown average is 1.48 per 15 minutes.
→ Benavidez’s takedown defense is 65%.

Benavidez comes in with 34% striking accuracy, typically landing about 3.54 significant strikes every minute. On the other side, Askarov fires at 52% accuracy, landing about 3.20 significant strikes per minute. Joseph Benavidez also has a 30% takedown accuracy and on average gets around 1.48 takedowns every 15 minutes, compared to Askarov’s 2.00 takedowns and 64% takedown accuracy.

Askar Askarov:
→ Askarov’s striking accuracy is 52%.
→ Askarov lands 3.20 significant strikes per minute.
→ Askarov’s takedown accuracy is 18%.
→ Askarov’s takedown average is 2.00 per 15 minutes.
→ Askarov’s takedown defense is 64%.

Askar spent on average 15:00 minutes in the Octagon and Joseph has an average fight time of 11:15 minutes.

This looks like an entertaining matchup, at least on paper. UFC 259 is live in , who do you think will win, Joseph or Askar? Sound off in the comments.

You can view the scheduled UFC 259 fight card, upcoming UFC schedule 2020, and latest MMA news.