Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort

UFC 20-9-0 vs. 15-10-0 (1 NC)

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
20-9-0
UFC record
15-10-0 (1 NC)
Middleweight
Division (benchmark)
Middleweight
47
AgeΔ 2 yrs
49
6'1"
HeightΔ 1"
6'0"
75"
ReachΔ 1"
74"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
104.4
Layoff (months)Δ 5.5 mo
98.9
LLWWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LWNCLL

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Vitor Belfort carries real power — 1.14 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.32 Middleweight norm.
Vitor Belfort is a submission threat — 0.83 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.47 Middleweight norm.
Michael Bisping defends head shots well — opponents land just 26%, vs a 38% Middleweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Michael Bisping

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 209
Tier 3 — regional circuit 100

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.45 · 20 tier-1/2 wins · 20 finish wins over 39 documented bouts

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

Vitor Belfort

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1410
Tier 3 — regional circuit 114

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.92 · 14 tier-1/2 wins · 20 finish wins over 40 documented bouts

In the UFC: 10-10 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +4.1 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

15674.29/min · norm 3.25
Sig. strikes landed
2871.99/min · norm 3.25
9992.73/min · norm 3.20
Sig. strikes absorbed
5013.47/min · norm 3.20
37.7%norm 47.4%
Striking accuracy
47.3%norm 47.4%
65.4%norm 53.8%
Striking defense
46.4%norm 53.8%
80.33/15 · norm 0.32
Knockdowns
111.14/15 · norm 0.32

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

Michael Bisping

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

Vitor Belfort

Distance 59.1% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 19.3% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 21.6% (norm 10.3%)

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

Michael Bisping

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

Vitor Belfort

Head 88.0% (norm 78.0%) · Body 7.9% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 4.1% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Bisping L/AAccMiddleweight med Belfort L/AAccMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1271 / 3664 34.7% 40.5% 127 / 359 35.4% 40.5%
In the clinch 152 / 241 63.1% 70.3% 68 / 117 58.1% 70.3%
On the ground 144 / 255 56.5% 69.1% 92 / 131 70.2% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 1132 / 3600 31.4% 38.9% 231 / 534 43.3% 38.9%
To the body 195 / 283 68.9% 71.7% 34 / 48 70.8% 71.7%
To the legs 240 / 277 86.6% 83.3% 22 / 25 88.0% 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 Bisping L/AOpp accMiddleweight med vs Belfort L/AOpp accMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 820 / 2543 32.2% 39.5% 195 / 499 39.1% 39.5%
In the clinch 84 / 168 50.0% 70.9% 88 / 132 66.7% 70.9%
On the ground 95 / 173 54.9% 69.0% 218 / 304 71.7% 69.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 587 / 2294 25.6% 37.9% 335 / 719 46.6% 37.9%
To the body 185 / 312 59.3% 71.3% 52 / 80 65.0% 71.3%
To the legs 227 / 278 81.7% 82.1% 114 / 136 83.8% 82.1%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
2643.3% acc · 1.07/15 · norm 1.42
Takedowns landed
675.0% acc · 0.62/15 · norm 1.42
6263.3% def · norm 63.1%
Takedowns stopped
2665.0% def · norm 63.1%
33:069.1% of cage time · norm 19.75%
Control time
7:576.2% of cage time · norm 19.75%
54:532:15 per 15 · norm 3:00
Time under control
46:244:49 per 15 · norm 3:00
50.21/15 · norm 0.47
Submission attempts
80.83/15 · 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.