Heili Alateng vs Ryan Benoit Expert UFC Picks - 12/21/2019

Heili Alateng vs Ryan Benoit

UFC Fight Night 165

Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Heili Alateng will enter the Octagon against Ryan Benoit at UFC Fight Night 165 in Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea on Saturday, December 21, 2019. The moneyline has Alateng coming in at +126 while Benoit is coming in at -154.

Heili "The Mongolian Knight" Alateng holds a career mark of 13-7-1. The 27-year-old is fighting at 135 lbs and stands 5' 5". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 66". Ryan "Baby Face" Benoit measures 5' 5" and is fighting at 135 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a win to his total of 10-5-0. The 30-year-old reaches 68". In terms of significant strikes, Heili Alateng connects on 2.40 per minute while Ryan Benoit lands 2.38 significant strikes per min. Alateng is connecting on 40% of the significant strikes he tries and Benoit connects on 36%. Concerning the fighter's defense, "The Mongolian Knight" takes 5.67 significant strikes per min and "Baby Face" takes 3.20. Alateng also thwarts 63% of the significant strikes his opponents throw at him while Benoit is able to defend against 59% of the shots thrown his way.

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Regarding takedowns, Heili Alateng is the more apt wrestler as he takes his opponents down 3.00 times per 15 minutes. Alateng is scoring a takedown on 42% of his attempts and thwarting 90% of all takedowns attempted on him. Benoit is scoring a takedown on 20% of the takedowns he attempts and stuffing 62% of all takedowns attempted on him. Regarding going for the sub, Alateng is not as skilled of a technician by going for 0.2 submissions per 15 min while Benoit attempts 0.4 submissions per 15 min.

In his last bout, Heili Alateng fought Danaa Batgerel and ended up winning this fight via unanimous decision in round 3. Batgerel ended up landing 119 of 269 of the strikes he let go in total for this contest. Alateng finished this fight landing 63 of 133 total strikes. When it comes to significant strikes, Batgerel landed 85 of 230, which means his percentage was 36%. He ended up landing 74 of 202 significant strikes aimed at the head. Statistically, Alateng landed 40% of his significant strikes by landing 36 of 89. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he was 35 of 88 pointed at the head. 80% of the significant strikes landed by Batgerel and 91% of them connected on by Alateng were tallied at a distance.

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In the last Octagon appearance for Ryan Benoit, he battled Ashkan Mokhtarian and wound up taking home the win by way of a kick to the head in round 3. Mokhtarian landed 97% of the significant strikes he attempted at distance while Benoit landed 88% of the significant strikes he attempted from distance. Benoit landed 48% of his significant strikes attempted by connecting on 45 of 93. He ended up landing 40 of 86 significant strikes aimed at the head. Mokhtarian ended up landing 42 of 101 significant strikes in that fight. Of all the significant strikes, he landed 20 of 71 directed at the head. In terms of total strikes that he let go in that contest, Mokhtarian ended up connecting on 43 of 102 while Benoit was 47 of 95 of all the strikes he threw.

Other fights on the card to watch

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Miranda Granger faces off with Amanda Lemos. Granger walks into the Octagon with a mark of 7-0-0. The 27-year-old is fighting at 125 lbs and measures 5' 7". The orthodox fighter stretches 68". Lemos measures 5' 4" and steps on the scale at 125 lbs. The southpaw fighter steps into the cage holding a record of 6-1-1. The 32-year-old reaches 65". In terms of takedowns, Miranda Granger takes her opponents to the mat 0.45 times per 15 min and Amanda Lemos is able to score a takedown 1.90 times per 15 minutes. In the striking category, Granger lands an average of 4.07 strikes/minute and connects on 42% out of all the strikes she attempts. On the other side we have Amanda Lemos, who is landing 64% of the strikes she has thrown and lands 8.63 per minute.

If you're going to be watching the fights, don't miss when Chan Sung Jung is set to square up in the Octagon against Frankie Edgar. Edgar steps into the cage with a record of 22-7-1. The 38-year-old weighs 145 lbs and measures in at 5' 6". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 68". Sung Jung comes in at 5' 7" and records a weight of 145 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a win to his record of 15-5-0. The 32-year-old stretches 72". In terms of wrestling, Frankie Edgar stops 65% of the takedowns his opponents try and is taking his opponents to the canvas on 31% of his tries. Sung Jung is taking his opponents down on 41% of the attempts he tries and is able to prevent 75% of all takedown attempts. In the matter of striking, Edgar is taking 2.39 strikes/minute and he is dishing out 3.60 strikes/minute. Sung Jung, in contrast, absorbs 3.77 strikes per minute and connects on 4.25 per minute.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Heili Alateng (+126)

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