Behind the UFC on FX numbers: Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller fight complete statistical breakdown

On Friday night (Jan. 20, 2012), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will make its first official main card appearance on FX as UFC on FX 1: "Guillard vs. Miller" kicks off the beginning of a potentially beautiful friendship at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The main event features a clash between two fighters who were once "in the mix" as lightweight contenders before suffering tragic falls from grace at the hands of hungrier (and perhaps more fortunate) opponents.

Not long ago, Jim Miller was a mere whisper away from getting a title shot, after going on a 7-0 tear that had everyone in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world calling for the AMA Fight Club tough guy to get a crack at the belt. That is until Ben Henderson used him for a punching bag for three rounds in a dominant unanimous decision victory at UFC on Versus 5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 14, 2011.

A similar tale could be told regarding Miller's opponent, Melvin Guillard. After a somewhat inconsistent start to his career, "The Young Assassin" had changed his life for the better. He had changed training camps to Jackson's MMA. He was fighting smarter. He was winning and doing so convincingly. But all that came to a crashing halt when Joe Lauzon choked him out in the very first round of their bout at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas on Oct. 8, 2011.

After the jump, we'll take a look at which one of these former top contenders stands the best chance to get back on the right track at UFC on FX: "Guilalrd vs. Miller:"

As usual the brilliant brainiacs at CompuStrike were willing and able to roll up their sleeves, get elbow deep in "MMA Math" and then pass their elaborate findings onto you, the Maniacs.

The numbers collected have been based on 10 fight averages for Melvin Guillard and 11 fight averages for Jim Miller.

First, let's kick things off with a look at the striking game:

Total Strikes:

Guillard -- 24 of 48
Miller -- 44 of 102

Percentage:

Guillard -- 50 percent
Miller -- 43 percent

Total Power Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 20
Miller -- 28

Total Non-Power Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 4
Miller -- 16

Guillard looks to be more crisp and precise, but Miller holds the edge in the power shots department. That may be a bit misleading though, as Guillard has overwhelmingly more knockouts (19 to Miller's three).

Here's what the arm striking aspect of the overall striking comparison looks like:

Total Arm Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 13 of 32
Miller -- 14 of 56

Percentage of Arm Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 41 percent
Miller -- 25 percent

Power Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 10
Miller -- 10

Non-Power Strikes Landed

Guillard -- 3
Miller -- 4

Guillard is far more accurate with his punches and elbows. He definitely gets the nod in this category.

How about those pesky kicks and knees?

Total Leg Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 6 of 9
Miller -- 8 of 11

Percentage of Leg Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 67 percent
Miller -- 73 percent

Power Leg Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 5
Miller -- 6

Non-Power Leg Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 1
Miller -- 2

Close, but Miller takes this "leg" of the race by a toenail.

Miller is a submission wizard and one of the better jiu-jitsu guys at 155 pounds. Guillard is a gamer and a scrapper, but you'd assume Miller would have a significant edge in this category.

Let's take a look:

Ground Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 5 of 7
Miller -- 22 of 35

Percentage:

Guillard -- 71 percent
Miller -- 63 percent

Power Ground Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 5
Miller -- 12

Non-Power Ground Strikes Landed:

Guillard -- 0
Miller -- 10

Takedowns:

Guillard -- 5 of 5 (100 percent)
Miller -- 17 of 25 (68 percent)

Submission Attempts:

Guillard -- 0
Miller -- 15

Dominant Positions:

Guillard -- 2
Miller -- 23

Just as we suspected. The numbers support what every MMA fan in the world probably already knew. That being: Guillard needs to keep this fight standing like his life depends on it.

What do these statistics do for you? Does any of the data surprise you or is it about what you expected? Share your well-formed opinions with us in the comment section.

For everything else you need to know about the clash between Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller, be sure to check out our complete fight archive right here.