Krylov vs Yakhyaev at UFC 333: The Veteran Meets the One-Minute Man

Sixty-one seconds. That's how long Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev's UFC fights last on average. The 25-year-old light heavyweight from Turkey, nicknamed "The Hunter," is 10-0 with eight first-round finishes. At UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, he meets a man who has been fighting in the Octagon since September 2013: Nikita Krylov, the division's #15.

Yakhyaev's numbers look almost unreal, with one big caveat: they come from just 35 significant strikes landed in the UFC. Still, consider the profile. He lands 8.64 a minute at 69% accuracy and absorbs 2.22. He averages 11.11 knockdowns and 11.11 takedowns per 15 minutes, plus 7.41 submission attempts, and he has landed three of his four takedown tries. Sixty percent of his strikes come on the ground. His 10 wins break down as four knockouts, five submissions and a single decision.

Krylov, 34, known as "The Miner," is 31-12 and has landed 689 significant strikes in the UFC, roughly 20 times Yakhyaev's total. He lands 4.38 a minute at 54% accuracy and absorbs 2.75, and his work is spread across every phase: 59% standing, 23% in the clinch, 18% on the ground. He's a submission threat in his own right: 16 of his 31 wins are tapouts, 13 are knockouts and only two went to the judges. He has 23 first-round finishes and averages 1.14 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Physically there's little to separate them. Krylov is 6'3" to Yakhyaev's 6'2", and their reaches are a near match at 77.5 and 78 inches. The gaps are elsewhere: Krylov defends 53% of takedowns to Yakhyaev's 100%, and Yakhyaev avoids more strikes, 59% to 48%. Krylov's fights average 7:09, so neither man is in the habit of going long.

So here's the question: can Yakhyaev's blitz work against a veteran who is comfortable on the mat and hunts submissions himself, or will Krylov drag the unbeaten prospect far past his 1:01 average fight time?

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. local time, the prelims at 8 p.m. and the main card at 10 p.m. Get your seats: UFC 333 tickets in Abu Dhabi.