BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Charles Oliveira vs.
Justin Gaethje

Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.

25-11-0 (1 NC) Charles Oliveira · UFC
11-5-0 Justin Gaethje · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.

25-11-0 (1 NC)
UFC record
11-5-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
36.8
AgeΔ 0.9 yrs
37.7
5'10"
HeightΔ 1"
5'11"
74"
ReachΔ 4"
70"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
5
Layoff (months)Δ 3.3 mo
1.7
WWLWL
Last 5 (newest first)
WWWLW
The read

What the numbers say.

Scouting notes, auto-generated — only stats deviating more than 25% from the division median make this list. No narratives, just deviations.

Charles Oliveira is a submission threat — 2.59 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.49 Lightweight norm.
Justin Gaethje carries real power — 0.67 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.25 Lightweight norm.
Justin Gaethje absorbs 6.83 sig. strikes per minute, well above the 3.37 Lightweight norm — hittable.
Level of competition

Who did they actually beat?

Full-career records re-graded by the tier of opposition — the same grading the Contender Series pick model uses. Records built on tier-4 competition are worth less than records built on killers.

Charles Oliveira

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 2511
Tier 3 — regional circuit 80

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.52 · 25 tier-1/2 wins · 28 finish wins over 45 documented bouts

In the UFC: 19-11 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +4.4 wins over .500

Justin Gaethje

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 115
Tier 3 — regional circuit 170

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.43 · 11 tier-1/2 wins · 22 finish wins over 33 documented bouts

In the UFC: 10-5 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +8.4 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

9543.23/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
12716.29/min · norm 3.42
9003.05/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
13816.83/min · norm 3.37
55.6%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
57.6%norm 43.5%
49.0%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
50.7%norm 56.3%
80.41/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
90.67/15 · norm 0.25

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

Charles Oliveira

Distance 69.9% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 13.5% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 16.6% (norm 8.0%)

Justin Gaethje

Distance 87.8% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 9.3% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 2.9% (norm 8.0%)

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

Charles Oliveira

Head 68.9% (norm 78.2%) · Body 20.8% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 10.3% (norm 7.9%)

Justin Gaethje

Head 76.8% (norm 78.2%) · Body 8.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 14.9% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Oliveira L/AAccLightweight med Gaethje L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 560 / 1199 46.7% 37.9% 1065 / 1939 54.9% 37.9%
In the clinch 173 / 231 74.9% 67.3% 162 / 206 78.6% 67.3%
On the ground 221 / 285 77.5% 69.1% 44 / 63 69.8% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 565 / 1182 47.8% 35.0% 841 / 1696 49.6% 35.0%
To the body 246 / 357 68.9% 69.1% 139 / 183 76.0% 69.1%
To the legs 143 / 176 81.2% 81.9% 291 / 329 88.4% 81.9%

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 (Lightweight: 201 fighters · Lightweight: 201 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 Oliveira L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Gaethje L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 615 / 1341 45.9% 38.9% 1230 / 2608 47.2% 38.9%
In the clinch 72 / 105 68.6% 68.6% 132 / 170 77.6% 68.6%
On the ground 213 / 317 67.2% 68.0% 19 / 23 too few to rate 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 658 / 1421 46.3% 35.1% 766 / 2038 37.6% 35.1%
To the body 168 / 240 70.0% 68.1% 437 / 556 78.6% 68.1%
To the legs 74 / 102 72.5% 81.5% 178 / 207 86.0% 81.5%
Grappling

The ground war.

Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.

4539.8% acc · 2.29/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
426.7% acc · 0.30/15 · norm 1.38
2854.9% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
2273.3% def · norm 64.0%
102:0334.6% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
13:176.6% of cage time · norm 19.5%
83:194:14 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
6:370:29 per 15 · norm 2:46
512.59/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
00.00/15 · norm 0.49

Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Oliveira has more cage time on record.

Next move

Let the engine settle it.