Erik Koch vs.
Daron Cruickshank
Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.
The men, measured.
Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.
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.
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.
Erik Koch
Full career not yet synced for Erik Koch — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).
In the UFC: 1-5 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.6 wins over .500
Daron Cruickshank
Full career not yet synced for Daron Cruickshank — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).
In the UFC: 2-3 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.5 wins over .500
The stand-up battle.
Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.
Significant strikes — landed & absorbed
Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)
Erik Koch
Distance 79.7% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 10.1% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 10.1% (norm 8.0%)
Daron Cruickshank
Distance 84.8% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 9.6% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 5.6% (norm 8.0%)
What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)
Erik Koch
Head 85.6% (norm 78.2%) · Body 8.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 6.2% (norm 7.9%)
Daron Cruickshank
Head 74.4% (norm 78.2%) · Body 18.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 7.4% (norm 7.9%)
Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone
Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.
| Zone | Koch L/A | Acc | Lightweight med | Cruickshank L/A | Acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 143 / 464 | 30.8% | 37.9% | 276 / 849 | 32.5% | 37.9% |
| In the clinch | 45 / 59 | 76.3% | 67.3% | 62 / 96 | 64.6% | 67.3% |
| On the ground | 47 / 59 | 79.7% | 69.1% | 43 / 56 | 76.8% | 69.1% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 167 / 498 | 33.5% | 35.0% | 216 / 745 | 29.0% | 35.0% |
| To the body | 40 / 48 | 83.3% | 69.1% | 105 / 182 | 57.7% | 69.1% |
| To the legs | 28 / 36 | 77.8% | 81.9% | 60 / 74 | 81.1% | 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 Koch L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med | vs Cruickshank L/A | Opp acc | Lightweight med |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BY POSITION | ||||||
| At distance | 140 / 393 | 35.6% | 38.9% | 299 / 769 | 38.9% | 38.9% |
| In the clinch | 84 / 108 | 77.8% | 68.6% | 38 / 77 | 49.4% | 68.6% |
| On the ground | 106 / 148 | 71.6% | 68.0% | 58 / 81 | 71.6% | 68.0% |
| BY TARGET | ||||||
| To the head | 189 / 449 | 42.1% | 35.1% | 218 / 682 | 32.0% | 35.1% |
| To the body | 88 / 127 | 69.3% | 68.1% | 82 / 126 | 65.1% | 68.1% |
| To the legs | 53 / 73 | 72.6% | 81.5% | 95 / 119 | 79.8% | 81.5% |
The ground war.
Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.
Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Cruickshank has more cage time on record.