BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Jeremy Stephens vs.
Justin Buchholz

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

15-20-0 (1 NC) Jeremy Stephens · UFC
1-4-0 Justin Buchholz · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

15-20-0 (1 NC)
UFC record
1-4-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
40
AgeΔ 2 yrs
42
5'9"
HeightΔ 3"
6'0"
71"
ReachΔ 2"
73"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
2.9
Layoff (months)Δ 195 mo
197.9
LLLLL
Last 5 (newest first)
LLLWL
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.

Jeremy Stephens carries real power — 0.66 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.25 Lightweight norm.
Justin Buchholz rarely shoots — 0.00 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 Lightweight norm.
Justin Buchholz is a submission threat — 0.79 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.49 Lightweight norm.
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.

Jeremy Stephens

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1622
Tier 3 — regional circuit 131

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.68 · 16 tier-1/2 wins · 21 finish wins over 53 documented bouts

In the UFC: 8-17 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +2.5 wins over .500

Justin Buchholz

Full career not yet synced for Justin Buchholz — tier grading appears once their record documentation lands (refreshes weekly).

In the UFC: 1-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.2 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

12813.13/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
892.35/min · norm 3.42
13273.25/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
1574.14/min · norm 3.37
40.8%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
26.6%norm 43.5%
57.9%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
51.4%norm 56.3%
180.66/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
10.40/15 · norm 0.25

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

Jeremy Stephens

Distance 84.0% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 5.6% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 10.4% (norm 8.0%)

Justin Buchholz

Distance 76.4% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 14.6% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 9.0% (norm 8.0%)

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

Jeremy Stephens

Head 77.1% (norm 78.2%) · Body 9.8% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 13.1% (norm 7.9%)

Justin Buchholz

Head 85.1% (norm 78.2%) · Body 7.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 7.8% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Stephens L/AAccLightweight med Buchholz L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 942 / 2637 35.7% 37.9% 56 / 256 21.9% 37.9%
In the clinch 126 / 175 72.0% 67.3% 23 / 49 46.9% 67.3%
On the ground 213 / 326 65.3% 69.1% 10 / 30 33.3% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 752 / 2420 31.1% 35.0% 63 / 285 22.1% 35.0%
To the body 222 / 307 72.3% 69.1% 14 / 24 too few to rate 69.1%
To the legs 307 / 411 74.7% 81.9% 12 / 26 46.2% 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 Stephens L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Buchholz L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1035 / 2709 38.2% 38.9% 96 / 220 43.6% 38.9%
In the clinch 113 / 165 68.5% 68.6% 36 / 57 63.2% 68.6%
On the ground 179 / 278 64.4% 68.0% 25 / 46 54.3% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 812 / 2468 32.9% 35.1% 112 / 266 42.1% 35.1%
To the body 238 / 349 68.2% 68.1% 20 / 30 66.7% 68.1%
To the legs 277 / 335 82.7% 81.5% 25 / 27 92.6% 81.5%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

3038.5% acc · 1.10/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
00.0% acc · 0.00/15 · norm 1.38
7861.9% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
333.3% def · norm 64.0%
71:3117.5% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
4:3111.9% of cage time · norm 19.5%
91:283:21 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
12:084:48 per 15 · norm 2:46
110.40/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
20.79/15 · norm 0.49

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.