BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Paddy Pimblett vs.
Tony Ferguson

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

8-1-0 Paddy Pimblett · UFC
15-9-0 Tony Ferguson · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

8-1-0
UFC record
15-9-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
31.6
AgeΔ 10.9 yrs
42.5
5'10"
HeightΔ 1"
5'11"
73"
ReachΔ 3"
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
0.9
Layoff (months)Δ 23.2 mo
24.1
WLWWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LLLLL
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.

Paddy Pimblett is a submission threat — 1.36 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.49 Lightweight norm.
Tony Ferguson is a submission threat — 0.88 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.49 Lightweight norm.
Tony Ferguson rarely shoots — 0.39 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 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.

Paddy Pimblett

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 81
Tier 2 — LFA / Cage Warriors (feeder belts) 113
Tier 3 — regional circuit 50

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.68 · 19 tier-1/2 wins · 18 finish wins over 28 documented bouts

In the UFC: 5-1 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +2.4 wins over .500

Tony Ferguson

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 159
Tier 3 — regional circuit 102

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.17 · 15 tier-1/2 wins · 20 finish wins over 36 documented bouts

In the UFC: 10-7 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.8 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

4845.48/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
13324.91/min · norm 3.42
3413.86/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
11864.37/min · norm 3.37
52.7%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
45.9%norm 43.5%
42.8%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
55.4%norm 56.3%
20.34/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
30.17/15 · norm 0.25

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

Paddy Pimblett

Distance 81.9% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 6.3% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 11.8% (norm 8.0%)

Tony Ferguson

Distance 94.3% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 1.7% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 4.1% (norm 8.0%)

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

Paddy Pimblett

Head 75.8% (norm 78.2%) · Body 12.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 11.9% (norm 7.9%)

Tony Ferguson

Head 75.1% (norm 78.2%) · Body 13.5% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 11.4% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Pimblett L/AAccLightweight med Ferguson L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 367 / 752 48.8% 37.9% 1210 / 2738 44.2% 37.9%
In the clinch 37 / 58 63.8% 67.3% 31 / 49 63.3% 67.3%
On the ground 80 / 108 74.1% 69.1% 91 / 118 77.1% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 298 / 696 42.8% 35.0% 800 / 2182 36.7% 35.0%
To the body 87 / 113 77.0% 69.1% 259 / 393 65.9% 69.1%
To the legs 99 / 109 90.8% 81.9% 273 / 330 82.7% 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 Pimblett L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Ferguson L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 264 / 492 53.7% 38.9% 1028 / 2394 42.9% 38.9%
In the clinch 37 / 50 74.0% 68.6% 15 / 48 31.2% 68.6%
On the ground 40 / 54 74.1% 68.0% 143 / 216 66.2% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 220 / 432 50.9% 35.1% 790 / 2103 37.6% 35.1%
To the body 73 / 113 64.6% 68.1% 225 / 356 63.2% 68.1%
To the legs 48 / 51 94.1% 81.5% 171 / 199 85.9% 81.5%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

421.1% acc · 0.68/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
735.0% acc · 0.39/15 · norm 1.38
1346.4% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
3966.1% def · norm 64.0%
18:2120.8% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
8:002.9% of cage time · norm 19.5%
23:454:01 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
63:463:31 per 15 · norm 2:46
81.36/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
160.88/15 · norm 0.49

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.