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Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez

UFC 21-16-0 vs. 4-3-0 (1 NC)

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
21-16-0
UFC record
4-3-0 (1 NC)
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
41
AgeΔ 1 yrs
42
5'8"
HeightΔ 1"
5'9"
70"
ReachΔ 1"
69"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
0.6
Layoff (months)Δ 98.2 mo
98.8
LLLLW
Last 5 (newest first)
LWNCLW

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Eddie Alvarez absorbs 5.33 sig. strikes per minute, well above the 3.38 Lightweight norm — hittable.
Eddie Alvarez hunts takedowns — 2.02 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.34 Lightweight norm.
Rafael Dos Anjos hunts takedowns — 1.92 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.34 Lightweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Rafael Dos Anjos

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 2115
Tier 3 — regional circuit 102

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.02 · 21 tier-1/2 wins · 15 finish wins over 48 documented bouts

In the UFC: 16-15 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +4.1 wins over .500

Eddie Alvarez

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 146
Tier 3 — regional circuit 162

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.24 · 14 tier-1/2 wins · 24 finish wins over 40 documented bouts

In the UFC: 3-3 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +5.9 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

18483.48/min · norm 3.44
Sig. strikes landed
4004.50/min · norm 3.44
17283.25/min · norm 3.38
Sig. strikes absorbed lower is better
4745.33/min · norm 3.38
47.0%norm 43.65%
Striking accuracy
41.2%norm 43.65%
60.2%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
53.8%norm 56.3%
70.20/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
10.17/15 · norm 0.25

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

Rafael Dos Anjos

Distance 79.3% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 10.4% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 10.3% (norm 8.0%)

Eddie Alvarez

Distance 87.3% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 10.7% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 2.0% (norm 8.0%)

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

Rafael Dos Anjos

Head 74.8% (norm 78.0%) · Body 15.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 10.0% (norm 8.0%)

Eddie Alvarez

Head 80.0% (norm 78.0%) · Body 15.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 4.8% (norm 8.0%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Dos Anjos L/AAccLightweight med Alvarez L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1249 / 3117 40.1% 38.3% 313 / 847 37.0% 38.3%
In the clinch 321 / 407 78.9% 67.5% 71 / 104 68.3% 67.5%
On the ground 278 / 406 68.5% 68.8% 16 / 19 too few to rate 68.8%
BY TARGET
To the head 1083 / 2939 36.8% 35.1% 263 / 776 33.9% 35.1%
To the body 440 / 599 73.5% 69.1% 101 / 147 68.7% 69.1%
To the legs 325 / 392 82.9% 81.8% 36 / 47 76.6% 81.8%

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: 204 fighters · Lightweight: 204 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 Dos Anjos L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Alvarez L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1359 / 3813 35.6% 38.8% 399 / 910 43.8% 38.8%
In the clinch 235 / 325 72.3% 68.6% 63 / 89 70.8% 68.6%
On the ground 134 / 203 66.0% 68.0% 12 / 26 46.2% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 1129 / 3538 31.9% 35.2% 307 / 820 37.4% 35.2%
To the body 359 / 538 66.7% 68.2% 81 / 112 72.3% 68.2%
To the legs 240 / 265 90.6% 81.5% 86 / 93 92.5% 81.5%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
6835.6% acc · 1.92/15 · norm 1.34
Takedowns landed
1226.1% acc · 2.02/15 · norm 1.34
9154.8% def · norm 63.7%
Takedowns stopped
5100.0% def · norm 63.7%
136:4525.7% of cage time · norm 18.95%
Control time
17:2219.5% of cage time · norm 18.95%
128:113:37 per 15 · norm 2:50
Time under control lower is better
3:240:34 per 15 · norm 2:50
200.56/15 · norm 0.48
Submission attempts
10.17/15 · norm 0.48

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