BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Rongzhu vs.
Kody Steele

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

3-3-0 Rongzhu · UFC
1-1-0 Kody Steele · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

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

3-3-0
UFC record
1-1-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
26.4
AgeΔ 4.9 yrs
31.3
5'9"
HeightΔ 0"
5'9"
71"
ReachΔ 0"
71"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
11.4
Layoff (months)Δ 8.2 mo
3.2
WWLLW
Last 5 (newest first)
WL
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.

Kody Steele absorbs 6.65 sig. strikes per minute, well above the 3.37 Lightweight norm — hittable.
Rongzhu absorbs 5.78 sig. strikes per minute, well above the 3.37 Lightweight norm — hittable.
Rongzhu outworks the Lightweight division — 5.60 sig. strikes landed per minute, vs a 3.42 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.

Rongzhu

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 33
Tier 3 — regional circuit 253

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.95 · 3 tier-1/2 wins · 22 finish wins over 34 documented bouts

In the UFC: 0-1 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record -0.7 wins over .500

Kody Steele

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

In the UFC: 1-0 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record -0.5 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

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

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

4515.60/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
603.17/min · norm 3.42
4655.78/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
1266.65/min · norm 3.37
50.4%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
28.6%norm 43.5%
54.2%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
48.1%norm 56.3%
20.37/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
00.00/15 · norm 0.25

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

Rongzhu

Distance 90.7% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 2.0% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 7.3% (norm 8.0%)

Kody Steele

Distance 98.1% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 1.9% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 0.0% (norm 8.0%)

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

Rongzhu

Head 85.9% (norm 78.2%) · Body 8.1% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 6.0% (norm 7.9%)

Kody Steele

Head 92.9% (norm 78.2%) · Body 5.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 1.9% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Rongzhu L/AAccLightweight med Steele L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 395 / 811 48.7% 37.9% 59 / 206 28.6% 37.9%
In the clinch 11 / 18 too few to rate 67.3% 1 / 4 too few to rate 67.3%
On the ground 45 / 65 69.2% 69.1% 0 / 0 too few to rate 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 344 / 768 44.8% 35.0% 48 / 195 24.6% 35.0%
To the body 56 / 72 77.8% 69.1% 10 / 11 too few to rate 69.1%
To the legs 51 / 54 94.4% 81.9% 2 / 4 too few to rate 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 Rongzhu L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Steele L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 438 / 968 45.2% 38.9% 126 / 243 51.9% 38.9%
In the clinch 18 / 30 60.0% 68.6% 0 / 0 too few to rate 68.6%
On the ground 9 / 17 too few to rate 68.0% 0 / 0 too few to rate 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 279 / 755 37.0% 35.1% 108 / 220 49.1% 35.1%
To the body 109 / 155 70.3% 68.1% 4 / 9 too few to rate 68.1%
To the legs 77 / 105 73.3% 81.5% 14 / 14 too few to rate 81.5%
Grappling

The ground war.

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

1062.5% acc · 1.86/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
240.0% acc · 1.58/15 · norm 1.38
1583.3% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
0— def · norm 64.0%
13:0116.2% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
1:509.7% of cage time · norm 19.5%
3:430:41 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
0:460:36 per 15 · norm 2:46
00.00/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
10.79/15 · norm 0.49

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

Next move

Let the engine settle it.