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Townsend Saunders vs. Mikey Burnett

UFC 0-2-0 vs. 2-1-0

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
0-2-0
UFC record
2-1-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
—
Age
52
5'5"
HeightΔ 1"
5'6"
—
Reach
—
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
333.3
Layoff (months)Δ 0 mo
333.3
LL
Last 5 (newest first)
WLW

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Mikey Burnett is a submission threat — 1.95 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.48 Lightweight norm.
Mikey Burnett carries real power — 0.49 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.25 Lightweight norm.
Townsend Saunders is wasteful with ground strikes — only 28% land, vs a 69% Lightweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Townsend Saunders

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 02

Tier-weighted record quality: -0.79 · 0 tier-1/2 wins · 0 finish wins over 2 documented bouts

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

Mikey Burnett

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 21
Tier 3 — regional circuit 31

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.88 · 2 tier-1/2 wins · 3 finish wins over 7 documented bouts

In the UFC: 0-1 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.3 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

472.94/min · norm 3.44
Sig. strikes landed
1083.51/min · norm 3.44
603.75/min · norm 3.38
Sig. strikes absorbed lower is better
591.92/min · norm 3.38
48.5%norm 43.65%
Striking accuracy
41.9%norm 43.65%
63.0%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
51.2%norm 56.3%
00.00/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
10.49/15 · norm 0.25

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

Townsend Saunders

Distance 48.5% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 25.8% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 25.8% (norm 8.0%)

Mikey Burnett

Distance 52.7% (norm 83.1%) · Clinch 34.5% (norm 7.3%) · Ground 12.8% (norm 8.0%)

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

Townsend Saunders

Head 52.6% (norm 78.0%) · Body 21.6% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 25.8% (norm 8.0%)

Mikey Burnett

Head 77.5% (norm 78.0%) · Body 19.0% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 3.5% (norm 8.0%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Saunders L/AAccLightweight med Burnett L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 20 / 47 42.6% 38.3% 34 / 136 25.0% 38.3%
In the clinch 20 / 25 80.0% 67.5% 52 / 89 58.4% 67.5%
On the ground 7 / 25 28.0% 68.8% 22 / 33 66.7% 68.8%
BY TARGET
To the head 14 / 51 27.5% 35.1% 55 / 200 27.5% 35.1%
To the body 19 / 21 too few to rate 69.1% 46 / 49 93.9% 69.1%
To the legs 14 / 25 56.0% 81.8% 7 / 9 too few to rate 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 Saunders L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Burnett L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 24 / 101 23.8% 38.8% 29 / 70 41.4% 38.8%
In the clinch 32 / 50 64.0% 68.6% 30 / 51 58.8% 68.6%
On the ground 4 / 11 too few to rate 68.0% 0 / 0 too few to rate 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 33 / 133 24.8% 35.2% 11 / 53 20.8% 35.2%
To the body 20 / 20 too few to rate 68.2% 27 / 35 77.1% 68.2%
To the legs 7 / 9 too few to rate 81.5% 21 / 33 63.6% 81.5%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
222.2% acc · 1.88/15 · norm 1.34
Takedowns landed
3100.0% acc · 1.46/15 · norm 1.34
0— def · norm 63.7%
Takedowns stopped
1694.1% def · norm 63.7%
—— of cage time · norm 18.95%
Control time
—— of cage time · norm 18.95%
—— per 15 · norm 2:50
Time under control lower is better
—— per 15 · norm 2:50
00.00/15 · norm 0.48
Submission attempts
41.95/15 · norm 0.48

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