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Walel Watson vs. TJ Dillashaw

UFC 1-3-0 vs. 13-5-0

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
1-3-0
UFC record
13-5-0
Bantamweight
Division (benchmark)
Bantamweight
42
AgeΔ 2 yrs
40
5'11"
HeightΔ 5"
5'6"
75"
ReachΔ 8"
67"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
168.9
Layoff (months)Δ 121 mo
47.9
LLLW
Last 5 (newest first)
LWLWW

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Walel Watson is a submission threat — 1.39 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.28 Bantamweight norm.
Walel Watson carries real power — 0.92 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.29 Bantamweight norm.
TJ Dillashaw is a submission threat — 0.82 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.28 Bantamweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Walel Watson

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 13
Tier 2 — LFA / Cage Warriors (feeder belts) 01
Tier 3 — regional circuit 1411

Tier-weighted record quality: -0.18 · 1 tier-1/2 wins · 15 finish wins over 30 documented bouts

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

TJ Dillashaw

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 135
Tier 3 — regional circuit 40

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.57 · 13 tier-1/2 wins · 11 finish wins over 22 documented bouts

In the UFC: 9-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.8 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

682.10/min · norm 3.52
Sig. strikes landed
11235.09/min · norm 3.52
1233.79/min · norm 3.58
Sig. strikes absorbed lower is better
7663.47/min · norm 3.58
29.3%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
41.1%norm 43.5%
43.6%norm 56.6%
Striking defense
62.0%norm 56.6%
20.92/15 · norm 0.29
Knockdowns
90.61/15 · norm 0.29

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

Walel Watson

Distance 93.5% (norm 87.4%) · Clinch 1.3% (norm 6.2%) · Ground 5.2% (norm 6.4%)

TJ Dillashaw

Distance 84.3% (norm 87.4%) · Clinch 6.3% (norm 6.2%) · Ground 9.4% (norm 6.4%)

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

Walel Watson

Head 74.6% (norm 77.5%) · Body 11.2% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 14.2% (norm 8.4%)

TJ Dillashaw

Head 81.4% (norm 77.5%) · Body 8.7% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 9.9% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Watson L/AAccBantamweight med Dillashaw L/AAccBantamweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 57 / 217 26.3% 39.2% 820 / 2303 35.6% 39.2%
In the clinch 3 / 3 too few to rate 69.0% 113 / 172 65.7% 69.0%
On the ground 8 / 12 too few to rate 70.2% 190 / 257 73.9% 70.2%
BY TARGET
To the head 37 / 173 21.4% 35.3% 748 / 2225 33.6% 35.3%
To the body 13 / 26 50.0% 66.9% 163 / 237 68.8% 66.9%
To the legs 18 / 33 54.5% 79.2% 212 / 270 78.5% 79.2%

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 (Bantamweight: 121 fighters · Bantamweight: 121 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 Watson L/AOpp accBantamweight med vs Dillashaw L/AOpp accBantamweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 42 / 110 38.2% 39.4% 633 / 1824 34.7% 39.4%
In the clinch 1 / 2 too few to rate 70.6% 52 / 96 54.2% 70.6%
On the ground 80 / 106 75.5% 72.1% 81 / 98 82.7% 72.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 90 / 165 54.5% 34.9% 545 / 1664 32.8% 34.9%
To the body 10 / 16 too few to rate 66.1% 132 / 236 55.9% 66.1%
To the legs 23 / 37 62.2% 78.8% 89 / 118 75.4% 78.8%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
00.0% acc · 0.00/15 · norm 1.12
Takedowns landed
2330.7% acc · 1.56/15 · norm 1.12
861.5% def · norm 65.7%
Takedowns stopped
3577.8% def · norm 65.7%
1:194.1% of cage time · norm 17.8%
Control time
54:1524.6% of cage time · norm 17.8%
14:376:45 per 15 · norm 2:24
Time under control lower is better
8:330:34 per 15 · norm 2:24
31.39/15 · norm 0.28
Submission attempts
120.82/15 · norm 0.28

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