Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani

UFC 18-14-0 vs. 3-5-0

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
18-14-0
UFC record
3-5-0
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
40
AgeΔ 6 yrs
46
5'11"
HeightΔ 2"
6'1"
75"
ReachΔ 0"
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
8
Layoff (months)Δ 134.1 mo
142.1
LLLWW
Last 5 (newest first)
LLWLW

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Edson Barboza carries real power — 0.63 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.25 Lightweight norm.
Anthony Njokuani rarely shoots — 0.40 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 Lightweight norm.
Edson Barboza rarely shoots — 0.43 takedowns per 15 minutes, vs a 1.38 Lightweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Edson Barboza

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1814
Tier 3 — regional circuit 60

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.06 · 18 tier-1/2 wins · 15 finish wins over 38 documented bouts

In the UFC: 13-12 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.2 wins over .500

Anthony Njokuani

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 45
Tier 2 — LFA / Cage Warriors (feeder belts) 02
Tier 3 — regional circuit 149

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.05 · 4 tier-1/2 wins · 10 finish wins over 35 documented bouts

In the UFC: 1-4 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +0.6 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

15864.14/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
4273.78/min · norm 3.42
17924.68/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
3102.75/min · norm 3.37
44.7%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
44.9%norm 43.5%
55.7%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
62.6%norm 56.3%
160.63/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
10.13/15 · norm 0.25

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

Edson Barboza

Distance 94.7% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 2.7% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 2.6% (norm 8.0%)

Anthony Njokuani

Distance 89.2% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 9.8% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 1.1% (norm 8.0%)

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

Edson Barboza

Head 65.6% (norm 78.2%) · Body 20.3% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 14.1% (norm 7.9%)

Anthony Njokuani

Head 65.1% (norm 78.2%) · Body 20.9% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 14.0% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Barboza L/AAccLightweight med Njokuani L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1447 / 3362 43.0% 37.9% 357 / 847 42.1% 37.9%
In the clinch 79 / 97 81.4% 67.3% 65 / 93 69.9% 67.3%
On the ground 60 / 92 65.2% 69.1% 5 / 10 too few to rate 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 694 / 2329 29.8% 35.0% 200 / 618 32.4% 35.0%
To the body 500 / 720 69.4% 69.1% 124 / 199 62.3% 69.1%
To the legs 392 / 502 78.1% 81.9% 103 / 133 77.4% 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 Barboza L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Njokuani L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1445 / 3555 40.6% 38.9% 189 / 672 28.1% 38.9%
In the clinch 76 / 116 65.5% 68.6% 82 / 107 76.6% 68.6%
On the ground 271 / 373 72.7% 68.0% 39 / 50 78.0% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 1302 / 3359 38.8% 35.1% 143 / 570 25.1% 35.1%
To the body 244 / 387 63.0% 68.1% 59 / 114 51.8% 68.1%
To the legs 246 / 298 82.6% 81.5% 108 / 145 74.5% 81.5%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
1150.0% acc · 0.43/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
337.5% acc · 0.40/15 · norm 1.38
7673.1% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
3353.2% def · norm 64.0%
24:396.4% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
2:001.8% of cage time · norm 19.5%
66:532:37 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
28:163:45 per 15 · norm 2:46
20.08/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
10.13/15 · norm 0.49

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