Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard

UFC 16-11-0 vs. 12-9-0 (1 NC)

Tale of the tape

Green = edge on that line
16-11-0
UFC record
12-9-0 (1 NC)
Lightweight
Division (benchmark)
Lightweight
41
AgeΔ 2 yrs
43
6'0"
HeightΔ 3"
5'9"
76"
ReachΔ 5"
71"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
46.9
Layoff (months)Δ 102.1 mo
149
WLLWL
Last 5 (newest first)
LNCWLL

The read

Stats 25%+ off the division median
Melvin Guillard carries real power — 1.33 knockdowns per 15 minutes, vs a 0.25 Lightweight norm.
Nate Diaz is a submission threat — 1.16 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.49 Lightweight norm.
Melvin Guillard is hard to hit — absorbs 1.83 sig. strikes per minute, vs a 3.37 Lightweight norm.

Level of competition

Full-career record by tier of opposition

Nate Diaz

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1611
Tier 3 — regional circuit 53

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.03 · 16 tier-1/2 wins · 17 finish wins over 35 documented bouts

In the UFC: 10-10 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +3.4 wins over .500

Melvin Guillard

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1213
Tier 3 — regional circuit 2111

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.38 · 12 tier-1/2 wins · 24 finish wins over 62 documented bouts

In the UFC: 4-6 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.3 wins over .500

Striking

Career totals · norms = own-division medians

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

15444.58/min · norm 3.42
Sig. strikes landed
4483.06/min · norm 3.42
13484.00/min · norm 3.37
Sig. strikes absorbed
2671.83/min · norm 3.37
44.6%norm 43.5%
Striking accuracy
39.7%norm 43.5%
52.9%norm 56.3%
Striking defense
68.1%norm 56.3%
40.18/15 · norm 0.25
Knockdowns
131.33/15 · norm 0.25

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

Nate Diaz

Distance 83.2% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 13.8% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 3.0% (norm 8.0%)

Melvin Guillard

Distance 79.4% (norm 82.8%) · Clinch 8.5% (norm 7.6%) · Ground 12.1% (norm 8.0%)

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

Nate Diaz

Head 83.5% (norm 78.2%) · Body 11.5% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 5.1% (norm 7.9%)

Melvin Guillard

Head 82.3% (norm 78.2%) · Body 11.9% (norm 12.8%) · Legs 5.9% (norm 7.9%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

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

Zone Diaz L/AAccLightweight med Guillard L/AAccLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 1132 / 2883 39.3% 37.9% 312 / 896 34.8% 37.9%
In the clinch 342 / 477 71.7% 67.3% 58 / 96 60.4% 67.3%
On the ground 70 / 104 67.3% 69.1% 78 / 136 57.4% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 1146 / 2891 39.6% 35.0% 300 / 928 32.3% 35.0%
To the body 263 / 397 66.2% 69.1% 90 / 134 67.2% 69.1%
To the legs 135 / 176 76.7% 81.9% 58 / 66 87.9% 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 Diaz L/AOpp accLightweight med vs Guillard L/AOpp accLightweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 874 / 2115 41.3% 38.9% 219 / 732 29.9% 38.9%
In the clinch 217 / 324 67.0% 68.6% 36 / 75 48.0% 68.6%
On the ground 257 / 420 61.2% 68.0% 12 / 31 38.7% 68.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 772 / 2096 36.8% 35.1% 123 / 604 20.4% 35.1%
To the body 246 / 365 67.4% 68.1% 59 / 111 53.2% 68.1%
To the legs 330 / 398 82.9% 81.5% 85 / 123 69.1% 81.5%

Grappling

Takedowns, control, submissions vs. division norm
1826.5% acc · 0.80/15 · norm 1.38
Takedowns landed
1466.7% acc · 1.44/15 · norm 1.38
4343.9% def · norm 64.0%
Takedowns stopped
5865.2% def · norm 64.0%
47:1814.0% of cage time · norm 19.5%
Control time
12:558.8% of cage time · norm 19.5%
97:414:20 per 15 · norm 2:46
Time under control
34:063:29 per 15 · norm 2:46
261.16/15 · norm 0.49
Submission attempts
20.21/15 · norm 0.49

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