Croden vs Chandler: #15-Ranked Volume Striker Meets an Unranked Finisher
Here's a stat that sets the tone: Melissa Croden lands 4.27 significant strikes per minute, and Chelsea Chandler absorbs exactly 4.27. Croden, the Canadian known as "Scare," made her UFC debut in October 2025 and is already #15 at women's bantamweight. She is 8-3; the unranked American Chandler is 7-4. Both are 35, and physically they are nearly identical: Croden is 5-foot-9 with a 68.5-inch reach, Chandler 5-foot-8.5 with a 68-inch reach. Size won't separate them. Style might.
- Output. Croden absorbs just 2.13 significant strikes per minute, half of what she lands. Chandler's ledger runs the other way: 3.52 landed, 4.27 absorbed.
- Defense. Croden avoids 59% of significant strikes to Chandler's 40%, and stops 67% of takedowns to Chandler's 25%.
- Wrestling. Croden averages 2.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, though only 2 of her 12 attempts have landed (17%). Chandler averages 0.81.
- Power. Six of Croden's eight wins are knockouts (75%), with a 0.34 knockdown average. Chandler's wins are spread out: two by knockout, two by submission, three on the scorecards, and she carries a 0.27 knockdown average.
- On the mat. Croden attempts 0.34 submissions per 15 minutes, Chandler 0.27. Croden has one submission win, Chandler two.
Chandler's edge is how quickly her fights end. Her UFC fights average 9:15 to Croden's 14:51, and she has three first-round finishes to Croden's one. Both like to work up close: 38% of each fighter's significant strikes come in the clinch or on the ground (18% and 20% for Croden, 21% and 17% for Chandler), and their accuracy is almost level at 47% and 45%. Each lands 62% of her significant strikes on the feet, and their UFC totals are nearly a wash: 190 of 402 for Croden, 195 of 433 for Chandler. The key question: can Chandler turn this into a short, messy fight before Croden's volume and defense start piling up points on the cards?
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