Skip to content
UFC simulation vs. the market Bout Simulator
Zac Pauga
Light Heavyweight · “The High Chief”

Zac Pauga

1-3-0
Precision Striker Positional Grappler Slow Starter
6'2"Height
76"Reach
OrthodoxStance
38Age
0KO wins
0Sub wins
0%Finish rate
9:48Avg fight

Skill profile

Rated 0–100 · where 138 MMA has read him, his grades and tags set each axis and the stats only nudge inside his band · stats alone where he is silent · the rim is reserved for specialists
Striking — Below avg, rated 44 of 100 · 138 MMA: striking decent · Feb 2024 · stats read 49 → nudged +4 inside the band · claims striking volume +1, striking technique +1, kicking +1 (+4) Accuracy — Average, rated 69 of 100 · claims striking technique +1, counter striking +1 (+3) Striking D — Average, rated 66 of 100 · stats only — nothing in his reads bears on this axis Durability — Weak, rated 13 of 100 · stats only — nothing in his reads bears on this axis Wrestling — Average, rated 55 of 100 · 138 MMA: wrestling good · Feb 2024 · stats read 37 → nudged -7 inside the band · claims td offense +1, clinch +3 (+5) TD Defense — Average, rated 56 of 100 · 138 MMA: wrestling good (no takedown-defence tag), half-weighted with the stats read 55 Grappling — Below avg, rated 30 of 100 · claims ground and pound +1 (+1) Control — Average, rated 68 of 100 · claims ground and pound +1 (+2) Striking Accuracy Striking D Durability Wrestling TD Defense Grappling Control
striking decent
3 analyst reads graded this phase
  • decent UFC Fight Night Hermansson vs Pyfer Full Card Analysis, Breakdown, & Prediction (UFC Vegas 86) · February 6, 2024 watch ↗
  • decent UFC Fight Night Vettori vs Cannonier Predictions And Full Card Breakdown (UFC Vegas 75) · June 13, 2023 watch ↗
  • decent UFC Fight Night Andrade vs Blanchfield Predictions & Full Card Breakdown UFC Vegas 69 · February 14, 2023 watch ↗
grappling not yet read
wrestling good
2 analyst reads graded this phase
  • good UFC Fight Night Hermansson vs Pyfer Full Card Analysis, Breakdown, & Prediction (UFC Vegas 86) · February 6, 2024 watch ↗
  • good UFC Fight Night Andrade vs Blanchfield Predictions & Full Card Breakdown UFC Vegas 69 · February 14, 2023 watch ↗
cardio not yet read
durability not yet read
striking decent 3 reads
grappling not yet read
wrestling good 2 reads
cardio not yet read
durability not yet read

138 MMA anchors Striking, Wrestling · his tags and claims adjust Accuracy, TD Defense, Grappling, Control · stats alone on Striking D, Durability.

Built on 39 minutes of tracked cage time across 4 statted fights — every axis is held down until there is more tape, so read this as a sketch rather than a verdict.

Precision Striker average accuracy — rates 69 of 100 · claims striking technique +1, counter striking +1 (+3)
Positional Grappler average control — rates 68 of 100 · claims ground and pound +1 (+2)
Slow Starter 138 MMA · Jun 2023 tags pace: slow starter
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Sig. strikes landed / min4.46
Sig. strikes absorbed / min2.73
Striking accuracy62.9%
Striking defense58.7%
Knockdowns / 15 min0.0
Takedowns / 15 min0.38
Takedown accuracy7.7%
Takedown defense100.0%
Sub attempts / 15 min0.0
Control time30.6%
Record vs .500+ opponents0-0

Insider info

3 analyst reads · 138 MMA · our paraphrase, never his words
vs Bogdan Guskov coinflip UFC Fight Night Hermansson vs Pyfer Full Card Analysis, Breakdown, & Prediction (UFC Vegas 86) · February 6, 2024
strikingdecent wrestlinggood

Explicitly calls this a zero-confidence pass after floating Pauga first and reversing; tells viewers to treat it as a watch-for-fun fight rather than one to back.

A former heavyweight (6-2) moving down. Our paraphrase: rated a decent striker who throws clean combination punch-kick sequences with good counters, and a good wrestler with cage-pressure takedowns, heavy ground-and-pound and hard clinch knees; the analyst notes his regional wrestling success has not yet shown up the same way inside the UFC.

Strengthcounters
Strengthcombines punches and kicks
Strengthwrestling with cage pressure
Strengthground and pound
Strengthheavy clinch knees
vs Modestas Bukauskas coinflip UFC Fight Night Vettori vs Cannonier Predictions And Full Card Breakdown (UFC Vegas 75) · June 13, 2023 · 1 read since
strikingdecent wrestlinggood

Names Pauga ('take powga') but says he flipped his pick repeatedly and had to check his own notes, explicitly 'zero confidence'; prefers the over to picking a side at all.

A well-rounded, decent striker who blends boxing, kicking and elbow strikes together rather than relying on one tool, with decent counters and solid output for a bigger guy. Strong clinch with good knees, and heavy ground-and-pound once on top, but in the UFC he has mostly settled for pushing opponents into the fence and banking control time rather than finishing. Tends to start slow, which the analyst flags as a real problem opposite a low-output opponent.

StrengthMixes strikes (boxing/kicks/elbows)
StrengthDecent counter shots
StrengthGood volume for his size
StrengthStrong clinch with good knees
StrengthHeavy ground-and-pound on top
StrengthCage-control wrestling
WeaknessSlow starter
pace · slow starter
vs Jordan Wright clear UFC Fight Night Andrade vs Blanchfield Predictions & Full Card Breakdown UFC Vegas 69 · February 14, 2023 · 2 reads since
strikingdecent wrestlinggood

He openly discloses he personally roots for Wright yet still goes with Pauga -- fan disclosure, not a hedge on the win -- and backs it with a method bet (the under) built on Wright's inability to last deep into a fight.

A clear athlete built around good wrestling, counter striking and especially clinch work, where he drives his knees through effectively. Our words: his one named weakness is being a slow starter, which matters directly against an opponent who comes out at full speed from the opening bell.

Strengthdecent striking with good counters
Strengthgood wrestling, with impressive regional takedowns and ground-and-pound
Strengthstrong in the clinch, drives knees through effectively
Weaknessslow starter, by his own description
pace · slow starter

Striking trend

Sig. strikes/min, last 4 fights · green = win
August 6, 2022 vs Mohammed Usman — 5.71/min (L) Aug '22 February 18, 2023 vs Jordan Wright — 3.93/min (W) Feb '23 June 17, 2023 vs Modestas Bukauskas — 4.47/min (L) Jun '23 February 10, 2024 vs Bogdan Guskov — 4.68/min (L) — only 3.6 min of tape, so this rate reflects how fast the fight ended more than how he fought Feb '24

Fight history

4 UFC bouts · newest first · opponent records as of fight night
L Bogdan Guskov 14-3 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 3:38 — UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer · February 10, 2024
17/26Sig. strikes
10/29Absorbed
0/2Takedowns
1:04Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Modestas Bukauskas 14-5 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier · June 17, 2023
67/117Sig. strikes
56/112Absorbed
1/5Takedowns
2:17Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
W Jordan Wright 12-4 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield · February 18, 2023
59/85Sig. strikes
29/78Absorbed
0/6Takedowns
8:40Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
L Mohammed Usman 0-0 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 0:36 — UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill · August 6, 2022
32/50Sig. strikes
12/40Absorbed
0/0Takedowns
0:00Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts

Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.

Record breakdown

UFC bouts in this database
1-3-0UFC record

Wins by method

KO/TKO 0
Submission 0
Decision 1
Other 0

Losses by method

KO/TKO 2
Submission 0
Decision 1
Other 0

Fights by organization

UFC 4

Showing UFC fights only — this fighter's full pre-UFC career hasn't been synced yet. It will fill in as the weekly career backfill reaches them.

Division context

vs. 103 qualified Light Heavyweight fighters · tick = division mean
Striking volume /min 4.5 avg 3.4
Strikes absorbed /min 2.7 avg 3.3
Striking accuracy 62.9% avg 46.8%
Striking defense 58.7% avg 53.2%
Takedowns /15 min 0.4 avg 1.5
Takedown accuracy 7.7% avg 38.4%
Takedown defense 100.0% avg 61.0%
Sub attempts /15 min 0.0 avg 0.5
Control time 30.6% avg 21.6%
Finish rate 0.0% avg 63.4%

Headshot of Zac Pauga by UFC · Official UFC athlete photo (copyright UFC; not freely licensed) · Wikimedia Commons · flattened onto dark background, cropped/resized