Melissa Croden vs Daria Zhelezniakova

Melissa Croden

Pro 8-3-0 | UFC 2-1-0

Daria Zhelezniakova

Pro 10-3-0 | UFC 2-2-0

Age

35|30

Height

5'9"|5'9"

Reach

68"|68"

Stance

Orthodox|Orthodox

Career Statistics

Statistic	Melissa Croden	Daria Zhelezniakova	Edge
Striking
Sig. Strike Accuracy	47.3%	40.2%	—
Sig. Strikes Landed/min	4.3	4.1	—
Sig. Strikes Absorbed/min	2.1	3.4	◄
Strike Differential	2.1/min	0.8/min	◄
Grappling
Takedown Accuracy	50.0%	100.0%	►
Takedown Defense	66.7%	50.0%	◄
Takedowns Landed/15min	2.0	0.3	◄
Submission Attempts/15min	0.3	0.0	—
Control Time/15min	3:42	0:12	◄
Finishing Ability
KO/TKO % of Wins	50.0%	0.0%	—
Submission % of Wins	0.0%	0.0%	—
Decision % of Wins	50.0%	100.0%	—
Avg Fight Time	14:50	12:13	—
Secondary Stats
Knockdowns/15min	0.3	0.0	—
Reversals/15min	0.3	0.0	—
Edges	5	1	3 even

Fight Dynamics

Career Striking Volume

Melissa Croden Daria Zhelezniakova League median

Statistic	Melissa Croden	Daria Zhelezniakova	Edge
Fight Shape
Fight Completion Rate	99.0%	81.4%	—
Avg Fight Time	14:50	12:13	—
% Fights Inside the Distance	33.3%	25.0%	—
Strength of UFC Schedule
Opponent UFC Win % (all)	72.7%	70.0%	—
Opponent UFC Record (all)	8-3 (72.7%)	7-3 (70.0%)	—
Opponent Record (among wins)	4-2 (66.7%)	3-1 (75.0%)	—
Positional Profile
% Time at Distance (approx.)	49.1%	67.5%	—
% Time in Control	24.7%	1.4%	◀
% Time Controlled	26.2%	31.1%	—
Control Rate of Clinch/Ground Time	48.6%	4.2%	◀
Distance Striking
Distance Sig. Landed / Min	5.40	5.70	—
Distance Sig. Absorbed / Min	3.11	4.00	◀
Distance Striking Differential / Min	+2.29	+1.70	—
Distance Strike Accuracy	40.4%	39.1%	—
Distance Strike Defense	65.3%	67.3%	—
Power & Pressure
KDs per 100 Power Strikes	0.79	0.00	◀
Knocked Down per 100 Absorbed	0.00	0.00	—
TD Attempts per 5 Distance Min	2.75	0.15	—
TDs Faced per 5 Distance Min	3.43	3.64	—
Fade Index (R3 / R1 pace)	1.50	0.96	—

UFC fights only. Metrics with insufficient data show "—" and award no edge. Methodology →

Last 5 Fights (Averages)

Statistic	Melissa Croden	Daria Zhelezniakova	Edge
Sig. Strike Accuracy	47.3%	40.2%	—
Sig. Strikes Landed/min	4.3	4.1	—
Sig. Strikes Absorbed/min	2.1	3.4	◄
Takedown Accuracy	50.0%	100.0%	►
Takedown Defense	66.7%	50.0%	◄
Control Time/Fight	3:40	0:10	◄
Edges	3	1	2 even

Last 3 Fights

Melissa Croden

WIN

vs. Daria Zhelezniakova

UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Malott • Apr 2026Women's Bantamweight

Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 3, 5:00

Melissa Croden69/15345%TD 4/8Ctrl 5:12

Daria Zhelezniakova41/11835%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:00

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Melissa Croden	15/46	33%	0/2	0:16	—
	Daria Zhelezniakova	14/40	35%	0/0	0:00	—

R2	Melissa Croden	27/56	48%	1/2	1:39	—
	Daria Zhelezniakova	14/45	31%	0/0	0:00	—

R3	Melissa Croden	27/51	53%	3/4	3:17	—
	Daria Zhelezniakova	13/33	39%	0/0	0:00	—

LOSS

vs. Luana Santos

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape • Dec 2025Women's Bantamweight

Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 3, 5:00

Melissa Croden22/7430%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:44

Luana Santos12/2450%TD 3/7Ctrl 9:21

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Melissa Croden	7/27	26%	0/1	0:44	—
	Luana Santos	10/13	77%	1/3	1:51	—

R2	Melissa Croden	10/21	48%	0/0	0:00	—
	Luana Santos	2/8	25%	1/2	3:41	—

R3	Melissa Croden	5/26	19%	0/0	0:00	—
	Luana Santos	0/3	0%	1/2	3:49	—

WIN

vs. Tainara Lisboa

UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs. Allen • Oct 2025Women's Bantamweight

KO/TKO (Punches) • Rd 3, 4:32

Melissa Croden99/17557%TD 2/3Ctrl 5:05KD 1

Tainara Lisboa42/9246%TD 2/8Ctrl 2:19

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Melissa Croden	27/57	47%	0/0	0:13	—
	Tainara Lisboa	25/56	45%	0/1	1:04	—

R2	Melissa Croden	33/57	58%	1/1	1:45	1
	Tainara Lisboa	13/26	50%	1/2	0:52	—

R3	Melissa Croden	39/61	64%	1/2	3:07	—
	Tainara Lisboa	4/10	40%	1/5	0:23	—

Daria Zhelezniakova

LOSS

vs. Melissa Croden

UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Malott • Apr 2026Women's Bantamweight

Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 3, 5:00

Daria Zhelezniakova41/11835%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:00

Melissa Croden69/15345%TD 4/8Ctrl 5:12

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Daria Zhelezniakova	14/40	35%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Croden	15/46	33%	0/2	0:16	—

R2	Daria Zhelezniakova	14/45	31%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Croden	27/56	48%	1/2	1:39	—

R3	Daria Zhelezniakova	13/33	39%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Croden	27/51	53%	3/4	3:17	—

WIN

vs. Melissa Mullins

UFC Fight Night: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. • Jun 2025Women's Bantamweight

Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 3, 5:00

Daria Zhelezniakova99/22344%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:00

Melissa Mullins64/14843%TD 3/6Ctrl 2:55

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Daria Zhelezniakova	44/95	46%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Mullins	26/68	38%	1/2	0:42	—

R2	Daria Zhelezniakova	35/65	54%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Mullins	20/40	50%	1/1	1:08	—

R3	Daria Zhelezniakova	20/63	32%	0/0	0:00	—
	Melissa Mullins	18/40	45%	1/3	1:05	—

LOSS

vs. Ailin Perez

UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis • Sep 2024Women's Bantamweight

Submission (Arm Triangle) • Rd 1, 3:52

Daria Zhelezniakova5/1242%TD 1/1Ctrl 0:39

Ailin Perez7/1258%TD 2/4Ctrl 1:42

▼ Rounds

Rnd	Fighter	Sig Str	Acc	TD	Ctrl	KD
R1	Daria Zhelezniakova	5/12	42%	1/1	0:39	—
	Ailin Perez	7/12	58%	2/4	1:42	—

Common Opponents

No Common Opponents

Analysis Summary

Striking Volume: Both fighters operate at a similar pace (4.3 vs 4.1 sig str/min). Accuracy and timing will decide the striking battle.

Grappling: Melissa Croden shoots 2.0 TD/15min at 50% accuracy against Daria Zhelezniakova's 50% defense — takedowns are a viable path.

Control: Melissa Croden controls 3:40 per fight on average vs 0:10 — sustained control shifts rounds and drains cardio.

Finish Threat: Melissa Croden finishes 50% of wins (50% KO/TKO, 0% sub).

Fight Length: Melissa Croden's fights average 14:50 vs 12:13 for Daria Zhelezniakova. If this reaches the championship rounds, Melissa Croden's conditioning history becomes a factor.

Last updated: 2026-08-22 | Data source: UFCStats.com