// Roster Index›Welterweight›Dossier · Joe Merritt
UFC FIGHTER PROFILE_
UFC · UNKNOWNWELTERWEIGHT

Joe
Merritt

NICKNAME"Joey Slash"·UNITED STATES
PROFESSIONAL RECORD
7-2-0
CURRENT FORM
1W STREAK
NEXT FIGHT
NO BOUT ANNOUNCED
Joe Merritt
FIGHTER -
UNI🇺🇸
PROFILE PHOTO
PROFILE
PROFILE DATA! COLD
HEIGHT
6'0"
AGE
42
STANCE
ORTHODOX
WEIGHT
Welterweight
PROFESSIONAL RECORD_
9 BOUTS
WIN
7
LOSS
2
DRAW
0
WIN RATE
78%
7/9 bouts
FINISH RATE
100%
of professional wins
LAST 5 FIGHTS1W STREAK · 3-2
WWLLW
STYLE SUMMARY_
DATA: COLD
FIGHTING STYLE
WELL ROUNDED

Well rounded fighter with elite knockout power — 100% of wins are by ko/tko.

KEY STRENGTHS

Closes distance and trades — most wins come from heavy hands inside the first two rounds.

KEY RISKS

Top-position grapplers who can chain transitions force submissions when scrambles open up.

// PERFORMANCE_METRICS · 02_

STRIKE / GRAPPLE
VITALS

Observed profile rates compared with stored weight-class medians where coverage exists. Any fallback uses a labeled UFC reference average; no fallback is presented as a division median.

// SLPM▼ BELOW
1.53
Strikes Landed/Min
Reference value 2.65
// STR. ACC▲ ABOVE
58%
Striking Accuracy
Reference value 47%
// SAPM▲ ABOVE
0.73
Strikes Absorbed/Min
Reference value 2.74
// STR. DEF▲ ABOVE
66%
Striking Defense
Reference value 53%
// TD AVG▼ BELOW
0.00
Takedowns/15 min
Reference value 1.50
// TD ACC▼ BELOW
0%
Takedown Accuracy
Reference value 40%
// TD DEF▲ ABOVE
68%
Takedown Defense
Reference value 59%
// SUB AVG▼ BELOW
0.00
Submissions/15 min
Reference value 0.50
// QUALITY_OF_COMPETITION · 02B_

WHO THEY
ACTUALLY FOUGHT

A record says how often a fighter won, not against whom. These ratings weigh every result by the opponent's strength at the time, then compare this fighter with the 99 rated fighters on the UFC welterweight roster (anyone with a UFC bout in the last two years or one booked).

THIN RATED HISTORY
// RATING
#85
against the 99 rated on the UFC welterweight roster · Elo 1500
// STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
6th
percentile · average opponent rated 1503 at fight time (recent fights count most)
// RESULTS VS EXPECTATION
33rd
percentile · fell short of what opponents' ratings predicted (-0.06 per fight)

2 rated fights · opponents rated in 29% of recorded fights · last rated fight JUN 27, 2015 · Few rated fights: read these as rough.

// CAREER_BREAKDOWN · 03_

WIN CONDITION MAP

Where the wins come from, and where the losses came from. Method splits by knockout, submission, and decision.

// WINS (7)
n = 7
KO/TKO · 7
7
KO/TKO
100%
0
SUB
0%
0
DEC
0%
// LOSSES (2)
n = 2
SUB · 1
DEC · 1
0
KO/TKO
0%
1
SUB
50%
1
DEC
50%
// PATH_TO_VICTORY_
100% FINISH
KO/TKOEARLY ROUNDS · 7 fights
100%
Top win condition: ko/tko · early rounds.
// DNA_PROFILE · 04_

ATTRIBUTE FINGERPRINT

Evidence-backed 0-100 scores built only from observed profile stats and disclosed bout-history proxies. This is a fixed Blueprint scoring model, not a division percentile; missing axes remain unknown.

// DNA_PROFILE_
3 OBSERVED7 DERIVED0 UNKNOWN
// BENCHMARK
FIXED SCORE SCALE
// LINKED SAMPLE
9 BOUTS
// PROFILE UPDATED
OCT 3, 2026
// RECORDED SOURCE
ufcstats
Fighter attribute fingerprint10 of 10 attributes have evidence-backed scores on the Blueprint fixed scale. Unknown axes are not plotted and no score represents a division percentile.KO POWER100TD DEFENSE62GRAPPLING0CHIN88STRIKING52CARDIO80AGGRESSION25SUB THREAT20STR DEFENSE80RECOVERY50
// BANDS
90+ELITE
70-89STRONG
45-69AVERAGE
30-44BELOW
<30LOW
N/AUNKNOWN
Highest scored axis: KO Power. Lowest scored axis: Grappling.
// EVIDENCE REGISTER
10 SCORED · 0 OPEN
KO Power100
DERIVED PROXY

KO wins divided by total career wins

N=7 wins
TD Defense62
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed takedown defense rate (68%)

Grappling0
DERIVED PROXY

Composite of observed takedown volume, accuracy, and submission rate

Chin88
DERIVED PROXY

KO-loss durability proxy from career record

N=9 bouts
Striking52
DERIVED PROXY

Composite of observed striking volume and accuracy

Cardio80
DERIVED PROXY

Long-fight exposure proxy from bout duration and decision-win share

Aggression25
DERIVED PROXY

Activity proxy from observed strike and takedown volume

Sub Threat20
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed submission rate (0 per 15 min)

Str Defense80
OBSERVED INPUT

Observed striking defense rate (66%)

Recovery50
DERIVED PROXY

Share of recorded losses followed by a win in the next recorded bout.

N=2 losses
Fighter attribute fingerprint accessible data summary
AttributeScoreProvenanceEvidenceSample
KO Power100 out of 100DERIVED PROXYKO wins divided by total career wins7 wins
TD Defense62 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved takedown defense rate (68%)Not recorded
Grappling0 out of 100DERIVED PROXYComposite of observed takedown volume, accuracy, and submission rateNot recorded
Chin88 out of 100DERIVED PROXYKO-loss durability proxy from career record9 bouts
Striking52 out of 100DERIVED PROXYComposite of observed striking volume and accuracyNot recorded
Cardio80 out of 100DERIVED PROXYLong-fight exposure proxy from bout duration and decision-win shareNot recorded
Aggression25 out of 100DERIVED PROXYActivity proxy from observed strike and takedown volumeNot recorded
Sub Threat20 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved submission rate (0 per 15 min)Not recorded
Str Defense80 out of 100OBSERVED INPUTObserved striking defense rate (66%)Not recorded
Recovery50 out of 100DERIVED PROXYShare of recorded losses followed by a win in the next recorded bout.2 losses
// CAREER_MOMENTUM · 05_

THE ARC SO FAR

Rolling momentum score (0-100) recomputed after every bout. Weighted blend of result, opponent context, and method-of-finish, designed to show the shape, not the destination.

// MOMENTUM_TIMELINE_
SCOREWINLOSS
0255075100JUN 2012WJUN 2012WJUN 2013WSEP 2013WAPR 2014WOCT 2014WDEC 2014LJUN 2015LDEC 2015WJUL 2016// SCORE

  1. Start, JUN 2012, momentum score 45.
  2. Start, JUN 2012, momentum score 56, KO/TKO R1.
  3. Start, JUN 2013, momentum score 66, KO/TKO R1.
  4. Start, SEP 2013, momentum score 75, KO/TKO R3.
  5. Start, APR 2014, momentum score 86, KO/TKO R1.
  6. Start, OCT 2014, momentum score 96, KO/TKO R1.
  7. Start, DEC 2014, momentum score 100, KO/TKO R3.
  8. Start, JUN 2015, momentum score 93, DEC R3.
  9. Start, DEC 2015, momentum score 86, SUB R2.
  10. Start, JUL 2016, momentum score 95, KO/TKO R2.

Peaked at 100 (W vs Ciaccio), bottomed at 45 (Debut). Current reading: 95.

// KILL_SHOT_MATRIX · 06_

WHEN THE FINISHES COME

Cross-tab of fight outcome by method and round. Reads top-down for method, left-right for round. Cyan intensity scales with frequency.

// METHOD × ROUND_
9/9 fights mapped
METHOD ↓ / ROUND →R1R2R3R4R5FREQ
KO/TKO
4
44%
1
11%
2
22%
-
-
7
total
SUB
-
1
11%
-
-
-
1
total
DEC
-
-
1
11%
-
-
1
total
// PRIMARY KILL ZONE
R1-R2 KO/TKO · 5 of 9 mapped
// LATE-FIGHT GAP
No R5 finishes either way
// DECISION RATE
11%, fights rarely go the distance
// FIGHT_HISTORY · 08_

BOUT LOG
9 FIGHTS

Detailed bout records for the indexed tenure. Sorted most recent first.

W
VS Robert AllensworthJul 2, 2016
KO/TKOR2 · 2:10
Gladiator Challenge - American Pride
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
L
VS Felipe FogolinDec 11, 2015
SubmissionR2 · 0:50
RFA 33 - Townsend vs. Chavez
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
L
VS Alex OliveiraJun 27, 2015
DecisionR3 · 5:00
UFC Fight Night 70 - Machida vs. Romero
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
Decision (Unanimous)
W
VS Steven CiaccioDec 5, 2014
KO/TKOR3 · 4:31
RFA 21 - Juusola vs. Baghdad
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
W
VS Dillon WoodsOct 4, 2014
KO/TKOR1 · 2:28
Gladiator Challenge - Glove Up
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
W
VS Dominique ChisemApr 5, 2014
KO/TKOR1 · 0:22
Gladiator Challenge - Nitro
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
W
VS Roger KellySep 7, 2013
KO/TKOR3 · 0:39
SCMMA 3 - Fight to the End
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
KO (Punch)
W
VS Gino GuidiJun 21, 2013
KO/TKOR1 · 0:49
Xplode Fight Series - Summer Fight Night 3
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Punches)
W
VS Drew ReedJun 23, 2012
KO/TKOR1 · 1:35
Kingdom Promotions 2 - Fight For the Troops
SECONDARY DETAILS
METHOD
DETAIL
TKO (Knees)
// FAQ · 09_

CITATION-READY ANSWERS

Quick answers based on the public fighter profile and fight history shown on this page.

Welterweight. Professional record 7-2. Unranked at the time of indexing.

Research Joe Merritt

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// FORECAST_AVAILABLE_
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// LAST INDEX SYNC · 2026-10-28