Evan Elder beats Samuel Sanchez by unanimous decision at UFC 334

Evan Elder took a unanimous decision over Samuel Sanchez at UFC 334 on November 14, with the bout going the full distance and the judges siding with Elder.

The 29-year-old American, who trains out of Syndicate MMA, comes out of the fight with a record that now stands at 10-2-0 before this result is counted. Known as "The Phenom," Elder fights from a switch stance and stands five-foot-ten with a 72-inch reach. His striking numbers are the backbone of his game: he lands 5.66 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy, a combination of volume and efficiency that tends to pay off on the scorecards in fights that go long.

The decision continues a pattern. Elder's most recent recorded fight before UFC 334 was a unanimous decision win over Gauge Young at UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates on April 26, 2025. Before that, he submitted Darrius Flowers in the second round in July 2024, and he beat Genaro Valdez by unanimous decision in July 2023. Counting the Sanchez result, that is three decision wins across his four most recent bouts in our records, with the Flowers submission the lone exception.

Elder's grappling output is modest by comparison with his striking. He averages 0.48 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes, which points to a fighter who prefers to win on the feet and uses the ground opportunistically, as he did against Flowers.

Why it matters

• Elder adds another decision win to a record built on consistent output rather than finishes.
• Three of his four most recent recorded wins have come on the scorecards, underlining his comfort in full-length fights.
• His 50 percent striking accuracy at better than five and a half strikes a minute gives judges a clear edge to score across three rounds.

For Elder, the win keeps him moving forward in a competitive division and adds to a run of wins stretching back to 2023 in our records.