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UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington
VS
Stephen Thompson
Stephen Thompson
17-6-1 · USA
December 16, 2023 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Welterweight · 3 rounds
171.0lb
Weigh-in
171.0lb
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R2 4:56
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Rakhmonov12/200/203:25
Thompson10/140/000:00
R2 · 4:56
Rakhmonov16/161/304:20
Thompson6/110/000:00
Total
Rakhmonov28/361/507:45
Thompson16/250/000:00

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
RakhmonovWin probabilityThompson
77.4%22.6%
KO / TKO
27%
Submission
3%
Decision
70%
Expected fight time: 12.8 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Rakhmonov, blue toward Thompson. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Rakhmonov77%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%29%
Submission3%4%
Decision52%67%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes50 (2169)act 28
Takedowns1.6 (0.04.4)act 1
Thompson23%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO5%21%
Submission0%0%
Decision18%79%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes50 (2167)act 16
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.0)act 0
Combined totals~100 sig strikes~1.7 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R18%
R214%
R38%
Distance70%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Rakhmonov
49.9%-101
Thompson
+10149.2%
Most takedownstie 21.9%
Rakhmonov
74.9%-2333
Thompson
+23333.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Rakhmonov
Expected: 50.5
50.5
Over 50.5
39.8%
+152
Under 50.5
60.2%
-152
064127
Thompson
Expected: 49.6
49.5
Over 49.5
39.8%
+151
Under 49.5
60.2%
-151
062124
Takedowns — over/under
Rakhmonov
Expected: 1.6
1.5
Over 1.5
52.9%
-112
Under 1.5
47.1%
+112
035
Thompson
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
9.4%
Exactly 0
90.6%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 12.8 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Rakhmonov77.4%82.8%−5.4-650
Thompson22.6%17.2%+5.4+455

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
76.4Striking68.9
Rakhmonov +7.5
66.2Grappling38.1
Rakhmonov +28.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
RakhmonovThompson
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1632
Pound-for-pound
1613
1627
Divisional
1606
1512
Striking offense
1535
1505
Striking defense
1547
1542
Grappling offense
1422
1530
Grappling defense
1579
Physical
29 yrs
Age
40 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'0"
77"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.45
Strikes landed / min
4.20
59%
Strike accuracy
46%
2.61
Strikes absorbed / min
3.04
54%
Strike defense
55%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.49
Takedowns / 15 min
0.27
33%
Takedown accuracy
42%
100%
Takedown defense
64%
1.5
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
67%
+5
Win/loss streak
+1
100%
Last-5 win rate
60%
100%
Finish rate
50%
Recent opp. quality
287
Days since last fight
378
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • WGeoff NealSUB R3
    opp missedClose -5159mo before
  • WNeil MagnySUB R2
    Close -5011y 6mo before
  • WCarlston HarrisKO/TKO R1
    Close -2801y 10mo before
  • WMichel PrazeresSUB R2
    Close -3212y 6mo before
  • WAlex OliveiraSUB R1
    opp missedClose -1123y 2mo before
Stephen Thompson
  • WKevin HollandKO/TKO R4
    Close +1521y before
  • LBelal MuhammadU-DEC R3
    Close -2252y before
  • LGilbert BurnsU-DEC R3
    Close -1622y 5mo before
  • WGeoff NealU-DEC R5
    Close -1033y before
  • WVicente LuqueU-DEC R3
    Close -1154y 1mo before
Rakhmonov — win / loss by method
Record: 17-0-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
8 wins, 0 losses
W
47% of wins
L
Submission
9 wins, 0 losses
W
53% of wins
L
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (20%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (80%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
12win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (58%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (42%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Thompson — win / loss by method
Record: 17-6-1

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
8 wins, 1 loss
W
47% of wins
L
17% of losses
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
6% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 5 losses
W
47% of wins
L
83% of losses
UFC
12win6loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (50%)KO/TKO(17%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
6 (50%)Decision(83%) 5
Non-UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (40%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (20%)Submission() 0
2 (40%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Rakhmonov
Thompson
5
UFC fights
19
40.3 min · 8.1 avg
Octagon time
282.3 min · 14.9 avg
11y 9m
Career length
16y 6m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Rakhmonov
Thompson
106W–27L · 79.7%
Overall
312W–90L · 77.6%
106W–27L · 79.7%
Wins
208W–61L · 77.3%
0W–0L
Losses
104W–29L · 78.2%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Rakhmonov
Thompson
111W–38L · 74.5%
Overall
12W–9L · 57.1%
111W–38L · 74.5%
Wins
12W–9L · 57.1%
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Rakhmonov
Thompson
7.40
Landed / min
5.14
54.0%
Accuracy
44.2%
57.7%
Defense
62.0%
0.37
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.53
36.3%
Time at distance
73.9%
Grappling & control
Rakhmonov
Thompson
1.49
Takedowns / 15 min
0.27
33.3%
Takedown accuracy
41.7%
100.0%
Takedown defense
64.2%
1.49
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
77.8%
Control share
30.5%
Strike target map
Rakhmonov
  • Head65%(117)div 63%
  • Body30%(54)div 21%
  • Legs4%(8)div 16%
Thompson
  • Head67%(792)div 63%
  • Body23%(277)div 21%
  • Legs10%(117)div 16%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Shavkat Rakhmonov
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Stephen Thompson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.