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UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington
Cody Garbrandt
Cody Garbrandt
13-5 · USA
VS
Brian Kelleher
Brian Kelleher
24-14 · USA
December 16, 2023 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Bantamweight · 3 rounds
136.0lb
Weigh-in
136.0lb
Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 3:42
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:42
Garbrandt20/410/010:21
Kelleher17/250/100:36
Total
Garbrandt20/410/010:21
Kelleher17/250/100:36

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
GarbrandtWin probabilityKelleher
78.3%21.7%
KO / TKO
30%
Submission
8%
Decision
62%
Expected fight time: 12.2 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 Garbrandt, blue toward Kelleher. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Garbrandt78%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO26%33%
Submission2%3%
Decision50%64%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes62 (2685)act 20
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.9)act 0
Kelleher22%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO4%18%
Submission6%26%
Decision12%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes49 (2167)act 17
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.5)act 0
Combined totals~112 sig strikes~1.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R110%
R218%
R310%
Distance62%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.8%
Garbrandt
57.1%-136
Kelleher
+13642.1%
Most takedownstie 46.4%
Garbrandt
21.0%+155
Kelleher
-15532.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Garbrandt
Expected: 62.5
62.5
Over 62.5
39.7%
+152
Under 62.5
60.3%
-152
079157
Kelleher
Expected: 49.4
49.5
Over 49.5
39.7%
+152
Under 49.5
60.3%
-152
062124
Takedowns — over/under
Garbrandt
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
28.2%
+255
Under 0.5
71.8%
-255
035
Kelleher
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
39.5%
+153
Under 0.5
60.5%
-153
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 12.2 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
Garbrandt78.3%63.0%+15.3-190
Kelleher21.7%37.0%−15.3+160

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
60.5Striking56.9
Garbrandt +3.6
43.1Grappling54.0
Kelleher +10.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
GarbrandtKelleher
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1571
Pound-for-pound
1535
1576
Divisional
1535
1513
Striking offense
1486
1494
Striking defense
1487
1459
Grappling offense
1502
1540
Grappling defense
1488
Physical
32 yrs
Age
37 yrs
5'8"
Height
5'6"
65"
Reach
66"
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
3.00
Strikes landed / min
3.36
40%
Strike accuracy
41%
3.89
Strikes absorbed / min
4.61
61%
Strike defense
55%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.13
Takedowns / 15 min
1.79
34%
Takedown accuracy
43%
79%
Takedown defense
60%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.7
Form & résumé
62%
UFC win rate
53%
+1
Win/loss streak
-2
40%
Last-5 win rate
40%
63%
Finish rate
63%
Recent opp. quality
287
Days since last fight
539
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cody Garbrandt
  • WTrevin JonesU-DEC R3
    Close -1789mo before
  • LKai Kara-FranceKO/TKO R1
    Close -1432y before
  • LRob FontU-DEC R5
    Close +1062y 7mo before
  • WRaphael AssuncaoKO/TKO R2
    Close -1403y 6mo before
  • LPedro MunhozKO/TKO R1
    Close -1604y 9mo before
Brian Kelleher
  • LMario BautistaSUB R1
    Close +1561y 6mo before
  • LUmar NurmagomedovSUB R1
    Close +6281y 9mo before
  • WKevin CroomU-DEC R3
    Close -3681y 11mo before
  • WDomingo PilarteU-DEC R3
    Close -1852y 4mo before
  • LRicky SimonU-DEC R3
    Close +2052y 10mo before
Garbrandt — win / loss by method
Record: 13-5-0

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
10 wins, 4 losses
W
77% of wins
L
80% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 1 loss
W
23% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
8win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (63%)KO/TKO(80%) 4
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (38%)Decision(20%) 1
Non-UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Kelleher — win / loss by method
Record: 24-14-0

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, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
7% of losses
Submission
10 wins, 8 losses
W
42% of wins
L
57% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 5 losses
W
25% of wins
L
36% of losses
UFC
8win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (25%)KO/TKO(14%) 1
3 (38%)Submission(57%) 4
3 (38%)Decision(29%) 2
Non-UFC
16win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (38%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
7 (44%)Submission(57%) 4
3 (19%)Decision(43%) 3

Profiles

Experience
Garbrandt
Kelleher
13
UFC fights
15
132.9 min · 10.2 avg
Octagon time
126.0 min · 8.4 avg
13y 7m
Career length
15y 5m
UFC schedule strength

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

Garbrandt
Kelleher
218W–55L · 79.9%
Overall
243W–58L · 80.7%
132W–33L · 80.0%
Wins
139W–39L · 78.1%
86W–22L · 79.6%
Losses
104W–19L · 84.6%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Garbrandt
Kelleher
19W–6L · 76.0%
Overall
153W–76L · 66.8%
19W–6L · 76.0%
Wins
101W–63L · 61.6%
0W–0L
Losses
52W–13L · 80.0%
Distance striking
Garbrandt
Kelleher
3.01
Landed / min
4.86
38.4%
Accuracy
36.2%
63.7%
Defense
57.6%
1.13
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.36
88.3%
Time at distance
53.2%
Grappling & control
Garbrandt
Kelleher
1.13
Takedowns / 15 min
1.79
34.5%
Takedown accuracy
42.9%
78.6%
Takedown defense
60.0%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.71
65.8%
Control share
61.0%
Strike target map
Garbrandt
  • Head74%(295)div 62%
  • Body13%(50)div 21%
  • Legs13%(53)div 17%
Kelleher
  • Head66%(279)div 62%
  • Body16%(66)div 21%
  • Legs18%(78)div 17%

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

Cody Garbrandt
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Brian Kelleher
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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