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UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
VS
Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez
19-3 · MEX
July 8, 2023 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Featherweight · 5 rounds · Main event
144.5lb
Weigh-in
145.0lb
Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez by KO/TKO (Punches), R3 4:19
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Volkanovski11/153/403:22
Rodriguez5/90/000:00
R2
Volkanovski18/253/603:33
Rodriguez12/190/000:00
R3 · 4:19
Volkanovski37/571/200:18
Rodriguez23/520/000:00
Total
Volkanovski66/977/1207:13
Rodriguez40/800/000:00

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
VolkanovskiWin probabilityRodriguez
73.8%26.2%
KO / TKO
35%
Submission
14%
Decision
51%
Expected fight time: 18.2 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 Volkanovski, blue toward Rodriguez. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Volkanovski74%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO26%35%
Submission9%12%
Decision39%53%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes95 (40129)act 66
Takedowns0.9 (0.03.2)act 7
Rodriguez26%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO9%33%
Submission5%22%
Decision12%45%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes77 (32104)act 40
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Combined totals~172 sig strikes~1.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R113%
R212%
R312%
R47%
R55%
Distance51%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.6%
Volkanovski
56.6%-132
Rodriguez
+13242.8%
Most takedownstie 41.7%
Volkanovski
43.1%-284
Rodriguez
+28415.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Volkanovski
Expected: 95.0
95
Over 95
39.5%
+152
Exactly 95
0.5%
push
Under 95
60.0%
-152
0119238
Rodriguez
Expected: 76.5
76.5
Over 76.5
39.8%
+151
Under 76.5
60.2%
-151
096192
Takedowns — over/under
Volkanovski
Expected: 0.9
1
Over 1
31.6%
+159
Exactly 1
18.0%
push
Under 1
50.3%
-159
035
Rodriguez
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
23.4%
+327
Under 0.5
76.6%
-327
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 18.2 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
Volkanovski73.8%75.5%−1.7-375
Rodriguez26.2%24.5%+1.7+290

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
81.6Striking66.3
Volkanovski +15.4
44.9Grappling44.3
Volkanovski +0.6
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
VolkanovskiRodriguez
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1707
Pound-for-pound
1647
1704
Divisional
1640
1539
Striking offense
1533
1528
Striking defense
1520
1500
Grappling offense
1497
1546
Grappling defense
1507
Physical
34 yrs
Age
30 yrs
5'6"
Height
5'11"
71"
Reach
71"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
6.35
Strikes landed / min
4.78
57%
Strike accuracy
46%
3.40
Strikes absorbed / min
4.03
59%
Strike defense
53%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.52
Takedowns / 15 min
0.79
34%
Takedown accuracy
28%
69%
Takedown defense
64%
0.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.8
Form & résumé
92%
UFC win rate
77%
-1
Win/loss streak
+2
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
33%
Finish rate
50%
Recent opp. quality
147
Days since last fight
147
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Alexander Volkanovski
  • LIslam MakhachevU-DEC R5
    Close +3005mo before
  • WMax HollowayU-DEC R5
    Close -1921y before
  • WChan Sung JungKO/TKO R4
    Close -6821y 3mo before
  • WBrian OrtegaU-DEC R5
    Close -1861y 9mo before
  • WMax HollowayS-DEC R5
    Close -2103y before
Yair Rodriguez
  • WJosh EmmettSUB R2
    Close -1805mo before
  • WBrian OrtegaKO/TKO R1
    Close +1541y before
  • LMax HollowayU-DEC R5
    Close +4661y 8mo before
  • WJeremy StephensU-DEC R3
    Close -1403y 9mo before
  • WChan Sung JungKO/TKO R5
    Close -1304y 8mo before
Volkanovski — win / loss by method
Record: 25-2-0

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
12 wins, 1 loss
W
48% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
12% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 1 loss
W
40% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
12win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (33%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
8 (67%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (62%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (23%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (15%)Decision(0%) 0
Rodriguez — win / loss by method
Record: 19-3-0, 1 NC

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, 2 losses
W
42% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
26% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 1 loss
W
32% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
10win2loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
4 (40%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (10%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (50%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
9win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
4 (44%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (11%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Volkanovski
Rodriguez
13
UFC fights
13
227.0 min · 17.5 avg
Octagon time
171.4 min · 13.2 avg
14y 2m
Career length
15y 6m
UFC schedule strength

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

Volkanovski
Rodriguez
240W–48L · 83.3%
Overall
188W–62L · 75.2%
217W–47L · 82.2%
Wins
145W–51L · 74.0%
23W–1L · 95.8%
Losses
43W–11L · 79.6%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Volkanovski
Rodriguez
110W–50L · 68.8%
Overall
10W–12L · 45.5%
99W–46L · 68.3%
Wins
9W–11L · 45.0%
11W–4L · 73.3%
Losses
1W–1L · 50.0%
Distance striking
Volkanovski
Rodriguez
6.99
Landed / min
6.34
53.5%
Accuracy
43.3%
61.6%
Defense
59.5%
0.40
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.26
68.4%
Time at distance
60.2%
Grappling & control
Volkanovski
Rodriguez
1.52
Takedowns / 15 min
0.79
34.3%
Takedown accuracy
28.1%
69.2%
Takedown defense
63.8%
0.20
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.79
78.0%
Control share
24.0%
Strike target map
Volkanovski
  • Head63%(903)div 64%
  • Body11%(161)div 20%
  • Legs26%(378)div 16%
Rodriguez
  • Head56%(457)div 64%
  • Body19%(153)div 20%
  • Legs26%(209)div 16%

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

Alexander Volkanovski
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Yair Rodriguez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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