The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
VS
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
24-6 · AUS
July 8, 2023 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
186.0lb
Weigh-in
185.5lb
Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by KO/TKO (Punches), R2 2:23
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Du Plessis29/541/100:55
Whittaker22/441/100:23
R2 · 2:23
Du Plessis33/500/010:02
Whittaker9/260/000:00
Total
Du Plessis62/1041/110:57
Whittaker31/701/100:23

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
Du PlessisWin probabilityWhittaker
63.4%36.6%
KO / TKO
30%
Submission
7%
Decision
63%
Expected fight time: 11.9 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 Du Plessis, blue toward Whittaker. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Du Plessis63%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%34%
Submission6%10%
Decision35%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes55 (2375)act 62
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.6)act 1
Whittaker37%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO8%22%
Submission1%3%
Decision28%75%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes57 (2477)act 31
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.0)act 1
Combined totals~112 sig strikes~0.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R114%
R215%
R38%
Distance63%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.9%
Du Plessis
48.7%+104
Whittaker
-10450.5%
Most takedownstie 47.8%
Du Plessis
22.5%+131
Whittaker
-13129.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Du Plessis
Expected: 55.4
55.5
Over 55.5
39.7%
+152
Under 55.5
60.3%
-152
070139
Whittaker
Expected: 56.5
56.5
Over 56.5
39.8%
+151
Under 56.5
60.2%
-151
071142
Takedowns — over/under
Du Plessis
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
30.1%
+232
Under 0.5
69.9%
-232
035
Whittaker
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
36.8%
+172
Under 0.5
63.2%
-172
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 11.9 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
Du Plessis63.4%26.3%+37.1+260
Whittaker36.6%73.7%−37.1-350

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
77.9Striking69.7
Du Plessis +8.2
65.3Grappling44.5
Du Plessis +20.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
Du PlessisWhittaker
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1628
Pound-for-pound
1684
1625
Divisional
1672
1526
Striking offense
1535
1509
Striking defense
1520
1501
Grappling offense
1467
1508
Grappling defense
1579
Physical
29 yrs
Age
32 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'0"
76"
Reach
73"
Switch
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
6.72
Strikes landed / min
4.48
55%
Strike accuracy
42%
3.73
Strikes absorbed / min
3.26
53%
Strike defense
61%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.83
Takedowns / 15 min
0.82
47%
Takedown accuracy
38%
50%
Takedown defense
84%
1.3
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
79%
+5
Win/loss streak
+1
100%
Last-5 win rate
80%
80%
Finish rate
33%
Recent opp. quality
126
Days since last fight
308
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Dricus Du Plessis
  • WDerek BrunsonKO/TKO R2
    Close -2334mo before
  • WDarren TillSUB R3
    Close -1987mo before
  • WBrad TavaresU-DEC R3
    Close -1761y before
  • WTrevin GilesKO/TKO R2
    Close -1162y before
  • WMarkus PerezKO/TKO R1
    Close -1672y 9mo before
Robert Whittaker
  • WMarvin VettoriU-DEC R3
    Close -21910mo before
  • LIsrael AdesanyaU-DEC R5
    Close +2361y 5mo before
  • WKelvin GastelumU-DEC R5
    Close -2642y 3mo before
  • WJared CannonierU-DEC R3
    Close -1102y 8mo before
  • WDarren TillU-DEC R5
    Close -1302y 11mo before
Du Plessis — win / loss by method
Record: 19-2-0

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
8 wins, 1 loss
W
42% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
10 wins, 1 loss
W
53% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
5% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (60%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (20%)Submission() 0
1 (20%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
14win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (36%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
9 (64%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Whittaker — win / loss by method
Record: 24-6-0

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
9 wins, 2 losses
W
38% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 1 loss
W
21% of wins
L
17% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 3 losses
W
42% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
15win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (33%)KO/TKO(50%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
10 (67%)Decision(50%) 2
Non-UFC
9win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
5 (56%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Du Plessis
Whittaker
5
UFC fights
19
47.8 min · 9.6 avg
Octagon time
274.0 min · 14.4 avg
13y 0m
Career length
17y 4m
UFC schedule strength

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

Du Plessis
Whittaker
86W–23L · 78.9%
Overall
266W–53L · 83.4%
86W–23L · 78.9%
Wins
205W–48L · 81.0%
0W–0L
Losses
61W–5L · 92.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Du Plessis
Whittaker
135W–46L · 74.6%
Overall
64W–29L · 68.8%
111W–41L · 73.0%
Wins
39W–13L · 75.0%
24W–5L · 82.8%
Losses
25W–16L · 61.0%
Distance striking
Du Plessis
Whittaker
7.35
Landed / min
4.86
50.3%
Accuracy
40.0%
55.8%
Defense
64.1%
0.94
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.55
63.6%
Time at distance
78.6%
Grappling & control
Du Plessis
Whittaker
2.83
Takedowns / 15 min
0.82
47.4%
Takedown accuracy
37.5%
50.0%
Takedown defense
84.1%
1.26
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
65.9%
Control share
55.1%
Strike target map
Du Plessis
  • Head68%(217)div 64%
  • Body12%(40)div 20%
  • Legs20%(64)div 17%
Whittaker
  • Head70%(855)div 64%
  • Body12%(143)div 20%
  • Legs19%(229)div 17%

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

Dricus Du Plessis
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Robert Whittaker
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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