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UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson
18-5-1 · ISL
VS
Bryan Barberena
Bryan Barberena
18-9 · USA
March 18, 2023 · London, England, United Kingdom
Welterweight · 3 rounds
170.0lb
Weigh-in
171.0lb
Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena by SUB (Armbar), R1 4:51
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:51
Nelson10/111/203:13
Barberena7/120/000:00
Total
Nelson10/111/203:13
Barberena7/120/000:00

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
NelsonWin probabilityBarberena
68.7%31.3%
KO / TKO
17%
Submission
13%
Decision
71%
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 Nelson, blue toward Barberena. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Nelson69%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO9%13%8%
Submission12%17%40%
Decision48%70%27%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes39 (1653)act 10
Takedowns2.9 (0.06.8)act 1
Barberena31%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO8%26%13%
Submission1%3%4%
Decision22%71%8%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes52 (2270)act 7
Takedowns0.0 (0.00.0)act 0
Combined totals~91 sig strikes~3.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R115%
R211%
R33%
Distance71%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Nelson
40.3%+146
Barberena
-14658.7%
Most takedownstie 11.9%
Nelson
86.7%-6265
Barberena
+62651.4%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 39.2
39
Over 39
39.4%
+151
Exactly 39
1.2%
push
Under 39
59.4%
-151
05099
Barberena
Expected: 51.7
51.5
Over 51.5
40.0%
+150
Under 51.5
60.0%
-150
065130
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 2.9
3
Over 3
38.7%
+122
Exactly 3
14.1%
push
Under 3
47.2%
-122
059
Barberena
Expected: 0.0
0
Over 0
6.0%
Exactly 0
94.0%
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 12.2 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
Nelson68.7%76.4%−7.7-401
Barberena31.3%23.6%+7.7+305
By method
Nelson by KO/TKO11.4%8.2%+3.2+912
Nelson by submission8.8%40.2%−31.4+106
Nelson by decision48.5%26.7%+21.8+210
Barberena by KO/TKO5.2%12.9%−7.7+539
Barberena by submission4.0%4.2%−0.2+1892
Barberena by decision22.1%7.9%+14.2+948
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds84.6%58.8%+25.8-170
Over 2.5 rds74.1%43.3%+30.8+116
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision70.6%36.4%+34.2+158

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
63.6Striking64.8
Barberena +1.2
64.4Grappling31.2
Nelson +33.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NelsonBarberena
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1590
Pound-for-pound
1562
1577
Divisional
1554
1443
Striking offense
1540
1535
Striking defense
1492
1540
Grappling offense
1472
1559
Grappling defense
1497
Physical
34 yrs
Age
33 yrs
5'11"
Height
6'0"
72"
Reach
72"
Switch
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
1.83
Strikes landed / min
5.92
60%
Strike accuracy
49%
3.05
Strikes absorbed / min
4.90
50%
Strike defense
44%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.86
Takedowns / 15 min
0.16
60%
Takedown accuracy
25%
67%
Takedown defense
55%
0.9
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.3
Form & résumé
64%
UFC win rate
56%
+1
Win/loss streak
-1
40%
Last-5 win rate
60%
78%
Finish rate
56%
Recent opp. quality
364
Days since last fight
105
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Gunnar Nelson
  • WTakashi SatoU-DEC R3
    Close -5591y before
  • LGilbert BurnsU-DEC R3
    Close -1053y 6mo before
  • LLeon EdwardsS-DEC R3
    Close +1204y before
  • WAlex OliveiraSUB R2
    Close -1554y 3mo before
  • LSantiago PonzinibbioKO/TKO R1
    Close -1745y 8mo before
Bryan Barberena
  • LRafael Dos AnjosSUB R2
    Close +3533mo before
  • WRobbie LawlerKO/TKO R2
    Close -1179mo before
  • WMatt BrownS-DEC R3
    Close -1131y before
  • WDarian WeeksU-DEC R3
    Close -1401y 3mo before
  • LJason WittM-DEC R3
    Close -2681y 8mo before
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 18-5-1

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
4 wins, 1 loss
W
22% of wins
L
20% of losses
Submission
12 wins, 0 losses
W
67% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 4 losses
W
11% of wins
L
80% of losses
UFC
9win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(20%) 1
7 (78%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (22%)Decision(80%) 4
Non-UFC
9win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (56%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Barberena — win / loss by method
Record: 18-9-0

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
11 wins, 2 losses
W
61% of wins
L
22% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 2 losses
W
11% of wins
L
22% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 5 losses
W
28% of wins
L
56% of losses
UFC
9win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(29%) 2
1 (11%)Submission(14%) 1
4 (44%)Decision(57%) 4
Non-UFC
9win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (78%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (11%)Submission(50%) 1
1 (11%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Barberena
14
UFC fights
16
145.5 min · 10.4 avg
Octagon time
193.3 min · 12.1 avg
19y 3m
Career length
16y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Barberena
242W–66L · 78.6%
Overall
244W–89L · 73.3%
148W–43L · 77.5%
Wins
139W–55L · 71.6%
94W–23L · 80.3%
Losses
105W–34L · 75.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Barberena
41W–10L · 80.4%
Overall
49W–25L · 66.2%
41W–10L · 80.4%
Wins
44W–23L · 65.7%
0W–0L
Losses
5W–2L · 71.4%
Distance striking
Nelson
Barberena
2.25
Landed / min
8.03
48.8%
Accuracy
44.0%
59.6%
Defense
48.5%
0.10
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.47
44.4%
Time at distance
55.0%
Grappling & control
Nelson
Barberena
1.86
Takedowns / 15 min
0.16
60.0%
Takedown accuracy
25.0%
66.7%
Takedown defense
54.5%
0.93
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.31
68.3%
Control share
24.5%
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head76%(204)div 63%
  • Body15%(41)div 20%
  • Legs8%(22)div 16%
Barberena
  • Head71%(808)div 63%
  • Body14%(156)div 20%
  • Legs16%(180)div 16%

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

Gunnar Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Bryan Barberena
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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