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UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2
Billy Elekana
Billy Elekana
9-2 · USA
VS
Junior Tafa
Junior Tafa
6-4 · NZL
January 31, 2026 · Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
Billy Elekana def. Junior Tafa by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R2 3:18
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Elekana9/240/300:37
Tafa26/460/010:07
R2 · 3:18
Elekana15/271/201:03
Tafa12/240/000:00
Total
Elekana24/511/501:40
Tafa38/700/010:07

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
ElekanaWin probabilityTafa
56.8%43.2%
KO / TKO
50%
Submission
14%
Decision
36%
Expected fight time: 8.4 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 Elekana, blue toward Tafa. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Elekana57%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%39%19%
Submission10%18%31%
Decision25%43%18%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1239)act 24
Takedowns0.9 (0.03.1)act 1
Tafa43%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO28%65%21%
Submission4%9%3%
Decision11%26%8%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes30 (1241)act 38
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.9)act 0
Combined totals~59 sig strikes~1.1 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R141%
R218%
R35%
Distance36%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.6%
Elekana
47.6%+107
Tafa
-10750.8%
Most takedownstie 46.4%
Elekana
41.7%-351
Tafa
+35111.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Elekana
Expected: 28.9
29
Over 29
38.7%
+154
Exactly 29
1.7%
push
Under 29
59.6%
-154
03773
Tafa
Expected: 30.2
30
Over 30
39.3%
+151
Exactly 30
1.6%
push
Under 30
59.1%
-151
03876
Takedowns — over/under
Elekana
Expected: 0.9
1
Over 1
29.8%
+181
Exactly 1
16.4%
push
Under 1
53.8%
-181
035
Tafa
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
17.9%
Exactly 0
82.1%
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 8.4 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
Elekana56.8%69.7%−12.9-272
Tafa43.2%30.3%+12.9+215
By method
Elekana by KO/TKO28.6%19.5%+9.1+337
Elekana by submission7.9%31.2%−23.3+173
Elekana by decision20.3%17.7%+2.6+380
Tafa by KO/TKO21.7%20.9%+0.8+308
Tafa by submission6.0%2.5%+3.5+3272
Tafa by decision15.4%8.2%+7.2+938
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds59.1%56.5%+2.6-153
Over 2.5 rds40.8%33.3%+7.5+179
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision35.7%27.0%+8.7+246

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
64.4Striking68.2
Tafa +3.8
21.0Grappling19.3
Elekana +1.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
ElekanaTafa
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1541
Pound-for-pound
1488
1541
Divisional
1497
1496
Striking offense
1514
1504
Striking defense
1505
1496
Grappling offense
1493
1507
Grappling defense
1488
Physical
30 yrs
Age
29 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'3"
77"
Reach
75"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.66
Strikes landed / min
3.19
61%
Strike accuracy
51%
3.28
Strikes absorbed / min
2.49
46%
Strike defense
52%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.55
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
25%
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
69%
0.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
33%
+2
Win/loss streak
-1
67%
Last-5 win rate
40%
50%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
91
Days since last fight
203
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Billy Elekana
  • WKevin ChristianSUB R1
    Close -2703mo before
  • WIbo AslanU-DEC R3
    Close +2256mo before
  • LBogdan GuskovSUB R2
    Close +3301y before
Junior Tafa
  • LTuco TokkosSUB R2
    Close -1807mo before
  • WSean SharafKO/TKO R2
    Close -2411y 4mo before
  • LValter WalkerSUB R1
    Close +1141y 5mo before
  • LMarcos Rogerio de LimaKO/TKO R2
    Close +1901y 11mo before
  • WParker PorterKO/TKO R1
    Close -1622y 5mo before
Elekana — win / loss by method
Record: 9-2-0

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
3 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 1 loss
W
22% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
44% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (50%)Submission(100%) 1
1 (50%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
7win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (43%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (14%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (43%)Decision(100%) 1
Tafa — win / loss by method
Record: 6-4-0

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
6 wins, 1 loss
W
100% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 2 losses
W
0% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
25% of losses
UFC
2win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(50%) 2
0 (0%)Decision(25%) 1
Non-UFC
4win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Elekana
Tafa
3
UFC fights
6
27.1 min · 9.0 avg
Octagon time
44.2 min · 7.4 avg
5y 2m
Career length
4y 1m
UFC schedule strength

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

Elekana
Tafa
39W–7L · 84.8%
Overall
68W–24L · 73.9%
23W–4L · 85.2%
Wins
18W–8L · 69.2%
16W–3L · 84.2%
Losses
50W–16L · 75.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Elekana
Tafa
27W–9L · 75.0%
Overall
28W–20L · 58.3%
22W–7L · 75.9%
Wins
28W–20L · 58.3%
5W–2L · 71.4%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Elekana
Tafa
2.65
Landed / min
7.64
55.4%
Accuracy
47.1%
52.7%
Defense
54.2%
0.55
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.34
78.1%
Time at distance
31.6%
Grappling & control
Elekana
Tafa
0.55
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
25.0%
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
69.4%
0.55
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
74.2%
Control share
1.9%
Strike target map
Elekana
  • Head65%(47)div 63%
  • Body29%(21)div 19%
  • Legs6%(4)div 17%
Tafa
  • Head84%(119)div 63%
  • Body15%(21)div 19%
  • Legs1%(1)div 17%

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

Billy Elekana
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Junior Tafa
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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