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UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega
VS
Brian Ortega
Brian Ortega
15-1 · USA
September 25, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Featherweight · 5 rounds · Main event
144.5lb
Weigh-in
144.0lb
Alexander Volkanovski def. Brian Ortega by U-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Volkanovski30/520/000:00
Ortega16/510/000:00
R2
Volkanovski38/610/000:03
Ortega23/580/000:00
R3
Volkanovski61/990/001:13
Ortega17/401/100:41
R4
Volkanovski35/580/002:33
Ortega6/151/200:13
R5
Volkanovski50/830/000:02
Ortega26/700/200:00
Total
Volkanovski214/3530/003:51
Ortega88/2342/500:54

Scorecards

Volkanovski vs Ortega

RdJunichiro KamijoMichael BellSal D'AmatoCommunity
R110-910-910-99.9-9.1
R210-910-910-910-9
R310-910-910-99.8-9
R410-910-910-810-8.4
R510-99-1010-99.5-9.6
Total50-4549-4650-4449.2-45.1

Media (20 cards) · avg 49.245.2 · 20 Volkanovski · 0 Ortega

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Volkanovski-Ortega.

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 probabilityOrtega
77.0%23.0%
KO / TKO
30%
Submission
21%
Decision
49%
Expected fight time: 17.2 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 Ortega. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Volkanovski77%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO25%33%21%
Submission12%16%5%
Decision40%51%35%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes104 (44142)act 214
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.7)act 0
Ortega23%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO5%22%10%
Submission9%39%14%
Decision9%39%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes66 (2890)act 88
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.9)act 2
Combined totals~170 sig strikes~1.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R117%
R215%
R310%
R46%
R54%
Distance48%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.5%
Volkanovski
64.3%-183
Ortega
+18335.2%
Most takedownstie 40.2%
Volkanovski
29.1%+106
Ortega
-10630.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Volkanovski
Expected: 104.2
104
Over 104
39.6%
+151
Exactly 104
0.5%
push
Under 104
59.9%
-151
0131261
Ortega
Expected: 66.0
66
Over 66
39.4%
+152
Exactly 66
0.7%
push
Under 66
59.9%
-152
083166
Takedowns — over/under
Volkanovski
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
39.1%
+155
Under 0.5
60.9%
-155
035
Ortega
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
26.2%
+229
Exactly 1
13.8%
push
Under 1
60.0%
-229
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 17.2 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
Volkanovski77.0%62.3%+14.7-187
Ortega23.0%37.7%−14.7+154
By method
Volkanovski by KO/TKO23.5%20.9%+2.6+290
Volkanovski by submission16.2%5.5%+10.7+1388
Volkanovski by decision37.4%34.6%+2.8+135
Ortega by KO/TKO7.0%10.3%−3.3+689
Ortega by submission4.8%14.5%−9.7+461
Ortega by decision11.2%14.2%−3.0+472
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds83.5%75.0%+8.5-400
Over 2.5 rds68.7%66.3%+2.4-250
Over 3.5 rds58.5%60.4%−1.9-180
Over 4.5 rds52.6%56.2%−3.6-152
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision48.5%52.3%−3.8-130

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
80.9Striking52.4
Volkanovski +28.5
50.5Grappling42.5
Volkanovski +8.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
VolkanovskiOrtega
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1683
Pound-for-pound
1633
1660
Divisional
1627
1529
Striking offense
1516
1522
Striking defense
1490
1505
Grappling offense
1517
1529
Grappling defense
1533
Physical
32 yrs
Age
30 yrs
5'6"
Height
5'8"
71"
Reach
69"
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
6.02
Strikes landed / min
4.29
56%
Strike accuracy
38%
3.31
Strikes absorbed / min
6.28
60%
Strike defense
52%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.09
Takedowns / 15 min
0.80
35%
Takedown accuracy
21%
73%
Takedown defense
56%
0.3
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.1
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
78%
+9
Win/loss streak
+1
100%
Last-5 win rate
80%
33%
Finish rate
86%
Recent opp. quality
441
Days since last fight
343
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Alexander Volkanovski
  • WMax HollowayS-DEC R5
    Close -2101y 2mo before
  • WMax HollowayU-DEC R5
    Close +1701y 9mo before
  • WJose AldoU-DEC R3
    Close +1252y 5mo before
  • WChad MendesKO/TKO R2
    Close +1202y 9mo before
  • WDarren ElkinsU-DEC R3
    Close -2203y 2mo before
Brian Ortega
  • WChan Sung JungU-DEC R5
    Close +16011mo before
  • LMax HollowayKO/TKO R4
    Close -1102y 10mo before
  • WFrankie EdgarKO/TKO R1
    Close +1353y 7mo before
  • WCub SwansonSUB R2
    Close -1203y 10mo before
  • WRenato MoicanoSUB R3
    Close +1604y 2mo before
Volkanovski — win / loss by method
Record: 22-1-0

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, 1 loss
W
50% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 0 losses
W
36% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
9win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (33%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
6 (67%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (62%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (23%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (15%)Decision(0%) 0
Ortega — win / loss by method
Record: 15-1-0, 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
3 wins, 1 loss
W
20% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
7 wins, 0 losses
W
47% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
7win1loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
3 (43%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (43%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (50%)Submission() 0
4 (50%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Volkanovski
Ortega
9
UFC fights
9
136.3 min · 15.1 avg
Octagon time
113.2 min · 12.6 avg
14y 2m
Career length
16y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Volkanovski
Ortega
162W–34L · 82.7%
Overall
164W–51L · 76.3%
162W–34L · 82.7%
Wins
145W–48L · 75.1%
0W–0L
Losses
19W–3L · 86.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Volkanovski
Ortega
110W–50L · 68.8%
Overall
30W–23L · 56.6%
99W–46L · 68.3%
Wins
30W–23L · 56.6%
11W–4L · 73.3%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Volkanovski
Ortega
6.49
Landed / min
4.64
51.4%
Accuracy
36.0%
62.2%
Defense
52.9%
0.44
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.66
65.3%
Time at distance
82.3%
Grappling & control
Volkanovski
Ortega
2.09
Takedowns / 15 min
0.80
34.5%
Takedown accuracy
21.4%
72.7%
Takedown defense
56.0%
0.33
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.06
88.6%
Control share
43.5%
Strike target map
Volkanovski
  • Head57%(466)div 64%
  • Body11%(91)div 20%
  • Legs32%(264)div 16%
Ortega
  • Head71%(343)div 64%
  • Body18%(87)div 20%
  • Legs12%(56)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.

Brian Ortega
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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