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UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega
Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler
28-15 · USA
VS
Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz
26-9 · USA
September 25, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 5 rounds
184.0lb
Weigh-in
185.5lb
Robbie Lawler def. Nick Diaz by KO/TKO (Punch), R3 0:44
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Lawler57/1070/000:00
Diaz71/1760/100:00
R2
Lawler64/980/000:04
Diaz73/1450/000:00
R3 · 0:44
Lawler10/160/000:10
Diaz6/180/000:00
Total
Lawler131/2210/000:14
Diaz150/3390/100:00

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
LawlerWin probabilityDiaz
43.4%56.6%
KO / TKO
27%
Submission
16%
Decision
57%
Expected fight time: 19.0 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 Lawler, blue toward Diaz. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Lawler43%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO13%29%26%
Submission2%6%3%
Decision28%65%26%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes58 (2479)act 131
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.6)act 0
Diaz57%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%25%12%
Submission14%24%9%
Decision29%51%23%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes71 (3096)act 150
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.0)act 0
Combined totals~129 sig strikes~1.1 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R110%
R213%
R310%
R46%
R54%
Distance57%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.7%
Lawler
43.0%+131
Diaz
-13156.2%
Most takedownstie 51.7%
Lawler
26.7%-124
Diaz
+12421.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Lawler
Expected: 58.0
58
Over 58
39.4%
+152
Exactly 58
0.8%
push
Under 58
59.8%
-152
073146
Diaz
Expected: 70.6
70.5
Over 70.5
39.8%
+151
Under 70.5
60.2%
-151
089177
Takedowns — over/under
Lawler
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
31.6%
+216
Under 0.5
68.4%
-216
035
Diaz
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
27.3%
+267
Under 0.5
72.7%
-267
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 19.0 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
Lawler43.4%59.4%−16.0-163
Diaz56.6%40.6%+16.0+136
By method
Lawler by KO/TKO11.6%26.1%−14.5+214
Lawler by submission7.0%3.3%+3.7+2414
Lawler by decision24.8%26.2%−1.4+213
Diaz by KO/TKO15.1%12.4%+2.7+559
Diaz by submission9.1%9.2%−0.1+789
Diaz by decision32.3%22.7%+9.6+261
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds90.4%72.6%+17.8-350
Over 2.5 rds77.1%65.1%+12.0-227
Over 3.5 rds67.1%57.7%+9.4-163
Over 4.5 rds61.2%54.3%+6.9-138
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision57.2%51.9%+5.3-125

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
62.6Striking63.8
Diaz +1.2
47.2Grappling51.4
Diaz +4.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
LawlerDiaz
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1589
Pound-for-pound
1542
1500
Divisional
1513
1490
Striking offense
1509
1514
Striking defense
1536
1484
Grappling offense
1496
1520
Grappling defense
1520
Physical
39 yrs
Age
38 yrs
5'11"
Height
6'1"
74"
Reach
76"
Southpaw
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
3.75
Strikes landed / min
3.73
47%
Strike accuracy
41%
4.54
Strikes absorbed / min
3.43
59%
Strike defense
56%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.86
Takedowns / 15 min
1.08
74%
Takedown accuracy
35%
64%
Takedown defense
63%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.0
Form & résumé
59%
UFC win rate
50%
-4
Win/loss streak
-3
20%
Last-5 win rate
40%
46%
Finish rate
86%
Recent opp. quality
392
Days since last fight
2429
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Robbie Lawler
  • LNeil MagnyU-DEC R3
    Close +2001y 1mo before
  • LColby CovingtonU-DEC R5
    Close +2502y 2mo before
  • LBen AskrenSUB R1
    Close +2402y 7mo before
  • LRafael Dos AnjosU-DEC R5
    Close +1053y 9mo before
  • WDonald CerroneU-DEC R3
    Close -1554y 2mo before
Nick Diaz
  • LGeorges St-PierreU-DEC R5
    Close +4658y 6mo before
  • LCarlos ConditU-DEC R5
    Close -1909y 8mo before
  • WBJ PennU-DEC R3
    Close -1159y 11mo before
  • WGleison TibauKO/TKO R2
    14y 10mo before
  • WJosh NeerSUB R3
    Close -20015y 1mo before
Lawler — win / loss by method
Record: 28-15-0, 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
20 wins, 2 losses
W
71% of wins
L
13% of losses
Submission
1 win, 6 losses
W
4% of wins
L
40% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 7 losses
W
25% of wins
L
47% of losses
UFC
13win9loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (46%)KO/TKO(22%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(33%) 3
7 (54%)Decision(44%) 4
Non-UFC
15win6loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
14 (93%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (7%)Submission(50%) 3
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 3
Diaz — win / loss by method
Record: 26-9-0, 2 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
13 wins, 2 losses
W
50% of wins
L
22% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
31% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 7 losses
W
19% of wins
L
78% of losses
UFC
7win6loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(100%) 6
Non-UFC
19win3loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
9 (47%)KO/TKO(67%) 2
6 (32%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (21%)Decision(33%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Lawler
Diaz
22
UFC fights
14
297.3 min · 13.5 avg
Octagon time
193.8 min · 13.8 avg
25y 4m
Career length
24y 11m
UFC schedule strength

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

Lawler
Diaz
411W–109L · 79.0%
Overall
224W–40L · 84.8%
251W–75L · 77.0%
Wins
96W–22L · 81.4%
160W–34L · 82.5%
Losses
128W–18L · 87.7%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Lawler
Diaz
285W–78L · 78.5%
Overall
247W–99L · 71.4%
176W–56L · 75.9%
Wins
236W–94L · 71.5%
109W–22L · 83.2%
Losses
11W–5L · 68.8%
Distance striking
Lawler
Diaz
4.12
Landed / min
5.22
40.3%
Accuracy
36.6%
63.3%
Defense
57.1%
0.45
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.23
60.9%
Time at distance
50.9%
Grappling & control
Lawler
Diaz
0.86
Takedowns / 15 min
1.08
73.9%
Takedown accuracy
35.0%
64.5%
Takedown defense
62.8%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.01
36.2%
Control share
37.8%
Strike target map
Lawler
  • Head76%(851)div 64%
  • Body19%(217)div 19%
  • Legs4%(46)div 17%
Diaz
  • Head68%(491)div 64%
  • Body24%(176)div 19%
  • Legs8%(55)div 17%

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

Robbie Lawler
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Nick Diaz
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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