The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega
VS
Martin Sano
Martin Sano
4-2-1 · USA
September 25, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Welterweight · 3 rounds
170.5lb
Weigh-in
170.0lb
Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 0:15
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 0:15
Semelsberger3/50/010:01
Sano1/30/000:00
Total
Semelsberger3/50/010:01
Sano1/30/000:00

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
SemelsbergerWin probabilitySano
63.8%36.2%
KO / TKO
31%
Submission
20%
Decision
49%
Expected fight time: 10.2 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 Semelsberger, blue toward Sano. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Semelsberger64%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%35%47%
Submission10%15%13%
Decision32%50%19%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes39 (1653)act 3
Takedowns0.8 (0.03.0)act 0
Sano36%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO9%25%7%
Submission10%28%6%
Decision17%47%8%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes37 (1550)act 1
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.6)act 0
Combined totals~76 sig strikes~1.5 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R127%
R217%
R37%
Distance49%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Semelsberger
51.3%-108
Sano
+10847.5%
Most takedownstie 37.9%
Semelsberger
33.0%-113
Sano
+11329.1%
Significant strikes — over/under
Semelsberger
Expected: 39.1
39
Over 39
39.2%
+152
Exactly 39
1.2%
push
Under 39
59.5%
-152
04998
Sano
Expected: 36.7
36.5
Over 36.5
40.0%
+150
Under 36.5
60.0%
-150
04692
Takedowns — over/under
Semelsberger
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
28.3%
+201
Exactly 1
15.0%
push
Under 1
56.7%
-201
035
Sano
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
40.7%
+146
Under 0.5
59.3%
-146
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 10.2 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
Semelsberger63.8%79.6%−15.8-504
Sano36.2%20.4%+15.8+368
By method
Semelsberger by KO/TKO19.8%46.9%−27.1-133
Semelsberger by submission12.6%13.4%−0.8+515
Semelsberger by decision31.5%19.2%+12.3+327
Sano by KO/TKO11.2%6.9%+4.3+1092
Sano by submission7.1%5.7%+1.4+1333
Sano by decision17.8%7.9%+9.9+940
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds73.3%47.4%+25.9-103
Over 2.5 rds56.4%31.2%+25.2+200
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision49.3%28.4%+20.9+230

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
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SemelsbergerSano
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1525
Pound-for-pound
1502
1525
Divisional
1502
Striking offense
Striking defense
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
28 yrs
Age
30 yrs
6'1"
Height
5'11"
75"
Reach
75"
Switch
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
6.11
Strikes landed / min
49%
Strike accuracy
5.68
Strikes absorbed / min
61%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
0.99
Takedowns / 15 min
100%
Takedown accuracy
100%
Takedown defense
0.5
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
-1
Win/loss streak
67%
Last-5 win rate
50%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
98
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Matthew Semelsberger
  • LKhaos WilliamsU-DEC R3
    Close +1323mo before
  • WJason WittKO/TKO R1
    Close -1266mo before
  • WCarlton MinusU-DEC R3
    Close -1061y 1mo before
Martin Sano
No prior UFC fights.
Semelsberger — win / loss by method
Record: 8-3-0

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
5 wins, 1 loss
W
63% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
13% of wins
L
33% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 1 loss
W
25% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (50%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (50%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
6win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (67%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (17%)Submission(50%) 1
1 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Sano — win / loss by method
Record: 4-2-1

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
1 win, 1 loss
W
25% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
75% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
4win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (25%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
3 (75%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Semelsberger
Sano
3
UFC fights
0
30.3 min · 10.1 avg
Octagon time
9y 4m
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Semelsberger
Sano
39W–9L · 81.3%
Overall
28W–7L · 80.0%
Wins
11W–2L · 84.6%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Semelsberger
Sano
21W–14L · 60.0%
Overall
22W–9L · 71.0%
18W–10L · 64.3%
Wins
12W–7L · 63.2%
3W–4L · 42.9%
Losses
10W–2L · 83.3%
Distance striking
Semelsberger
Sano
6.86
Landed / min
47.9%
Accuracy
61.8%
Defense
0.99
Knockdowns / 15 min
82.3%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Semelsberger
Sano
0.99
Takedowns / 15 min
100.0%
Takedown accuracy
100.0%
Takedown defense
0.50
Sub attempts / 15 min
60.1%
Control share
Strike target map
Semelsberger
  • Head66%(123)div 63%
  • Body14%(25)div 20%
  • Legs20%(37)div 16%
Sano
  • Head0%(0)div 63%
  • Body0%(0)div 20%
  • Legs0%(0)div 16%
  • No strike data on record.

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

Matthew Semelsberger
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Martin Sano

No UFC fights on record.

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