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UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
22-5 · AUS
VS
Kelvin Gastelum
Kelvin Gastelum
17-6 · USA
April 17, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 5 rounds · Main event
185.5lb
Weigh-in
185.0lb
Robert Whittaker def. Kelvin Gastelum by U-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Whittaker18/421/102:28
Gastelum8/190/000:00
R2
Whittaker43/741/100:06
Gastelum14/610/200:13
R3
Whittaker38/640/100:00
Gastelum20/570/000:00
R4
Whittaker33/710/100:00
Gastelum13/431/300:02
R5
Whittaker18/332/301:45
Gastelum7/290/000:11
Total
Whittaker150/2844/704:19
Gastelum62/2091/500:26

Scorecards

Whittaker vs Gastelum

RdDerek ClearyMichael BellSal D'AmatoCommunity
R110-910-910-910-8.9
R210-910-910-910-9
R310-910-910-910-9
R410-910-910-910-9
R510-910-910-910-9
Total50-4550-4550-4550-44.9

Media (15 cards) · avg 5045 · 15 Whittaker · 0 Gastelum

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Whittaker-Gastelum.

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
WhittakerWin probabilityGastelum
57.5%42.5%
KO / TKO
32%
Submission
5%
Decision
63%
Expected fight time: 19.7 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 Whittaker, blue toward Gastelum. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Whittaker58%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO20%34%26%
Submission2%4%7%
Decision36%62%34%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes96 (41131)act 150
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.7)act 4
Gastelum42%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO13%30%12%
Submission3%7%7%
Decision26%63%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes83 (35113)act 62
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.1)act 1
Combined totals~180 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R18%
R213%
R38%
R45%
R53%
Distance63%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.5%
Whittaker
54.2%-120
Gastelum
+12045.3%
Most takedownstie 53.2%
Whittaker
19.7%+138
Gastelum
-13827.1%
Significant strikes — over/under
Whittaker
Expected: 96.4
96.5
Over 96.5
39.7%
+152
Under 96.5
60.3%
-152
0121241
Gastelum
Expected: 83.4
83.5
Over 83.5
39.7%
+152
Under 83.5
60.3%
-152
0105209
Takedowns — over/under
Whittaker
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
24.7%
+305
Under 0.5
75.3%
-305
035
Gastelum
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
32.2%
+211
Under 0.5
67.8%
-211
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 19.7 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
Whittaker57.5%69.6%−12.1-271
Gastelum42.5%30.4%+12.1+213
By method
Whittaker by KO/TKO18.6%26.2%−7.6+210
Whittaker by submission2.9%7.4%−4.5+1000
Whittaker by decision36.0%33.9%+2.1+140
Gastelum by KO/TKO13.8%11.6%+2.2+600
Gastelum by submission2.1%7.4%−5.3+1000
Gastelum by decision26.6%13.5%+13.1+500
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds92.2%72.6%+19.6-350
Over 2.5 rds78.7%64.5%+14.2-225
Over 3.5 rds70.6%57.7%+12.9-163
Over 4.5 rds65.9%54.3%+11.6-138
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision62.6%52.0%+10.6-125

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
68.1Striking67.9
Whittaker +0.2
37.9Grappling43.6
Gastelum +5.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
WhittakerGastelum
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1674
Pound-for-pound
1601
1663
Divisional
1565
1535
Striking offense
1510
1514
Striking defense
1525
1468
Grappling offense
1499
1560
Grappling defense
1528
Physical
30 yrs
Age
29 yrs
6'0"
Height
5'9"
73"
Reach
71"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
4.52
Strikes landed / min
3.64
41%
Strike accuracy
44%
3.44
Strikes absorbed / min
2.92
60%
Strike defense
59%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.43
Takedowns / 15 min
1.22
27%
Takedown accuracy
39%
84%
Takedown defense
65%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.1
Form & résumé
81%
UFC win rate
61%
+2
Win/loss streak
+1
80%
Last-5 win rate
40%
38%
Finish rate
45%
Recent opp. quality
175
Days since last fight
63
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Robert Whittaker
  • WJared CannonierU-DEC R3
    Close -1106mo before
  • WDarren TillU-DEC R5
    Close -1309mo before
  • LIsrael AdesanyaKO/TKO R2
    Close +1101y 6mo before
  • WYoel RomeroS-DEC R5
    Close -2752y 10mo before
  • WYoel RomeroU-DEC R5
    Close -1303y 9mo before
Kelvin Gastelum
  • WIan HeinischU-DEC R3
    Close -2022mo before
  • LJack HermanssonSUB R1
    Close -1129mo before
  • LDarren TillS-DEC R3
    Close -2001y 5mo before
  • LIsrael AdesanyaU-DEC R5
    Close +1502y before
  • WJacare SouzaS-DEC R3
    Close -1052y 11mo before
Whittaker — win / loss by method
Record: 22-5-0

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
9 wins, 2 losses
W
41% of wins
L
40% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 1 loss
W
23% of wins
L
20% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 2 losses
W
36% of wins
L
40% of losses
UFC
13win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (38%)KO/TKO(67%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
8 (62%)Decision(33%) 1
Non-UFC
9win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
5 (56%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1
Gastelum — win / loss by method
Record: 17-6-0, 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
6 wins, 0 losses
W
35% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 2 losses
W
29% of wins
L
33% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 4 losses
W
35% of wins
L
67% of losses
UFC
11win6loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
3 (27%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (18%)Submission(33%) 2
6 (55%)Decision(67%) 4
Non-UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (50%)KO/TKO() 0
3 (50%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Whittaker
Gastelum
16
UFC fights
18
209.0 min · 13.1 avg
Octagon time
221.4 min · 12.3 avg
17y 4m
Career length
17y 4m
UFC schedule strength

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

Whittaker
Gastelum
210W–41L · 83.7%
Overall
304W–77L · 79.8%
170W–37L · 82.1%
Wins
208W–60L · 77.6%
40W–4L · 90.9%
Losses
96W–17L · 85.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Whittaker
Gastelum
64W–29L · 68.8%
Overall
6W–7L · 46.2%
39W–13L · 75.0%
Wins
6W–7L · 46.2%
25W–16L · 61.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Whittaker
Gastelum
4.88
Landed / min
4.73
38.1%
Accuracy
40.4%
63.8%
Defense
62.9%
0.72
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.61
76.9%
Time at distance
61.6%
Grappling & control
Whittaker
Gastelum
0.43
Takedowns / 15 min
1.22
27.3%
Takedown accuracy
39.1%
84.1%
Takedown defense
64.8%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.14
46.7%
Control share
52.3%
Strike target map
Whittaker
  • Head69%(653)div 64%
  • Body12%(116)div 19%
  • Legs19%(175)div 17%
Gastelum
  • Head67%(540)div 64%
  • Body18%(147)div 19%
  • Legs15%(119)div 17%

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

Robert Whittaker
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Kelvin Gastelum
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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