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UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
Aleksandar Rakic
Aleksandar Rakic
13-2 · AUT
VS
Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos
21-8 · BRA
March 6, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
206.0lb
Weigh-in
206.0lb
Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Rakic14/300/000:00
Santos15/270/000:00
R2
Rakic15/350/001:11
Santos11/310/000:00
R3
Rakic7/240/201:21
Santos23/390/100:00
Total
Rakic36/890/202:32
Santos49/970/100:00

Scorecards

Rakic vs Santos

RdDave HagenEric ColónRon McCarthyCommunity
R110-910-910-99.8-9.3
R210-910-910-99.9-9.1
R39-109-1010-99.3-9.7
Total29-2829-2830-2729-28.1

Media (18 cards) · avg 29.127.9 · 18 Rakic · 0 Santos

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Rakic-Santos.

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
RakicWin probabilitySantos
63.2%36.8%
KO / TKO
55%
Submission
9%
Decision
36%
Expected fight time: 9.0 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 Rakic, blue toward Santos. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Rakic63%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO32%51%24%
Submission6%10%6%
Decision25%39%28%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes35 (1447)act 36
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.7)act 0
Santos37%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO23%63%26%
Submission3%7%6%
Decision11%30%11%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes33 (1345)act 49
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.8)act 0
Combined totals~68 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R133%
R221%
R310%
Distance36%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.4%
Rakic
50.7%-106
Santos
+10647.9%
Most takedownstie 44.7%
Rakic
43.9%-385
Santos
+38511.4%
Significant strikes — over/under
Rakic
Expected: 34.6
34.5
Over 34.5
39.9%
+150
Under 34.5
60.1%
-150
04487
Santos
Expected: 33.0
33
Over 33
39.1%
+152
Exactly 33
1.5%
push
Under 33
59.5%
-152
04283
Takedowns — over/under
Rakic
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
49.0%
+104
Under 0.5
51.0%
-104
035
Santos
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
18.1%
Exactly 0
81.9%
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 9.0 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
Rakic63.2%62.5%+0.7-191
Santos36.8%37.5%−0.7+154
By method
Rakic by KO/TKO34.9%23.8%+11.1+225
Rakic by submission5.6%5.9%−0.3+1200
Rakic by decision22.7%27.6%−4.9+180
Santos by KO/TKO20.4%25.7%−5.3+200
Santos by submission3.2%5.9%−2.7+1200
Santos by decision13.2%11.0%+2.2+600
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds66.5%57.9%+8.6-167
Over 2.5 rds46.0%46.3%−0.3+100
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision35.9%42.1%−6.2+120

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
78.2Striking73.4
Rakic +4.8
45.4Grappling41.2
Rakic +4.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
RakicSantos
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1586
Pound-for-pound
1614
1583
Divisional
1551
1525
Striking offense
1547
1512
Striking defense
1541
1507
Grappling offense
1483
1523
Grappling defense
1521
Physical
29 yrs
Age
37 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'2"
78"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.66
Strikes landed / min
4.36
55%
Strike accuracy
48%
1.99
Strikes absorbed / min
2.32
54%
Strike defense
55%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.92
Takedowns / 15 min
0.77
29%
Takedown accuracy
40%
89%
Takedown defense
65%
0.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.1
Form & résumé
83%
UFC win rate
65%
+1
Win/loss streak
-2
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
40%
Finish rate
85%
Recent opp. quality
189
Days since last fight
119
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Aleksandar Rakic
  • WAnthony SmithU-DEC R3
    Close -2786mo before
  • LVolkan OezdemirS-DEC R3
    Close -1751y 2mo before
  • WJimi ManuwaKO/TKO R1
    Close -2551y 9mo before
  • WDevin ClarkKO/TKO R1
    Close -5702y 3mo before
  • WJustin LedetU-DEC R3
    Close -1152y 7mo before
Thiago Santos
  • LGlover TeixeiraSUB R3
    Close -2404mo before
  • LJon JonesS-DEC R5
    Close +4851y 8mo before
  • WJan BlachowiczKO/TKO R3
    Close -1302y before
  • WJimi ManuwaKO/TKO R2
    Close -1852y 3mo before
  • WEryk AndersKO/TKO R3
    Close -2002y 5mo before
Rakic — win / loss by method
Record: 13-2-0

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
9 wins, 0 losses
W
69% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
8% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 1 loss
W
23% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (40%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (60%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (88%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (13%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Santos — win / loss by method
Record: 21-8-0

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
15 wins, 3 losses
W
71% of wins
L
38% of losses
Submission
1 win, 3 losses
W
5% of wins
L
38% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 2 losses
W
24% of wins
L
25% of losses
UFC
13win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
11 (85%)KO/TKO(29%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(43%) 3
2 (15%)Decision(29%) 2
Non-UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (50%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (13%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (38%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Rakic
Santos
6
UFC fights
20
64.9 min · 10.8 avg
Octagon time
156.3 min · 7.8 avg
14y 9m
Career length
15y 8m
UFC schedule strength

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

Rakic
Santos
103W–31L · 76.9%
Overall
371W–89L · 80.7%
87W–27L · 76.3%
Wins
236W–64L · 78.7%
16W–4L · 80.0%
Losses
135W–25L · 84.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Rakic
Santos
27W–34L · 44.3%
Overall
13W–13L · 50.0%
27W–34L · 44.3%
Wins
10W–11L · 47.6%
0W–0L
Losses
3W–2L · 60.0%
Distance striking
Rakic
Santos
5.51
Landed / min
3.69
43.8%
Accuracy
37.9%
60.2%
Defense
64.1%
0.92
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.25
45.6%
Time at distance
58.1%
Grappling & control
Rakic
Santos
0.92
Takedowns / 15 min
0.77
28.6%
Takedown accuracy
40.0%
89.5%
Takedown defense
64.8%
0.23
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.10
89.0%
Control share
44.4%
Strike target map
Rakic
  • Head62%(188)div 64%
  • Body16%(48)div 19%
  • Legs22%(66)div 17%
Santos
  • Head58%(394)div 64%
  • Body20%(136)div 19%
  • Legs22%(152)div 17%

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

Aleksandar Rakic
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Thiago Santos
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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