The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
Askar Askarov
Askar Askarov
13-0-1 · RUS
VS
Joseph Benavidez
Joseph Benavidez
28-7 · USA
March 6, 2021 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Flyweight · 3 rounds
127.0lbMissed +1.0
Weigh-in
125.5lb
Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Askarov21/261/200:54
Benavidez18/540/000:00
R2
Askarov17/244/404:06
Benavidez11/190/000:00
R3
Askarov20/380/000:00
Benavidez17/410/000:00
Total
Askarov58/885/605:00
Benavidez46/1140/000:00

Scorecards

Askarov vs Benavidez

RdDerek ClearySal D'AmatoTony WeeksCommunity
R110-910-910-910-9.1
R210-910-810-910-8.6
R310-910-910-99.8-9.2
Total30-2730-2630-2729.8-26.9

Media (19 cards) · avg 29.926.5 · 19 Askarov · 0 Benavidez

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Askarov-Benavidez.

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
AskarovWin probabilityBenavidez
40.6%59.4%
KO / TKO
54%
Submission
15%
Decision
31%
Expected fight time: 8.8 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 Askarov, blue toward Benavidez. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Askarov41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO24%58%8%
Submission7%18%10%
Decision10%24%32%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes35 (1447)act 58
Takedowns1.0 (0.03.2)act 5
Benavidez59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO31%52%13%
Submission7%13%12%
Decision21%35%26%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes35 (1448)act 46
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.3)act 0
Combined totals~70 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R125%
R239%
R35%
Distance31%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.4%
Askarov
48.3%+104
Benavidez
-10450.4%
Most takedownstie 27.6%
Askarov
59.1%-444
Benavidez
+44413.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Askarov
Expected: 34.6
34.5
Over 34.5
39.8%
+151
Under 34.5
60.2%
-151
04487
Benavidez
Expected: 35.5
35.5
Over 35.5
39.7%
+152
Under 35.5
60.3%
-152
04589
Takedowns — over/under
Askarov
Expected: 1.0
1
Over 1
40.8%
-138
Exactly 1
29.7%
push
Under 1
29.5%
+138
035
Benavidez
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
28.2%
+254
Under 0.5
71.8%
-254
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 8.8 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
Askarov40.6%55.7%−15.1-142
Benavidez59.4%44.3%+15.1+114
By method
Askarov by KO/TKO22.1%7.7%+14.4+900
Askarov by submission6.1%9.6%−3.5+700
Askarov by decision12.5%32.2%−19.7+140
Benavidez by KO/TKO32.2%12.9%+19.3+500
Benavidez by submission8.9%11.9%−3.0+550
Benavidez by decision18.3%25.7%−7.4+200
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds75.2%72.6%+2.6-350
Over 2.5 rds36.1%66.3%−30.2-250
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision30.8%64.6%−33.8-225

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
70.0Striking65.7
Askarov +4.3
36.1Grappling45.3
Benavidez +9.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
AskarovBenavidez
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1568
Pound-for-pound
1650
1567
Divisional
1634
1488
Striking offense
1529
1502
Striking defense
1513
1536
Grappling offense
1483
1528
Grappling defense
1524
Physical
28 yrs
Age
36 yrs
5'6"
Height
5'4"
67"
Reach
65"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
3.20
Strikes landed / min
3.96
52%
Strike accuracy
37%
2.51
Strikes absorbed / min
2.95
56%
Strike defense
58%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.00
Takedowns / 15 min
1.60
18%
Takedown accuracy
31%
64%
Takedown defense
72%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.3
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
75%
+2
Win/loss streak
-2
67%
Last-5 win rate
60%
0%
Finish rate
40%
Recent opp. quality
231
Days since last fight
231
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Askar Askarov
  • WAlexandre PantojaU-DEC R3
    Close +1658mo before
  • WTim ElliottU-DEC R3
    Close -1401y 2mo before
  • DBrandon MorenoS-DEC R3
    !Close -1651y 5mo before
Joseph Benavidez
  • LDeiveson FigueiredoSUB R1
    Close +1808mo before
  • LDeiveson FigueiredoKO/TKO R2
    opp missedClose -1501y before
  • WJussier FormigaKO/TKO R2
    Close -1251y 8mo before
  • WDustin OrtizU-DEC R3
    Close -2402y 2mo before
  • WAlex PerezKO/TKO R1
    Close +1002y 3mo before
Askarov — win / loss by method
Record: 13-0-1

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
4 wins, 0 losses
W
31% of wins
L
Submission
7 wins, 0 losses
W
54% of wins
L
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
15% of wins
L
UFC
2win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
2 (100%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
11win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (36%)KO/TKO() 0
7 (64%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Benavidez — win / loss by method
Record: 28-7-0

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
8 wins, 2 losses
W
29% of wins
L
29% of losses
Submission
9 wins, 1 loss
W
32% of wins
L
14% of losses
Decision
11 wins, 4 losses
W
39% of wins
L
57% of losses
UFC
15win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (33%)KO/TKO(40%) 2
1 (7%)Submission(20%) 1
9 (60%)Decision(40%) 2
Non-UFC
13win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (23%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
8 (62%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (15%)Decision(100%) 2

Profiles

Experience
Askarov
Benavidez
3
UFC fights
20
45.0 min · 15.0 avg
Octagon time
225.2 min · 11.3 avg
13y 1m
Career length
20y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Askarov
Benavidez
37W–13L · 74.0%
Overall
300W–71L · 80.9%
37W–13L · 74.0%
Wins
230W–62L · 78.8%
0W–0L
Losses
70W–9L · 88.6%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Askarov
Benavidez
94W–24L · 79.7%
Overall
154W–33L · 82.4%
94W–24L · 79.7%
Wins
126W–31L · 80.3%
0W–0L
Losses
28W–2L · 93.3%
Distance striking
Askarov
Benavidez
5.15
Landed / min
4.69
45.5%
Accuracy
33.4%
59.5%
Defense
64.1%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.40
43.1%
Time at distance
68.4%
Grappling & control
Askarov
Benavidez
2.00
Takedowns / 15 min
1.60
18.2%
Takedown accuracy
30.8%
64.3%
Takedown defense
71.8%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.27
55.2%
Control share
72.3%
Strike target map
Askarov
  • Head78%(112)div 62%
  • Body6%(9)div 22%
  • Legs16%(23)div 15%
Benavidez
  • Head55%(492)div 62%
  • Body25%(222)div 22%
  • Legs20%(178)div 15%

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

Askar Askarov
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Joseph Benavidez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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