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UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez
Paul Craig
Paul Craig
13-4-1 · GBR
VS
Mauricio Rua
Mauricio Rua
27-11-1 · BRA
November 21, 2020 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
205.5lb
Weigh-in
205.5lb
Paul Craig def. Mauricio Rua by KO/TKO (Punches), R2 3:36
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Craig8/242/301:45
Rua6/150/001:44
R2 · 3:36
Craig21/332/502:01
Rua4/130/000:00
Total
Craig29/574/803:46
Rua10/280/001:44

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
CraigWin probabilityRua
40.5%59.5%
KO / TKO
62%
Submission
18%
Decision
21%
Expected fight time: 7.3 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 Craig, blue toward Rua. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Craig41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO19%45%
Submission16%39%
Decision6%16%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes24 (1033)act 29
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.8)act 4
Rua59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO43%73%
Submission2%3%
Decision14%24%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1240)act 10
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Combined totals~54 sig strikes~0.7 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R143%
R228%
R38%
Distance21%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.7%
Craig
42.5%+131
Rua
-13155.7%
Most takedownstie 55.7%
Craig
25.8%-140
Rua
+14018.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Craig
Expected: 24.1
24
Over 24
39.0%
+151
Exactly 24
2.0%
push
Under 24
59.0%
-151
03161
Rua
Expected: 29.5
29.5
Over 29.5
39.7%
+152
Under 29.5
60.3%
-152
03774
Takedowns — over/under
Craig
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
30.3%
+230
Under 0.5
69.7%
-230
035
Rua
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
23.2%
+330
Under 0.5
76.8%
-330
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 7.3 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
Craig40.5%62.1%−21.6-190
Rua59.5%37.9%+21.6+150

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
62.3Striking65.8
Rua +3.5
53.3Grappling43.5
Craig +9.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
CraigRua
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1546
Pound-for-pound
1595
1545
Divisional
1586
1493
Striking offense
1538
1499
Striking defense
1498
1520
Grappling offense
1493
1481
Grappling defense
1509
Physical
32 yrs
Age
38 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'1"
76"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.30
Strikes landed / min
3.40
49%
Strike accuracy
52%
2.56
Strikes absorbed / min
3.39
49%
Strike defense
53%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.61
Takedowns / 15 min
1.71
21%
Takedown accuracy
43%
56%
Takedown defense
44%
1.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.3
Form & résumé
56%
UFC win rate
55%
+1
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
60%
100%
Finish rate
73%
Recent opp. quality
119
Days since last fight
119
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Paul Craig
  • WGadzhimurad AntigulovSUB R1
    Close -1374mo before
  • DMauricio RuaS-DEC R3
    !Close +2001y before
  • WVinicius MoreiraSUB R1
    Close -1201y 2mo before
  • LAlonzo MenifieldKO/TKO R1
    Close +2901y 5mo before
  • WKennedy NzechukwuSUB R3
    Close +1601y 8mo before
Mauricio Rua
  • WRogerio NogueiraS-DEC R3
    Close -1904mo before
  • DPaul CraigS-DEC R3
    !Close -2601y before
  • WTyson PedroKO/TKO R3
    Close +4152y before
  • LAnthony SmithKO/TKO R1
    Close -1502y 4mo before
  • WGian VillanteKO/TKO R3
    Close -1553y 8mo before
Craig — win / loss by method
Record: 13-4-1

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, 3 losses
W
8% of wins
L
75% of losses
Submission
12 wins, 1 loss
W
92% of wins
L
25% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
5win4loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(75%) 3
5 (100%)Submission(25%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO() 0
7 (88%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Rua — win / loss by method
Record: 27-11-1

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
21 wins, 5 losses
W
78% of wins
L
45% of losses
Submission
1 win, 3 losses
W
4% of wins
L
27% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 3 losses
W
19% of wins
L
27% of losses
UFC
11win9loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (73%)KO/TKO(44%) 4
0 (0%)Submission(22%) 2
3 (27%)Decision(33%) 3
Non-UFC
16win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
13 (81%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (6%)Submission(50%) 1
2 (13%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Craig
Rua
10
UFC fights
21
84.0 min · 8.4 avg
Octagon time
237.2 min · 11.3 avg
12y 11m
Career length
23y 9m
UFC schedule strength

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

Craig
Rua
82W–11L · 88.2%
Overall
354W–113L · 75.8%
56W–9L · 86.2%
Wins
170W–56L · 75.2%
26W–2L · 92.9%
Losses
184W–57L · 76.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Craig
Rua
15W–9L · 62.5%
Overall
230W–100L · 69.7%
15W–9L · 62.5%
Wins
195W–87L · 69.1%
0W–0L
Losses
35W–13L · 72.9%
Distance striking
Craig
Rua
4.29
Landed / min
4.75
40.7%
Accuracy
46.4%
66.4%
Defense
60.0%
0.18
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.89
33.8%
Time at distance
48.0%
Grappling & control
Craig
Rua
1.61
Takedowns / 15 min
1.71
21.4%
Takedown accuracy
42.9%
55.6%
Takedown defense
44.4%
1.61
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.25
26.3%
Control share
57.1%
Strike target map
Craig
  • Head47%(90)div 65%
  • Body35%(67)div 19%
  • Legs19%(36)div 16%
Rua
  • Head62%(499)div 65%
  • Body15%(124)div 19%
  • Legs23%(184)div 16%

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

Paul Craig
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Mauricio Rua
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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