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UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje
Magomed Ankalaev
Magomed Ankalaev
13-1 · RUS
VS
Ion Cutelaba
Ion Cutelaba
15-5 · MDA
October 24, 2020 · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
Magomed Ankalaev def. Ion Cutelaba by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 4:19
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:19
Ankalaev21/410/020:05
Cutelaba11/360/000:00
Total
Ankalaev21/410/020:05
Cutelaba11/360/000:00

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
AnkalaevWin probabilityCutelaba
71.2%28.8%
KO / TKO
55%
Submission
13%
Decision
32%
Expected fight time: 8.4 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 Ankalaev, blue toward Cutelaba. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Ankalaev71%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO38%53%
Submission7%10%
Decision26%37%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes27 (1136)act 21
Takedowns0.8 (0.03.0)act 0
Cutelaba29%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO17%59%
Submission6%19%
Decision6%22%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1035)act 11
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.8)act 0
Combined totals~53 sig strikes~1.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R138%
R222%
R38%
Distance32%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.8%
Ankalaev
50.4%-105
Cutelaba
+10547.8%
Most takedownstie 38.6%
Ankalaev
41.7%-211
Cutelaba
+21119.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Ankalaev
Expected: 26.8
27
Over 27
38.6%
+155
Exactly 27
1.8%
push
Under 27
59.6%
-155
03468
Cutelaba
Expected: 25.7
25.5
Over 25.5
40.1%
+149
Under 25.5
59.9%
-149
03365
Takedowns — over/under
Ankalaev
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
31.1%
+158
Exactly 1
19.6%
push
Under 1
49.3%
-158
035
Cutelaba
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
30.4%
+229
Under 0.5
69.6%
-229
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 8.4 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
Ankalaev71.2%72.9%−1.7-335
Cutelaba28.8%27.1%+1.7+250

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
81.8Striking66.9
Ankalaev +14.9
42.4Grappling60.2
Cutelaba +17.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
AnkalaevCutelaba
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1577
Pound-for-pound
1537
1577
Divisional
1537
1513
Striking offense
1515
1519
Striking defense
1511
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
28 yrs
Age
26 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'1"
75"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
3.46
Strikes landed / min
5.29
57%
Strike accuracy
40%
1.24
Strikes absorbed / min
3.26
68%
Strike defense
49%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.68
Takedowns / 15 min
2.59
33%
Takedown accuracy
71%
86%
Takedown defense
80%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
80%
UFC win rate
50%
+4
Win/loss streak
-1
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
75%
Finish rate
75%
Recent opp. quality
238
Days since last fight
238
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Magomed Ankalaev
  • WIon CutelabaKO/TKO R1
    Close -2258mo before
  • WDalcha LungiambulaKO/TKO R3
    Close -33011mo before
  • WKlidson AbreuU-DEC R3
    opp missedClose -2101y 8mo before
  • WMarcin PrachnioKO/TKO R1
    Close -5602y 1mo before
  • LPaul CraigSUB R3
    Close -8002y 7mo before
Ion Cutelaba
  • LMagomed AnkalaevKO/TKO R1
    Close +1858mo before
  • WKhalil Rountree Jr.KO/TKO R1
    Close -1051y 1mo before
  • LGlover TeixeiraSUB R2
    Close +1001y 6mo before
  • WGadzhimurad AntigulovKO/TKO R1
    Close -1352y 3mo before
  • WHenrique da SilvaKO/TKO R1
    Close -3053y 4mo before
Ankalaev — win / loss by method
Record: 13-1-0

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, 0 losses
W
62% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
100% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 0 losses
W
38% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (75%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 1
1 (25%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
9win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (56%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
4 (44%)Decision() 0
Cutelaba — win / loss by method
Record: 15-5-0, 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
12 wins, 1 loss
W
80% of wins
L
20% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 2 losses
W
13% of wins
L
40% of losses
Decision
1 win, 1 loss
W
7% of wins
L
20% of losses
DQ / other
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
4win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (75%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(50%) 2
1 (25%)Decision(25%) 1
Non-UFC
11win1loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
9 (82%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (18%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
0 (0%)DQ / other(100%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Ankalaev
Cutelaba
5
UFC fights
8
44.3 min · 8.8 avg
Octagon time
58.0 min · 7.2 avg
12y 6m
Career length
14y 4m
UFC schedule strength

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

Ankalaev
Cutelaba
61W–12L · 83.6%
Overall
106W–21L · 83.5%
52W–10L · 83.9%
Wins
47W–10L · 82.5%
9W–2L · 81.8%
Losses
59W–11L · 84.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Ankalaev
Cutelaba
104W–40L · 72.2%
Overall
51W–57L · 47.2%
104W–40L · 72.2%
Wins
42W–54L · 43.8%
0W–0L
Losses
9W–3L · 75.0%
Distance striking
Ankalaev
Cutelaba
3.76
Landed / min
4.80
44.8%
Accuracy
29.3%
73.0%
Defense
53.8%
1.02
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.26
46.3%
Time at distance
60.3%
Grappling & control
Ankalaev
Cutelaba
0.68
Takedowns / 15 min
2.59
33.3%
Takedown accuracy
71.4%
85.7%
Takedown defense
80.0%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
87.5%
Control share
45.0%
Strike target map
Ankalaev
  • Head67%(102)div 65%
  • Body25%(39)div 19%
  • Legs8%(12)div 16%
Cutelaba
  • Head71%(217)div 65%
  • Body22%(68)div 19%
  • Legs7%(22)div 16%

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

Magomed Ankalaev
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Ion Cutelaba
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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