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UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa
Juan Espino
Juan Espino
9-1 · ESP
VS
Jeff Hughes
Jeff Hughes
10-3 · USA
September 26, 2020 · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
Juan Espino def. Jeff Hughes by SUB (Scarf Hold), R1 3:48
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:48
Espino10/175/702:36
Hughes0/10/000:00
Total
Espino10/175/702:36
Hughes0/10/000:00

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
EspinoWin probabilityHughes
58.8%41.2%
KO / TKO
31%
Submission
15%
Decision
54%
Expected fight time: 10.4 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 Espino, blue toward Hughes. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Espino59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO16%27%
Submission13%21%
Decision30%52%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1240)act 10
Takedowns3.4 (0.07.8)act 5
Hughes41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO15%36%
Submission3%7%
Decision23%57%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1035)act 0
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.1)act 0
Combined totals~55 sig strikes~3.5 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R127%
R214%
R35%
Distance54%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.7%
Espino
53.3%-118
Hughes
+11845.0%
Most takedownstie 11.0%
Espino
86.1%-2918
Hughes
+29182.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Espino
Expected: 29.4
29.5
Over 29.5
39.6%
+152
Under 29.5
60.4%
-152
03774
Hughes
Expected: 25.8
26
Over 26
38.5%
+155
Exactly 26
1.8%
push
Under 26
59.7%
-155
03365
Takedowns — over/under
Espino
Expected: 3.4
3.5
Over 3.5
44.2%
+126
Under 3.5
55.8%
-126
0611
Hughes
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
10.7%
Exactly 0
89.3%
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 10.4 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
Espino58.8%71.5%−12.7-305
Hughes41.2%28.5%+12.7+233

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
81.7Striking64.3
Espino +17.4
75.0Grappling18.5
Espino +56.5
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
EspinoHughes
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1537
Pound-for-pound
1496
1537
Divisional
1496
1478
Striking offense
1500
1500
Striking defense
1496
1560
Grappling offense
1483
1557
Grappling defense
1514
Physical
39 yrs
Age
32 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'2"
80"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
6.11
Strikes landed / min
3.41
96%
Strike accuracy
47%
1.11
Strikes absorbed / min
4.08
33%
Strike defense
62%
Grappling (UFC career)
8.33
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
100%
Takedown accuracy
0%
Takedown defense
67%
8.3
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
0%
+1
Win/loss streak
-3
100%
Last-5 win rate
0%
100%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
666
Days since last fight
336
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Juan Espino
  • WJustin FrazierSUB R1
    Close -1751y 10mo before
Jeff Hughes
  • LRaphael PessoaU-DEC R3
    Close -24511mo before
  • LMaurice GreeneS-DEC R3
    Close -2551y 7mo before
Espino — win / loss by method
Record: 9-1-0

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
1 win, 1 loss
W
11% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
6 wins, 0 losses
W
67% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
22% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (100%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
5 (63%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (25%)Decision(0%) 0
Hughes — win / loss by method
Record: 10-3-0, 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
4 wins, 1 loss
W
40% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
10% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 2 losses
W
50% of wins
L
67% of losses
UFC
0win2loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 ()Submission(0%) 0
0 ()Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
10win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (40%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (10%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (50%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Espino
Hughes
1
UFC fights
3
3.6 min · 3.6 avg
Octagon time
34.0 min · 11.3 avg
17y 5m
Career length
11y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Espino
Hughes
10W–2L · 83.3%
Overall
15W–3L · 83.3%
10W–2L · 83.3%
Wins
0W–0L
0W–0L
Losses
15W–3L · 83.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Espino
Hughes
57W–67L · 46.0%
Overall
76W–35L · 68.5%
53W–67L · 44.2%
Wins
63W–30L · 67.7%
4W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
13W–5L · 72.2%
Distance striking
Espino
Hughes
0.00
Landed / min
3.81
Accuracy
45.2%
100.0%
Defense
66.0%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
0.7%
Time at distance
80.1%
Grappling & control
Espino
Hughes
8.33
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
100.0%
Takedown accuracy
0.0%
Takedown defense
66.7%
8.33
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
100.0%
Control share
49.5%
Strike target map
Espino
  • Head86%(19)div 66%
  • Body14%(3)div 19%
  • Legs0%(0)div 15%
Hughes
  • Head55%(64)div 66%
  • Body15%(17)div 19%
  • Legs30%(35)div 15%

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

Juan Espino
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Jeff Hughes
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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