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UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje
Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje
21-2 · USA
VS
Tony Ferguson
Tony Ferguson
25-3 · USA
May 9, 2020 · Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Lightweight · 5 rounds · Main event
155.0lb
Weigh-in
155.0lb
Justin Gaethje def. Tony Ferguson by KO/TKO (Punch), R5 3:39
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Gaethje26/370/000:00
Ferguson29/540/000:00
R2
Gaethje37/500/000:00
Ferguson33/640/000:00
R3
Gaethje20/350/000:00
Ferguson24/690/000:00
R4
Gaethje26/360/000:00
Ferguson36/730/000:00
R5 · 3:39
Gaethje34/390/000:00
Ferguson14/360/000:00
Total
Gaethje143/1970/000:00
Ferguson136/2960/000:00

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
GaethjeWin probabilityFerguson
85.5%14.5%
KO / TKO
72%
Submission
4%
Decision
24%
Expected fight time: 15.9 min
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Gaethje, blue toward Ferguson. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Gaethje86%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO65%76%
Submission2%2%
Decision19%22%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes129 (75168)act 143
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Ferguson14%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO7%49%
Submission2%15%
Decision5%36%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes101 (58132)act 136
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.0)act 0
Combined totals~230 sig strikes~0.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R19%
R220%
R324%
R414%
R59%
Distance24%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikes
Gaethje
61.2%-160
Ferguson
+16038.3%
Most takedownstie 75.2%
Gaethje
18.9%-321
Ferguson
+3215.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Gaethje
Expected: 129.2
129
Over 129
42.3%
+135
Exactly 129
0.5%
push
Under 129
57.1%
-135
0162323
Ferguson
Expected: 101.1
101
Over 101
42.2%
+135
Exactly 101
0.7%
push
Under 101
57.1%
-135
0127253
Takedowns — over/under
Gaethje
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
19.7%
+409
Under 0.5
80.3%
-409
035
Ferguson
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
7.0%
Exactly 0
93.0%
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 15.9 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
Gaethje85.5%37.6%+47.9+158
Ferguson14.5%62.4%−47.9-180

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
69.1Striking75.1
Ferguson +6.0
22.2Grappling60.6
Ferguson +38.3
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
GaethjeFerguson
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1603
Pound-for-pound
1720
1601
Divisional
1714
1533
Striking offense
1540
1484
Striking defense
1511
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
31 yrs
Age
36 yrs
5'11"
Height
5'11"
70"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
8.57
Strikes landed / min
5.81
56%
Strike accuracy
45%
9.67
Strikes absorbed / min
3.75
55%
Strike defense
64%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.56
0%
Takedown accuracy
43%
80%
Takedown defense
75%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.4
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
94%
+3
Win/loss streak
+12
60%
Last-5 win rate
100%
100%
Finish rate
73%
Recent opp. quality
238
Days since last fight
336
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Justin Gaethje
  • WDonald CerroneKO/TKO R1
    Close -1858mo before
  • WEdson BarbozaKO/TKO R1
    Close +1001y 1mo before
  • WJames VickKO/TKO R1
    Close +1201y 8mo before
  • LDustin PoirierKO/TKO R4
    Close +1052y 1mo before
  • LEddie AlvarezKO/TKO R3
    Close -1702y 5mo before
Tony Ferguson
  • WDonald CerroneKO/TKO R2
    Close -21011mo before
  • WAnthony PettisKO/TKO R2
    Close -3551y 7mo before
  • WKevin LeeSUB R3
    Close -2902y 7mo before
  • WRafael Dos AnjosU-DEC R5
    Close +1203y 6mo before
  • WLando VannataSUB R2
    Close -8003y 10mo before
Gaethje — win / loss by method
Record: 21-2-0

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
18 wins, 2 losses
W
86% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
5% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
10% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
4win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
17win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
14 (82%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (6%)Submission() 0
2 (12%)Decision() 0
Ferguson — win / loss by method
Record: 25-3-0

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
12 wins, 0 losses
W
48% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 1 loss
W
32% of wins
L
33% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 2 losses
W
20% of wins
L
67% of losses
UFC
15win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (33%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
6 (40%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (27%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
10win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (70%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (20%)Submission(50%) 1
1 (10%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Gaethje
Ferguson
6
UFC fights
16
47.6 min · 7.9 avg
Octagon time
161.1 min · 10.1 avg
14y 11m
Career length
18y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Gaethje
Ferguson
136W–40L · 77.3%
Overall
315W–100L · 75.9%
86W–30L · 74.1%
Wins
305W–94L · 76.4%
50W–10L · 83.3%
Losses
10W–6L · 62.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Gaethje
Ferguson
244W–97L · 71.6%
Overall
70W–47L · 59.8%
244W–97L · 71.6%
Wins
54W–40L · 57.4%
0W–0L
Losses
16W–7L · 69.6%
Distance striking
Gaethje
Ferguson
8.24
Landed / min
6.72
52.3%
Accuracy
43.6%
56.9%
Defense
64.5%
0.95
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.28
85.4%
Time at distance
78.1%
Grappling & control
Gaethje
Ferguson
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.56
0.0%
Takedown accuracy
42.9%
80.0%
Takedown defense
75.0%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.40
68.1%
Control share
23.4%
Strike target map
Gaethje
  • Head56%(230)div 63%
  • Body9%(35)div 20%
  • Legs35%(143)div 17%
Ferguson
  • Head64%(599)div 63%
  • Body17%(155)div 20%
  • Legs19%(182)div 17%

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

Justin Gaethje
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Tony Ferguson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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