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UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy
Matt Sayles
Matt Sayles
7-2 · USA
VS
Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson
12-2 · CAN
May 4, 2019 · Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Featherweight · 3 rounds
Matt Sayles def. Kyle Nelson by SUB (Arm Triangle), R3 3:16
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Sayles54/990/002:08
Nelson14/480/000:00
R2
Sayles6/140/000:13
Nelson5/172/403:26
R3 · 3:16
Sayles15/340/000:26
Nelson7/280/600:21
Total
Sayles75/1470/002:47
Nelson26/932/1003:47

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
SaylesWin probabilityNelson
73.1%26.9%
KO / TKO
40%
Submission
17%
Decision
42%
Expected fight time: 9.4 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Sayles73%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO33%44%
Submission10%14%
Decision30%42%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes37 (2149)act 75
Takedowns0.5 (0.01.8)act 0
Nelson27%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO8%29%
Submission7%26%
Decision12%45%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes36 (2047)act 26
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.0)act 2
Combined totals~73 sig strikes~1.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R130%
R223%
R35%
Distance42%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.5%
Sayles
51.2%-108
Nelson
+10847.3%
Most takedownstie 44.8%
Sayles
26.0%+113
Nelson
-11329.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sayles
Expected: 37.4
37.5
Over 37.5
42.3%
+136
Under 37.5
57.7%
-136
04794
Nelson
Expected: 35.8
36
Over 36
41.3%
+138
Exactly 36
1.8%
push
Under 36
56.9%
-138
04590
Takedowns — over/under
Sayles
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
34.9%
+186
Under 0.5
65.1%
-186
035
Nelson
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
37.7%
+166
Under 0.5
62.3%
-166
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 9.4 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
Sayles73.1%63.5%+9.6-190
Nelson26.9%36.5%−9.6+165

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
60.3Striking46.8
Sayles +13.4
25.0Grappling13.9
Sayles +11.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SaylesNelson
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1500
Pound-for-pound
1518
1500
Divisional
1533
1500
Striking offense
1503
1528
Striking defense
1493
1491
Grappling offense
1495
1506
Grappling defense
1495
Physical
25 yrs
Age
28 yrs
5'7"
Height
5'11"
68"
Reach
71"
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
5.13
Strikes landed / min
3.13
33%
Strike accuracy
40%
4.87
Strikes absorbed / min
8.46
58%
Strike defense
47%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
0%
Takedown accuracy
100%
Takedown defense
50%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
0%
UFC win rate
0%
-1
Win/loss streak
-1
0%
Last-5 win rate
0%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
273
Days since last fight
147
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Matt Sayles
  • LSheymon MoraesU-DEC R3
    Close -1409mo before
Kyle Nelson
  • LDiego FerreiraKO/TKO R2
    Close +4255mo before
Sayles — win / loss by method
Record: 7-2-0

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
6 wins, 0 losses
W
86% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 2 losses
W
14% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
0win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 ()Submission(0%) 0
0 ()Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
7win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (86%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(100%) 1
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 12-2-0

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
4 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
0win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO(100%) 1
0 ()Submission(0%) 0
0 ()Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
12win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (33%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
4 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (33%)Decision(100%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Sayles
Nelson
1
UFC fights
1
15.0 min · 15.0 avg
Octagon time
6.4 min · 6.4 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.

Sayles
Nelson
9W–2L · 81.8%
Overall
13W–2L · 86.7%
0W–0L
Wins
0W–0L
9W–2L · 81.8%
Losses
13W–2L · 86.7%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sayles
Nelson
37W–10L · 78.7%
Overall
62W–27L · 69.7%
29W–7L · 80.6%
Wins
58W–27L · 68.2%
8W–3L · 72.7%
Losses
4W–0L · 100.0%
Distance striking
Sayles
Nelson
5.21
Landed / min
7.21
30.5%
Accuracy
39.6%
60.2%
Defense
50.9%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
85.7%
Time at distance
41.3%
Grappling & control
Sayles
Nelson
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
0.0%
Takedown accuracy
100.0%
Takedown defense
50.0%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
95.8%
Control share
6.3%
Strike target map
Sayles
  • Head51%(39)div 65%
  • Body30%(23)div 19%
  • Legs19%(15)div 16%
Nelson
  • Head60%(12)div 65%
  • Body30%(6)div 19%
  • Legs10%(2)div 16%

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

Matt Sayles
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Kyle Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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