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UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Velasquez
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou
12-3 · FRA
VS
Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
14-2 · USA
February 17, 2019 · Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
258.0lb
Weigh-in
248.0lb
Francis Ngannou def. Cain Velasquez by KO/TKO (Punches), R1 0:26
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 0:26
Ngannou6/100/000:00
Velasquez1/30/100:02
Total
Ngannou6/100/000:00
Velasquez1/30/100:02

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
NgannouWin probabilityVelasquez
73.9%26.1%
KO / TKO
56%
Submission
17%
Decision
28%
Expected fight time: 13.0 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Ngannou74%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO41%55%
Submission15%21%
Decision18%24%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes45 (2559)act 6
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Velasquez26%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO15%58%
Submission1%6%
Decision10%36%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes46 (2660)act 1
Takedowns1.0 (0.03.1)act 0
Combined totals~91 sig strikes~1.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R136%
R211%
R313%
R47%
R55%
Distance28%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Ngannou
48.8%+103
Velasquez
-10350.0%
Most takedownstie 35.5%
Ngannou
14.0%+361
Velasquez
-36150.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Ngannou
Expected: 45.2
45
Over 45
42.1%
+134
Exactly 45
1.5%
push
Under 45
56.5%
-134
057114
Velasquez
Expected: 45.8
46
Over 46
41.5%
+137
Exactly 46
1.4%
push
Under 46
57.1%
-137
058115
Takedowns — over/under
Ngannou
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
24.0%
+317
Under 0.5
76.0%
-317
035
Velasquez
Expected: 1.0
1
Over 1
37.0%
+112
Exactly 1
21.5%
push
Under 1
41.5%
-112
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 13.0 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
Ngannou73.9%34.9%+39.0+175
Velasquez26.1%65.1%−39.0-210

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
58.4Striking86.5
Velasquez +28.1
25.3Grappling68.3
Velasquez +43.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NgannouVelasquez
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1596
Pound-for-pound
1658
1596
Divisional
1658
Striking offense
Striking defense
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
32 yrs
Age
36 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'1"
83"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
1.97
Strikes landed / min
6.49
37%
Strike accuracy
58%
1.94
Strikes absorbed / min
2.35
49%
Strike defense
58%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
4.61
0%
Takedown accuracy
43%
71%
Takedown defense
75%
0.5
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.4
Form & résumé
78%
UFC win rate
86%
+1
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
80%
100%
Finish rate
83%
Recent opp. quality
85
Days since last fight
953
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Francis Ngannou
  • WCurtis BlaydesKO/TKO R1
    Close +2003mo before
  • LDerrick LewisU-DEC R3
    Close -3107mo before
  • LStipe MiocicU-DEC R5
    Close -1701y 1mo before
  • WAlistair OvereemKO/TKO R1
    Close -2301y 3mo before
  • WAndrei ArlovskiKO/TKO R1
    Close -4202y 1mo before
Cain Velasquez
  • WTravis BrowneKO/TKO R1
    Close -3552y 7mo before
  • LFabricio WerdumSUB R3
    Close -4603y 8mo before
  • WJunior Dos SantosKO/TKO R5
    Close -2005y 4mo before
  • WAntonio SilvaKO/TKO R1
    Close -7055y 9mo before
  • WJunior Dos SantosU-DEC R5
    Close +1756y 2mo before
Ngannou — win / loss by method
Record: 12-3-0

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
8 wins, 0 losses
W
67% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 3 losses
W
0% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
7win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (86%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (14%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (40%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
3 (60%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 1
Velasquez — win / loss by method
Record: 14-2-0

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
12 wins, 1 loss
W
86% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
10 (83%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(50%) 1
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
2win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Ngannou
Velasquez
9
UFC fights
14
65.4 min · 7.3 avg
Octagon time
110.6 min · 7.9 avg
12y 8m
Career length
19y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Ngannou
Velasquez
152W–45L · 77.2%
Overall
218W–39L · 84.8%
116W–38L · 75.3%
Wins
186W–33L · 84.9%
36W–7L · 83.7%
Losses
32W–6L · 84.2%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Ngannou
Velasquez
15W–4L · 78.9%
Overall
6W–1L · 85.7%
8W–4L · 66.7%
Wins
6W–1L · 85.7%
7W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Ngannou
Velasquez
2.33
Landed / min
8.47
30.2%
Accuracy
43.3%
54.4%
Defense
63.4%
0.92
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.36
57.8%
Time at distance
27.7%
Grappling & control
Ngannou
Velasquez
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
4.61
0.0%
Takedown accuracy
42.5%
70.6%
Takedown defense
75.0%
0.46
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.41
11.3%
Control share
94.4%
Strike target map
Ngannou
  • Head80%(103)div 66%
  • Body12%(16)div 19%
  • Legs8%(10)div 15%
Velasquez
  • Head75%(542)div 66%
  • Body11%(76)div 19%
  • Legs14%(100)div 15%

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

Francis Ngannou
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Cain Velasquez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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