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UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson
16-3-1 · ISL
VS
Alex Oliveira
Alex Oliveira
20-5-1 · BRA
December 8, 2018 · Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Welterweight · 3 rounds
170.3lb
Weigh-in
171.0lb
Gunnar Nelson def. Alex Oliveira by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R2 4:17
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Nelson2/21/402:14
Oliveira30/400/001:44
R2 · 4:17
Nelson9/91/102:29
Oliveira6/90/201:22
Total
Nelson11/112/504:43
Oliveira36/490/203:06

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
NelsonWin probabilityOliveira
71.4%28.6%
KO / TKO
10%
Submission
19%
Decision
70%
Expected fight time: 12.5 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Nelson71%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO5%7%
Submission16%23%
Decision50%70%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes25 (1433)act 11
Takedowns2.6 (0.05.7)act 2
Oliveira29%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO5%18%
Submission3%11%
Decision21%71%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes35 (1945)act 36
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.4)act 0
Combined totals~60 sig strikes~2.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R112%
R213%
R35%
Distance70%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.7%
Nelson
34.7%+183
Oliveira
-18363.5%
Most takedownstie 14.0%
Nelson
82.9%-2679
Oliveira
+26793.1%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 25.1
25
Over 25
41.4%
+135
Exactly 25
2.6%
push
Under 25
56.0%
-135
03263
Oliveira
Expected: 34.6
34.5
Over 34.5
42.8%
+134
Under 34.5
57.2%
-134
04487
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 2.6
2.5
Over 2.5
50.5%
-102
Under 2.5
49.5%
+102
048
Oliveira
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
12.9%
Exactly 0
87.1%
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 12.5 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
Nelson71.4%58.8%+12.6-155
Oliveira28.6%41.2%−12.6+135

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
60.6Striking67.7
Oliveira +7.1
67.0Grappling62.5
Nelson +4.5
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NelsonOliveira
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1588
Pound-for-pound
1621
1577
Divisional
1601
1467
Striking offense
1510
1515
Striking defense
1540
1535
Grappling offense
1532
1550
Grappling defense
1477
Physical
30 yrs
Age
30 yrs
5'11"
Height
5'11"
72"
Reach
76"
Switch
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.01
Strikes landed / min
3.01
57%
Strike accuracy
53%
3.70
Strikes absorbed / min
2.08
51%
Strike defense
46%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.64
Takedowns / 15 min
3.45
63%
Takedown accuracy
39%
70%
Takedown defense
58%
1.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.9
Form & résumé
70%
UFC win rate
69%
-1
Win/loss streak
+2
60%
Last-5 win rate
80%
86%
Finish rate
78%
Recent opp. quality
510
Days since last fight
77
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Gunnar Nelson
  • LSantiago PonzinibbioKO/TKO R1
    Close -1741y 5mo before
  • WAlan JoubanSUB R2
    Close -3351y 9mo before
  • WAlbert TumenovSUB R2
    Close +1352y 7mo before
  • LDemian MaiaU-DEC R3
    Close -1253y before
  • WBrandon ThatchSUB R1
    Close +1503y 5mo before
Alex Oliveira
  • WCarlo Pedersoli Jr.KO/TKO R1
    Close -5003mo before
  • WCarlos ConditSUB R2
    Close -1758mo before
  • LYancy MedeirosKO/TKO R3
    Close -3901y before
  • WRyan LaFlareKO/TKO R2
    Close +1551y 5mo before
  • WTim MeansSUB R2
    Close +1751y 9mo before
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 16-3-1

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
25% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
11 wins, 0 losses
W
69% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 2 losses
W
6% of wins
L
67% of losses
UFC
7win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
6 (86%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(67%) 2
Non-UFC
9win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (56%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Oliveira — win / loss by method
Record: 20-5-1, 2 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
60% of wins
L
20% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 3 losses
W
25% of wins
L
60% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 1 loss
W
15% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
9win3loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
3 (33%)Submission(67%) 2
2 (22%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
11win2loss1draw1NC
WinsLosses
8 (73%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (18%)Submission(50%) 1
1 (9%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Oliveira
10
UFC fights
13
91.3 min · 9.1 avg
Octagon time
113.0 min · 8.7 avg
19y 3m
Career length
14y 8m
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Oliveira
174W–51L · 77.3%
Overall
192W–46L · 80.7%
112W–34L · 76.7%
Wins
141W–35L · 80.1%
62W–17L · 78.5%
Losses
51W–11L · 82.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Oliveira
41W–10L · 80.4%
Overall
60W–45L · 57.1%
41W–10L · 80.4%
Wins
41W–37L · 52.6%
0W–0L
Losses
19W–8L · 70.4%
Distance striking
Nelson
Oliveira
2.37
Landed / min
5.89
48.3%
Accuracy
42.0%
58.7%
Defense
59.9%
0.16
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.66
51.8%
Time at distance
23.6%
Grappling & control
Nelson
Oliveira
1.64
Takedowns / 15 min
3.45
62.5%
Takedown accuracy
38.8%
70.0%
Takedown defense
57.7%
1.15
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.93
65.1%
Control share
65.6%
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head80%(146)div 63%
  • Body14%(25)div 20%
  • Legs7%(12)div 16%
Oliveira
  • Head60%(204)div 63%
  • Body26%(90)div 20%
  • Legs14%(46)div 16%

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

Gunnar Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Alex Oliveira
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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