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UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2
Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes
9-1 · USA
VS
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem
43-16 · NLD
June 9, 2018 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
254.0lb
Weigh-in
244.0lb
Curtis Blaydes def. Alistair Overeem by KO/TKO (Elbows), R3 2:56
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Blaydes1/51/102:19
Overeem1/30/000:00
R2
Blaydes13/202/203:31
Overeem4/50/000:00
R3 · 2:56
Blaydes23/281/101:57
Overeem2/40/000:00
Total
Blaydes37/534/407:47
Overeem7/120/000:00

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
BlaydesWin probabilityOvereem
78.6%21.4%
KO / TKO
67%
Submission
10%
Decision
23%
Expected fight time: 8.5 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Blaydes79%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO55%70%
Submission4%5%
Decision20%25%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes48 (2763)act 37
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.6)act 4
Overeem21%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%56%
Submission6%27%
Decision3%17%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes31 (1741)act 7
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.5)act 0
Combined totals~80 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R136%
R219%
R322%
Distance23%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.3%
Blaydes
68.7%-229
Overeem
+22930.0%
Most takedownstie 51.2%
Blaydes
39.6%-429
Overeem
+4299.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Blaydes
Expected: 48.4
48.5
Over 48.5
42.3%
+136
Under 48.5
57.7%
-136
061121
Overeem
Expected: 31.2
31
Over 31
41.9%
+133
Exactly 31
2.1%
push
Under 31
55.9%
-133
04079
Takedowns — over/under
Blaydes
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
42.8%
+134
Under 0.5
57.2%
-134
035
Overeem
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
13.7%
Exactly 0
86.3%
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 8.5 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
Blaydes78.6%64.3%+14.3-200
Overeem21.4%35.7%−14.3+170

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
73.6Striking77.9
Overeem +4.3
56.8Grappling37.8
Blaydes +19.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
BlaydesOvereem
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1571
Pound-for-pound
1616
1571
Divisional
1616
1502
Striking offense
1527
1499
Striking defense
1505
1528
Grappling offense
1484
1512
Grappling defense
1543
Physical
27 yrs
Age
38 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'4"
80"
Reach
80"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.49
Strikes landed / min
4.04
49%
Strike accuracy
73%
2.63
Strikes absorbed / min
2.29
57%
Strike defense
57%
Grappling (UFC career)
7.29
Takedowns / 15 min
0.44
55%
Takedown accuracy
27%
25%
Takedown defense
77%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.1
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
62%
+3
Win/loss streak
-1
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
50%
Finish rate
63%
Recent opp. quality
119
Days since last fight
189
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Curtis Blaydes
  • WMark HuntU-DEC R3
    Close -1904mo before
  • WAleksei OleinikKO/TKO R2
    Close -3007mo before
  • WDaniel OmielanczukU-DEC R3
    Close -64011mo before
  • WCody EastKO/TKO R2
    Close -2351y 8mo before
  • LFrancis NgannouKO/TKO R2
    Close -1602y 2mo before
Alistair Overeem
  • LFrancis NgannouKO/TKO R1
    Close +2106mo before
  • WFabricio WerdumM-DEC R3
    Close -14011mo before
  • WMark HuntKO/TKO R3
    Close -1301y 3mo before
  • LStipe MiocicKO/TKO R1
    Close +1251y 9mo before
  • WAndrei ArlovskiKO/TKO R2
    Close -2402y 1mo before
Blaydes — win / loss by method
Record: 9-1-0, 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
7 wins, 1 loss
W
78% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
22% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (50%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Overeem — win / loss by method
Record: 43-16-0, 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
21 wins, 12 losses
W
49% of wins
L
75% of losses
Submission
17 wins, 1 loss
W
40% of wins
L
6% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 3 losses
W
12% of wins
L
19% of losses
UFC
8win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (63%)KO/TKO(100%) 5
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (38%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
35win11loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
16 (46%)KO/TKO(64%) 7
17 (49%)Submission(9%) 1
2 (6%)Decision(27%) 3

Profiles

Experience
Blaydes
Overeem
6
UFC fights
13
59.7 min · 9.9 avg
Octagon time
102.3 min · 7.9 avg
12y 2m
Career length
26y 9m
UFC schedule strength

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

Blaydes
Overeem
105W–31L · 77.2%
Overall
229W–73L · 75.8%
99W–30L · 76.7%
Wins
140W–56L · 71.4%
6W–1L · 85.7%
Losses
89W–17L · 84.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Blaydes
Overeem
18W–6L · 75.0%
Overall
448W–166L · 73.0%
18W–6L · 75.0%
Wins
340W–147L · 69.8%
0W–0L
Losses
108W–19L · 85.0%
Distance striking
Blaydes
Overeem
4.00
Landed / min
3.55
30.5%
Accuracy
67.4%
61.8%
Defense
63.4%
0.25
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.17
44.5%
Time at distance
57.6%
Grappling & control
Blaydes
Overeem
7.29
Takedowns / 15 min
0.44
54.7%
Takedown accuracy
27.3%
25.0%
Takedown defense
76.9%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.15
92.8%
Control share
81.3%
Strike target map
Blaydes
  • Head70%(187)div 66%
  • Body15%(40)div 19%
  • Legs15%(41)div 15%
Overeem
  • Head45%(185)div 66%
  • Body39%(161)div 19%
  • Legs16%(67)div 15%

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

Curtis Blaydes
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Alistair Overeem
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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