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UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov
Paul Craig
Paul Craig
9-2 · GBR
VS
March 17, 2018 · London, England, United Kingdom
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
204.0lb
Weigh-in
205.0lb
Paul Craig def. Magomed Ankalaev by SUB (Triangle Choke), R3 4:59
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Craig8/201/201:14
Ankalaev18/290/001:26
R2
Craig9/201/200:33
Ankalaev15/270/002:08
R3 · 4:59
Craig1/100/300:00
Ankalaev26/400/003:09
Total
Craig18/502/701:47
Ankalaev59/960/006:43

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
CraigWin probabilityAnkalaev
13.3%86.7%
KO / TKO
39%
Submission
3%
Decision
57%
Expected fight time: 11.0 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Craig13%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO4%31%
Submission3%20%
Decision6%49%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes28 (1537)act 18
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.0)act 2
Ankalaev87%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO35%40%
Submission1%1%
Decision51%59%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes58 (3376)act 59
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.8)act 0
Combined totals~87 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R122%
R216%
R35%
Distance57%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Craig
19.8%+400
Ankalaev
-40079.2%
Most takedownstie 56.1%
Craig
6.4%+581
Ankalaev
-58137.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Craig
Expected: 28.4
28.5
Over 28.5
42.2%
+137
Under 28.5
57.8%
-137
03671
Ankalaev
Expected: 58.4
58.5
Over 58.5
42.4%
+136
Under 58.5
57.6%
-136
074147
Takedowns — over/under
Craig
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
9.4%
Exactly 0
90.6%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Ankalaev
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
26.6%
+229
Exactly 1
12.7%
push
Under 1
60.8%
-229
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 11.0 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
Craig13.3%14.8%−1.5+550
Ankalaev86.7%85.2%+1.5-800

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
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
CraigAnkalaev
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1510
Pound-for-pound
1530
1510
Divisional
1530
1491
Striking offense
1482
1486
Striking defense
1500
1534
Grappling offense
1561
1525
Grappling defense
1558
Physical
30 yrs
Age
25 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'3"
76"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.73
Strikes landed / min
59%
Strike accuracy
3.36
Strikes absorbed / min
49%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
0.93
Takedowns / 15 min
17%
Takedown accuracy
67%
Takedown defense
2.8
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
33%
UFC win rate
-2
Win/loss streak
33%
Last-5 win rate
100%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
244
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Paul Craig
  • LKhalil Rountree Jr.KO/TKO R1
    Close +1258mo before
  • LTyson PedroKO/TKO R1
    Close +1201y before
  • WHenrique da SilvaSUB R2
    Close +1901y 3mo before
Magomed Ankalaev
No prior UFC fights.
Craig — win / loss by method
Record: 9-2-0

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
1 win, 2 losses
W
11% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
89% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
1win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
1 (100%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO() 0
7 (88%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Ankalaev — win / loss by method
Record: 9-0-0

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
5 wins, 0 losses
W
56% of wins
L
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
Decision
4 wins, 0 losses
W
44% of wins
L
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
9win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (56%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
4 (44%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Craig
Ankalaev
3
UFC fights
0
16.1 min · 5.4 avg
Octagon time
12y 11m
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Craig
Ankalaev
22W–2L · 91.7%
Overall
12W–0L · 100.0%
Wins
10W–2L · 83.3%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Craig
Ankalaev
15W–9L · 62.5%
Overall
104W–40L · 72.2%
15W–9L · 62.5%
Wins
104W–40L · 72.2%
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Craig
Ankalaev
5.37
Landed / min
48.6%
Accuracy
64.6%
Defense
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
40.5%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Craig
Ankalaev
0.93
Takedowns / 15 min
16.7%
Takedown accuracy
66.7%
Takedown defense
2.80
Sub attempts / 15 min
26.9%
Control share
Strike target map
Craig
  • Head40%(24)div 66%
  • Body32%(19)div 18%
  • Legs28%(17)div 16%
Ankalaev
  • Head0%(0)div 66%
  • Body0%(0)div 18%
  • Legs0%(0)div 16%
  • No strike data on record.

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

Paul Craig
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Magomed Ankalaev

No UFC fights on record.

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