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UFC 218: Holloway vs. Aldo 2
Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez
28-5 · USA
VS
Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje
18-0 · USA
December 2, 2017 · Detroit, Michigan, USA
Lightweight · 3 rounds
155.0lb
Weigh-in
156.0lb
Eddie Alvarez def. Justin Gaethje by KO/TKO (Knee), R3 3:59
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Alvarez42/1230/100:06
Gaethje39/890/000:02
R2
Alvarez73/1540/000:00
Gaethje51/940/100:00
R3 · 3:59
Alvarez40/791/110:14
Gaethje32/540/000:04
Total
Alvarez155/3561/210:20
Gaethje122/2370/100:06

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
AlvarezWin probabilityGaethje
21.8%78.2%
KO / TKO
44%
Submission
5%
Decision
51%
Expected fight time: 10.2 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Alvarez22%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO8%35%
Submission2%9%
Decision12%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes53 (3069)act 155
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.6)act 1
Gaethje78%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO36%46%
Submission3%4%
Decision39%50%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes74 (4297)act 122
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.5)act 0
Combined totals~128 sig strikes~0.5 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R125%
R221%
R33%
Distance51%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.8%
Alvarez
34.5%+187
Gaethje
-18764.6%
Most takedownstie 60.0%
Alvarez
29.0%-264
Gaethje
+26411.0%
Significant strikes — over/under
Alvarez
Expected: 53.4
53.5
Over 53.5
42.4%
+136
Under 53.5
57.6%
-136
067134
Gaethje
Expected: 74.2
74
Over 74
42.2%
+135
Exactly 74
0.9%
push
Under 74
56.9%
-135
093186
Takedowns — over/under
Alvarez
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
32.0%
+213
Under 0.5
68.0%
-213
035
Gaethje
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
14.3%
Exactly 0
85.7%
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 10.2 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
Alvarez21.8%38.8%−17.0+150
Gaethje78.2%61.2%+17.0-170

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
57.3Striking70.9
Gaethje +13.5
49.7Grappling18.5
Alvarez +31.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
AlvarezGaethje
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1600
Pound-for-pound
1570
1595
Divisional
1570
1496
Striking offense
1492
1494
Striking defense
1497
1495
Grappling offense
1550
1512
Grappling defense
1551
Physical
33 yrs
Age
29 yrs
5'9"
Height
5'11"
69"
Reach
70"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.32
Strikes landed / min
10.61
41%
Strike accuracy
60%
4.52
Strikes absorbed / min
9.29
56%
Strike defense
54%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.50
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
27%
Takedown accuracy
100%
Takedown defense
67%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
100%
-2
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
100%
33%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
203
Days since last fight
148
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Eddie Alvarez
  • LConor McGregorKO/TKO R2
    Close +1401y 1mo before
  • WRafael Dos AnjosKO/TKO R1
    Close +2451y 5mo before
  • WAnthony PettisS-DEC R3
    Close +3001y 11mo before
  • WGilbert MelendezS-DEC R3
    Close +1502y 6mo before
  • LDonald CerroneU-DEC R3
    Close +1253y 2mo before
Justin Gaethje
  • WMichael JohnsonKO/TKO R2
    Close +1455mo before
Alvarez — win / loss by method
Record: 28-5-0, 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
17 wins, 2 losses
W
61% of wins
L
40% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 2 losses
W
18% of wins
L
40% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 1 loss
W
21% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
3win2loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
1 (33%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (67%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
25win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
16 (64%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
5 (20%)Submission(67%) 2
4 (16%)Decision(0%) 0
Gaethje — win / loss by method
Record: 18-0-0

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
15 wins, 0 losses
W
83% of wins
L
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
6% of wins
L
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
11% of wins
L
UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
17win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
14 (82%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (6%)Submission() 0
2 (12%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Alvarez
Gaethje
6
UFC fights
1
65.9 min · 11.0 avg
Octagon time
9.8 min · 9.8 avg
22y 7m
Career length
14y 11m
UFC schedule strength

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

Alvarez
Gaethje
109W–23L · 82.6%
Overall
17W–11L · 60.7%
65W–14L · 82.3%
Wins
17W–11L · 60.7%
44W–9L · 83.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Non-UFC schedule strength
Alvarez
Gaethje
387W–130L · 74.9%
Overall
244W–97L · 71.6%
332W–118L · 73.8%
Wins
244W–97L · 71.6%
55W–12L · 82.1%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Alvarez
Gaethje
3.79
Landed / min
9.96
36.0%
Accuracy
55.8%
57.9%
Defense
55.7%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
65.7%
Time at distance
78.9%
Grappling & control
Alvarez
Gaethje
2.50
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
26.8%
Takedown accuracy
100.0%
Takedown defense
66.7%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
81.9%
Control share
15.0%
Strike target map
Alvarez
  • Head64%(140)div 63%
  • Body25%(55)div 20%
  • Legs11%(24)div 17%
Gaethje
  • Head60%(62)div 63%
  • Body6%(6)div 20%
  • Legs35%(36)div 17%

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

Eddie Alvarez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Justin Gaethje
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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