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UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker
15-4 · AUS
VS
Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
21-6-1 · BRA
April 23, 2016 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
Robert Whittaker def. Rafael Natal by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Whittaker23/510/000:02
Natal22/480/100:00
R2
Whittaker31/610/000:00
Natal21/460/200:00
R3
Whittaker35/640/000:00
Natal19/430/100:00
Total
Whittaker89/1760/000:02
Natal62/1370/400:00

Scorecards

Whittaker vs Natal

RdChris LeeDerek ClearyPatricia Morse JarmanCommunity
R110-910-910-910-9
R210-910-99-109.8-9.2
R310-910-910-910-9
Total30-2730-2729-2829.8-27.2

Media (22 cards) · avg 29.727.3 · 22 Whittaker · 0 Natal

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Whittaker-Natal.

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
WhittakerWin probabilityNatal
77.6%22.4%
KO / TKO
48%
Submission
11%
Decision
41%
Expected fight time: 11.5 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Whittaker78%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO41%53%
Submission8%10%
Decision29%37%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes64 (3784)act 89
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.9)act 0
Natal22%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO7%31%
Submission3%14%
Decision12%55%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes42 (2354)act 62
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.5)act 0
Combined totals~106 sig strikes~0.5 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R114%
R211%
R334%
Distance41%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Whittaker
69.0%-229
Natal
+22930.1%
Most takedownstie 58.9%
Whittaker
15.5%+165
Natal
-16525.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Whittaker
Expected: 64.4
64.5
Over 64.5
42.4%
+136
Under 64.5
57.6%
-136
081161
Natal
Expected: 41.6
41.5
Over 41.5
42.6%
+134
Under 41.5
57.4%
-134
052104
Takedowns — over/under
Whittaker
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
19.4%
Exactly 0
80.6%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Natal
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
29.5%
+239
Under 0.5
70.5%
-239
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 11.5 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
Whittaker77.6%73.6%+4.0-325
Natal22.4%26.4%−4.0+265

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
67.7Striking71.3
Natal +3.6
53.6Grappling59.5
Natal +5.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
WhittakerNatal
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1583
Pound-for-pound
1597
1569
Divisional
1597
1523
Striking offense
1492
1499
Striking defense
1521
1484
Grappling offense
1517
1539
Grappling defense
1518
Physical
25 yrs
Age
33 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'0"
73"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.77
Strikes landed / min
3.02
39%
Strike accuracy
48%
4.06
Strikes absorbed / min
2.09
65%
Strike defense
60%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.72
Takedowns / 15 min
2.84
67%
Takedown accuracy
36%
92%
Takedown defense
79%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.6
Form & résumé
75%
UFC win rate
69%
+4
Win/loss streak
+4
80%
Last-5 win rate
80%
50%
Finish rate
22%
Recent opp. quality
161
Days since last fight
84
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Robert Whittaker
  • WUriah HallU-DEC R3
    Close +1355mo before
  • WBrad TavaresKO/TKO R1
    Close +11511mo before
  • WClint HesterKO/TKO R2
    Close +1701y 6mo before
  • WMike RhodesU-DEC R3
    Close -2501y 10mo before
  • LStephen ThompsonKO/TKO R1
    Close +1202y 2mo before
Rafael Natal
  • WKevin CaseyKO/TKO R3
    Close -1753mo before
  • WUriah HallS-DEC R3
    Close +33511mo before
  • WTom WatsonU-DEC R3
    Close -1351y 3mo before
  • WChris CamozziS-DEC R3
    Close -1851y 8mo before
  • LEd HermanU-DEC R3
    Close -1551y 11mo before
Whittaker — win / loss by method
Record: 15-4-0

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
7 wins, 1 loss
W
47% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
25% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 2 losses
W
20% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
6win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (50%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (50%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
9win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
5 (56%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1
Natal — win / loss by method
Record: 21-6-1

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, 4 losses
W
19% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
38% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 2 losses
W
43% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
9win4loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (11%)KO/TKO(50%) 2
1 (11%)Submission(0%) 0
7 (78%)Decision(50%) 2
Non-UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
7 (58%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Whittaker
Natal
8
UFC fights
14
82.8 min · 10.4 avg
Octagon time
190.4 min · 13.6 avg
17y 4m
Career length
21y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Whittaker
Natal
76W–19L · 80.0%
Overall
174W–50L · 77.7%
53W–15L · 77.9%
Wins
122W–33L · 78.7%
23W–4L · 85.2%
Losses
52W–17L · 75.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Whittaker
Natal
64W–29L · 68.8%
Overall
65W–22L · 74.7%
39W–13L · 75.0%
Wins
58W–22L · 72.5%
25W–16L · 61.0%
Losses
7W–0L · 100.0%
Distance striking
Whittaker
Natal
5.13
Landed / min
3.66
35.7%
Accuracy
40.3%
67.8%
Defense
67.5%
1.09
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.39
73.5%
Time at distance
50.6%
Grappling & control
Whittaker
Natal
0.72
Takedowns / 15 min
2.84
66.7%
Takedown accuracy
36.4%
92.0%
Takedown defense
78.8%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.55
58.4%
Control share
64.2%
Strike target map
Whittaker
  • Head79%(311)div 63%
  • Body9%(36)div 19%
  • Legs12%(48)div 18%
Natal
  • Head58%(333)div 63%
  • Body15%(86)div 19%
  • Legs27%(156)div 18%

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

Robert Whittaker
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Rafael Natal
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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