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UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Bader
Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
20-6-1 · BRA
VS
Kevin Casey
Kevin Casey
9-3 · USA
January 30, 2016 · Newark, New Jersey, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
185.0lb
Weigh-in
185.3lb
Rafael Natal def. Kevin Casey by KO/TKO (Punches), R3 3:37
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Natal7/151/410:35
Casey10/300/101:33
R2
Natal24/332/203:12
Casey2/70/100:36
R3 · 3:37
Natal23/391/101:44
Casey4/120/000:00
Total
Natal54/874/715:31
Casey16/490/202:09

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
NatalWin probabilityCasey
59.5%40.5%
KO / TKO
30%
Submission
12%
Decision
58%
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 Natal, blue toward Casey. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Natal59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%24%
Submission8%14%
Decision37%62%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes40 (2251)act 54
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.7)act 4
Casey41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO16%38%
Submission4%10%
Decision21%52%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes32 (1842)act 16
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.1)act 0
Combined totals~72 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R122%
R214%
R36%
Distance58%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.5%
Natal
58.4%-146
Casey
+14640.1%
Most takedownstie 43.9%
Natal
32.0%-133
Casey
+13324.1%
Significant strikes — over/under
Natal
Expected: 39.5
39.5
Over 39.5
42.6%
+135
Under 39.5
57.4%
-135
05099
Casey
Expected: 32.3
32.5
Over 32.5
42.2%
+137
Under 32.5
57.8%
-137
04181
Takedowns — over/under
Natal
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
39.8%
+151
Under 0.5
60.2%
-151
035
Casey
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
32.7%
+206
Under 0.5
67.3%
-206
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
Natal59.5%61.9%−2.4-175
Casey40.5%38.1%+2.4+155

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
70.1Striking70.6
Casey +0.5
58.3Grappling30.5
Natal +27.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NatalCasey
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1585
Pound-for-pound
1511
1585
Divisional
1510
1485
Striking offense
1490
1518
Striking defense
1498
1513
Grappling offense
1505
1514
Grappling defense
1519
Physical
33 yrs
Age
34 yrs
6'0"
Height
5'11"
77"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
2.95
Strikes landed / min
2.98
47%
Strike accuracy
55%
2.16
Strikes absorbed / min
2.51
60%
Strike defense
57%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.72
Takedowns / 15 min
0.64
35%
Takedown accuracy
25%
77%
Takedown defense
0.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.3
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
25%
+3
Win/loss streak
-1
60%
Last-5 win rate
25%
13%
Finish rate
0%
Recent opp. quality
252
Days since last fight
51
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rafael Natal
  • WUriah HallS-DEC R3
    Close +3358mo before
  • WTom WatsonU-DEC R3
    Close -1351y before
  • WChris CamozziS-DEC R3
    Close -1851y 5mo before
  • LEd HermanU-DEC R3
    Close -1551y 9mo before
  • LTim KennedyKO/TKO R1
    Close +3402y 3mo before
Kevin Casey
  • WIldemar AlcantaraU-DEC R3
    Close +1207mo before
  • LJosh SammanKO/TKO R2
    Close +4052y 10mo before
Natal — win / loss by method
Record: 20-6-1

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
3 wins, 4 losses
W
15% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
40% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 2 losses
W
45% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
8win4loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(50%) 2
1 (13%)Submission(0%) 0
7 (88%)Decision(50%) 2
Non-UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
7 (58%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Casey — win / loss by method
Record: 9-3-0, 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
3 wins, 3 losses
W
33% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
1win1loss0draw2NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (100%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (38%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
3 (38%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (25%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Natal
Casey
13
UFC fights
4
176.8 min · 13.6 avg
Octagon time
23.5 min · 5.9 avg
21y 3m
Career length
18y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Natal
Casey
165W–47L · 77.8%
Overall
30W–9L · 76.9%
113W–30L · 79.0%
Wins
21W–7L · 75.0%
52W–17L · 75.4%
Losses
9W–2L · 81.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Natal
Casey
65W–22L · 74.7%
Overall
104W–66L · 61.2%
58W–22L · 72.5%
Wins
47W–35L · 57.3%
7W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
57W–31L · 64.8%
Distance striking
Natal
Casey
3.70
Landed / min
2.45
40.1%
Accuracy
36.0%
67.1%
Defense
71.6%
0.34
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.64
51.6%
Time at distance
46.9%
Grappling & control
Natal
Casey
2.72
Takedowns / 15 min
0.64
34.8%
Takedown accuracy
25.0%
77.4%
Takedown defense
0.59
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.28
63.4%
Control share
75.2%
Strike target map
Natal
  • Head56%(290)div 63%
  • Body16%(81)div 19%
  • Legs29%(150)div 18%
Casey
  • Head70%(49)div 63%
  • Body16%(11)div 19%
  • Legs14%(10)div 18%

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

Rafael Natal
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Kevin Casey
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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