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UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs Nelson
Josh Barnett
Josh Barnett
33-7 · USA
VS
Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson
19-11 · USA
September 26, 2015 · Saitama, Japan
Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
239.0lb
Weigh-in
261.0lb
Josh Barnett def. Roy Nelson by U-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Barnett17/260/000:38
Nelson7/132/202:51
R2
Barnett44/650/002:17
Nelson16/350/100:00
R3
Barnett21/310/000:37
Nelson15/300/402:25
R4
Barnett39/500/002:35
Nelson4/101/201:22
R5
Barnett25/330/002:15
Nelson18/261/101:13
Total
Barnett146/2050/008:22
Nelson60/1144/1007:51

Scorecards

Barnett vs Nelson

RdCharlie KeechEvan FieldMark CraigCommunity
R110-910-99-109.6-9.4
R210-910-910-910-9
R39-1010-99-109.8-9.2
R410-910-910-910-9
R59-1010-910-910-9.1
Total48-4750-4548-4749.4-45.7

Media (12 cards) · avg 49.445.7 · 12 Barnett · 0 Nelson

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Barnett-Nelson.

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
BarnettWin probabilityNelson
59.8%40.2%
KO / TKO
71%
Submission
6%
Decision
23%
Expected fight time: 11.4 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Barnett60%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO39%65%
Submission5%8%
Decision16%27%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes58 (3375)act 146
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Nelson40%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO33%82%
Submission1%2%
Decision6%16%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes34 (1945)act 60
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.1)act 4
Combined totals~92 sig strikes~0.6 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R138%
R221%
R39%
R45%
R54%
Distance23%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Barnett
72.3%-271
Nelson
+27126.7%
Most takedownstie 62.8%
Barnett
20.3%-120
Nelson
+12016.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Barnett
Expected: 57.9
58
Over 58
41.8%
+137
Exactly 58
1.2%
push
Under 58
57.1%
-137
073145
Nelson
Expected: 34.3
34.5
Over 34.5
42.1%
+138
Under 34.5
57.9%
-138
04386
Takedowns — over/under
Barnett
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
23.3%
+330
Under 0.5
76.7%
-330
035
Nelson
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
20.0%
+399
Under 0.5
80.0%
-399
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 11.4 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
Barnett59.8%74.9%−15.1-345
Nelson40.2%25.1%+15.1+285

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
73.4Striking44.6
Barnett +28.9
64.9Grappling28.0
Barnett +36.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
BarnettNelson
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1582
Pound-for-pound
1526
1569
Divisional
1526
1522
Striking offense
1518
1505
Striking defense
1493
1507
Grappling offense
1474
1507
Grappling defense
1518
Physical
37 yrs
Age
39 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'0"
78"
Reach
73"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.50
Strikes landed / min
2.15
56%
Strike accuracy
34%
1.92
Strikes absorbed / min
5.00
51%
Strike defense
47%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.33
Takedowns / 15 min
0.49
80%
Takedown accuracy
17%
60%
Takedown defense
59%
1.3
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.1
Form & résumé
71%
UFC win rate
50%
-1
Win/loss streak
-2
80%
Last-5 win rate
20%
100%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
637
Days since last fight
196
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Josh Barnett
  • LTravis BrowneKO/TKO R1
    Close -1351y 9mo before
  • WFrank MirKO/TKO R1
    Close -1782y 1mo before
  • WRandy CoutureKO/TKO R2
    13y 6mo before
  • WBobby HoffmanKO/TKO R2
    13y 11mo before
  • WSemmy SchiltSUB R1
    Close -17014y 3mo before
Roy Nelson
  • LAlistair OvereemU-DEC R3
    Close +1506mo before
  • LMark HuntKO/TKO R2
    Close +1101y before
  • WAntonio Rodrigo NogueiraKO/TKO R1
    Close -1651y 6mo before
  • LDaniel CormierU-DEC R3
    Close +4351y 11mo before
  • LStipe MiocicU-DEC R3
    Close -2752y 3mo before
Barnett — win / loss by method
Record: 33-7-0

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
10 wins, 4 losses
W
30% of wins
L
57% of losses
Submission
18 wins, 0 losses
W
55% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 3 losses
W
12% of wins
L
43% of losses
DQ / other
1 win, 0 losses
W
3% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
5win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (80%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
1 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
28win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (21%)KO/TKO(40%) 2
17 (61%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (14%)Decision(60%) 3
1 (4%)DQ / other(0%) 0
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 19-11-0

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
14 wins, 2 losses
W
74% of wins
L
18% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
21% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 9 losses
W
5% of wins
L
82% of losses
UFC
7win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (100%)KO/TKO(14%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(86%) 6
Non-UFC
12win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (58%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
4 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (8%)Decision(75%) 3

Profiles

Experience
Barnett
Nelson
7
UFC fights
14
45.2 min · 6.5 avg
Octagon time
123.4 min · 8.8 avg
29y 7m
Career length
22y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Barnett
Nelson
105W–25L · 80.8%
Overall
232W–65L · 78.1%
80W–23L · 77.7%
Wins
125W–31L · 80.1%
25W–2L · 92.6%
Losses
107W–34L · 75.9%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Barnett
Nelson
435W–127L · 77.4%
Overall
158W–71L · 69.0%
351W–114L · 75.5%
Wins
90W–53L · 62.9%
84W–13L · 86.6%
Losses
68W–18L · 79.1%
Distance striking
Barnett
Nelson
3.96
Landed / min
2.51
37.1%
Accuracy
29.7%
65.6%
Defense
50.5%
0.33
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.97
20.1%
Time at distance
63.8%
Grappling & control
Barnett
Nelson
1.33
Takedowns / 15 min
0.49
80.0%
Takedown accuracy
16.7%
60.0%
Takedown defense
59.3%
1.33
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.12
42.2%
Control share
52.9%
Strike target map
Barnett
  • Head60%(95)div 67%
  • Body25%(40)div 18%
  • Legs15%(23)div 15%
Nelson
  • Head83%(221)div 67%
  • Body9%(23)div 18%
  • Legs8%(21)div 15%

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

Josh Barnett
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Roy Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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