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UFC 189: Mendes vs McGregor
Gunnar Nelson
Gunnar Nelson
13-1-1 · ISL
VS
Brandon Thatch
Brandon Thatch
11-2 · USA
July 11, 2015 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Welterweight · 3 rounds
169.5lb
Weigh-in
170.5lb
Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R1 2:54
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 2:54
Nelson6/80/011:26
Thatch8/140/000:00
Total
Nelson6/80/011:26
Thatch8/140/000:00

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
NelsonWin probabilityThatch
62.6%37.4%
KO / TKO
9%
Submission
39%
Decision
52%
Expected fight time: 9.7 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Nelson63%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO4%5%
Submission27%44%
Decision32%51%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes23 (1230)act 6
Takedowns2.6 (0.15.4)act 0
Thatch37%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO6%15%
Submission11%31%
Decision20%54%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1434)act 8
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.0)act 0
Combined totals~50 sig strikes~2.6 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R139%
R24%
R35%
Distance52%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.2%
Nelson
43.0%+127
Thatch
-12754.8%
Most takedownstie 9.9%
Nelson
88.7%-6020
Thatch
+60201.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 23.2
23
Over 23
41.8%
+133
Exactly 23
2.8%
push
Under 23
55.4%
-133
03059
Thatch
Expected: 26.5
26.5
Over 26.5
42.5%
+136
Under 26.5
57.5%
-136
03467
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 2.6
2.5
Over 2.5
50.3%
-101
Under 2.5
49.7%
+101
048
Thatch
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
8.4%
Exactly 0
91.6%
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 9.7 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
Nelson62.6%38.8%+23.8+150
Thatch37.4%61.2%−23.8-170

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
61.3Striking65.6
Thatch +4.3
59.4Grappling50.4
Nelson +9.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NelsonThatch
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1570
Pound-for-pound
1545
1559
Divisional
1540
1474
Striking offense
1512
1521
Striking defense
1515
1526
Grappling offense
1505
1543
Grappling defense
1498
Physical
26 yrs
Age
30 yrs
5'11"
Height
6'2"
72"
Reach
74"
Switch
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
2.29
Strikes landed / min
3.24
55%
Strike accuracy
37%
4.07
Strikes absorbed / min
2.84
56%
Strike defense
64%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.55
Takedowns / 15 min
2.00
55%
Takedown accuracy
75%
50%
Takedown defense
56%
1.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
80%
UFC win rate
67%
-1
Win/loss streak
-1
80%
Last-5 win rate
67%
75%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
280
Days since last fight
147
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Gunnar Nelson
  • LRick StoryS-DEC R5
    Close -3609mo before
  • WZak CummingsSUB R2
    Close -8401y before
  • WOmari AkhmedovSUB R1
    Close -2801y 4mo before
  • WJorge SantiagoU-DEC R3
    Close -3302y 5mo before
  • WDaMarques JohnsonSUB R1
    Close -3402y 9mo before
Brandon Thatch
  • LBenson HendersonSUB R4
    Close -1655mo before
  • WPaulo ThiagoKO/TKO R1
    Close -3601y 8mo before
  • WJustin EdwardsKO/TKO R1
    Close -2701y 10mo before
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 13-1-1

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, 0 losses
W
31% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
62% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 1 loss
W
8% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
3 (75%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (25%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
9win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (56%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Thatch — win / loss by method
Record: 11-2-0

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
8 wins, 0 losses
W
73% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 1 loss
W
27% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
9win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (67%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
3 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Thatch
5
UFC fights
3
58.0 min · 11.6 avg
Octagon time
22.5 min · 7.5 avg
19y 3m
Career length
18y 1m
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Thatch
87W–33L · 72.5%
Overall
44W–12L · 78.6%
70W–25L · 73.7%
Wins
23W–7L · 76.7%
17W–8L · 68.0%
Losses
21W–5L · 80.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Thatch
41W–10L · 80.4%
Overall
60W–33L · 64.5%
41W–10L · 80.4%
Wins
55W–32L · 63.2%
0W–0L
Losses
5W–1L · 83.3%
Distance striking
Nelson
Thatch
2.24
Landed / min
3.21
47.7%
Accuracy
30.4%
61.2%
Defense
67.1%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
2.00
64.6%
Time at distance
66.5%
Grappling & control
Nelson
Thatch
1.55
Takedowns / 15 min
2.00
54.5%
Takedown accuracy
75.0%
50.0%
Takedown defense
55.6%
1.04
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
88.0%
Control share
17.2%
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head77%(102)div 62%
  • Body15%(20)div 21%
  • Legs8%(11)div 16%
Thatch
  • Head59%(43)div 62%
  • Body32%(23)div 21%
  • Legs10%(7)div 16%

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

Gunnar Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Brandon Thatch
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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