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UFC 183: Silva vs Diaz
Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
18-6-1 · BRA
VS
Tom Watson
Tom Watson
17-7 · GBR
January 31, 2015 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
185.5lb
Weigh-in
186.0lb
Rafael Natal def. Tom Watson by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Natal23/513/401:20
Watson9/440/000:00
R2
Natal19/442/501:24
Watson9/480/000:00
R3
Natal25/573/400:46
Watson11/580/000:00
Total
Natal67/1528/1303:30
Watson29/1500/000:00

Scorecards

Natal vs Watson

RdAdalaide ByrdLester GriffinSal D'AmatoCommunity
R110-910-810-910-8.9
R210-910-910-910-9
R310-910-910-910-9
Total30-2730-2630-2730-26.9

Media (16 cards) · avg 29.927.1 · 16 Natal · 0 Watson

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

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 probabilityWatson
51.7%48.3%
KO / TKO
33%
Submission
21%
Decision
46%
Expected fight time: 9.9 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 Watson. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Natal52%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%23%
Submission15%30%
Decision25%47%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes38 (2150)act 67
Takedowns1.2 (0.03.6)act 8
Watson48%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO21%44%
Submission6%12%
Decision21%44%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes36 (2046)act 29
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.4)act 0
Combined totals~74 sig strikes~1.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R131%
R213%
R310%
Distance46%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.5%
Natal
52.7%-115
Watson
+11545.9%
Most takedownstie 37.1%
Natal
56.2%-831
Watson
+8316.8%
Significant strikes — over/under
Natal
Expected: 38.3
38.5
Over 38.5
42.2%
+137
Under 38.5
57.8%
-137
04896
Watson
Expected: 35.6
35.5
Over 35.5
42.7%
+134
Under 35.5
57.3%
-134
04590
Takedowns — over/under
Natal
Expected: 1.2
1
Over 1
41.0%
-102
Exactly 1
18.9%
push
Under 1
40.1%
+102
035
Watson
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
12.8%
Exactly 0
87.2%
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 9.9 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
Natal51.7%56.4%−4.7-135
Watson48.3%43.6%+4.7+125

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
69.2Striking63.2
Natal +6.0
57.9Grappling13.2
Natal +44.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NatalWatson
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1556
Pound-for-pound
1514
1556
Divisional
1514
1484
Striking offense
1514
1514
Striking defense
1510
1511
Grappling offense
1483
1511
Grappling defense
1487
Physical
32 yrs
Age
32 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'1"
77"
Reach
73"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.79
Strikes landed / min
4.15
48%
Strike accuracy
47%
2.11
Strikes absorbed / min
4.10
58%
Strike defense
51%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.35
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
34%
Takedown accuracy
0%
79%
Takedown defense
47%
0.7
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
60%
UFC win rate
40%
+1
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
40%
17%
Finish rate
50%
Recent opp. quality
148
Days since last fight
168
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rafael Natal
  • WChris CamozziS-DEC R3
    Close -1855mo before
  • LEd HermanU-DEC R3
    Close -1559mo before
  • LTim KennedyKO/TKO R1
    Close +3401y 3mo before
  • WTor TroengU-DEC R3
    Close -2501y 5mo before
  • WJoao ZeferinoU-DEC R3
    Close -3001y 8mo before
Tom Watson
  • WSam AlveyU-DEC R3
    Close -1256mo before
  • LNick CatoneS-DEC R3
    Close -1251y before
  • LThales LeitesU-DEC R3
    Close +1501y 6mo before
  • WStanislav NedkovKO/TKO R2
    Close -1101y 11mo before
  • LBrad TavaresS-DEC R3
    Close +1502y 4mo before
Natal — win / loss by method
Record: 18-6-1

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
17% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
44% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 2 losses
W
39% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
6win4loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(50%) 2
1 (17%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (83%)Decision(50%) 2
Non-UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
7 (58%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Watson — win / loss by method
Record: 17-7-0

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
8 wins, 0 losses
W
47% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 2 losses
W
6% of wins
L
29% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 5 losses
W
47% of wins
L
71% of losses
UFC
2win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (50%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (50%)Decision(100%) 3
Non-UFC
15win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (47%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (7%)Submission(50%) 2
7 (47%)Decision(50%) 2

Profiles

Experience
Natal
Watson
11
UFC fights
5
146.8 min · 13.3 avg
Octagon time
69.7 min · 13.9 avg
21y 3m
Career length
20y 5m
UFC schedule strength

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

Natal
Watson
138W–36L · 79.3%
Overall
72W–14L · 83.7%
86W–19L · 81.9%
Wins
35W–5L · 87.5%
52W–17L · 75.4%
Losses
37W–9L · 80.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Natal
Watson
65W–22L · 74.7%
Overall
175W–109L · 61.6%
58W–22L · 72.5%
Wins
128W–69L · 65.0%
7W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
47W–40L · 54.0%
Distance striking
Natal
Watson
3.45
Landed / min
6.34
39.4%
Accuracy
42.9%
66.7%
Defense
60.2%
0.41
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.22
47.7%
Time at distance
45.7%
Grappling & control
Natal
Watson
2.35
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
33.8%
Takedown accuracy
0.0%
78.6%
Takedown defense
47.4%
0.72
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
60.8%
Control share
26.6%
Strike target map
Natal
  • Head57%(232)div 62%
  • Body17%(69)div 19%
  • Legs26%(108)div 18%
Watson
  • Head47%(136)div 62%
  • Body20%(58)div 19%
  • Legs33%(95)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.

Tom Watson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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