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UFC on FOX: Dos Santos vs Miocic
Ben Saunders
Ben Saunders
17-6-2 · USA
VS
Joe Riggs
Joe Riggs
40-14 · USA
December 13, 2014 · Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Welterweight · 3 rounds
170.0lb
Weigh-in
171.0lb
Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs by SUB (Injury), R1 0:57
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 0:57
Saunders4/70/000:00
Riggs2/31/100:19
Total
Saunders4/70/000:00
Riggs2/31/100:19

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
SaundersWin probabilityRiggs
55.0%45.0%
KO / TKO
18%
Submission
26%
Decision
56%
Expected fight time: 10.7 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Saunders55%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO7%12%
Submission15%28%
Decision33%60%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes27 (1535)act 4
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.6)act 0
Riggs45%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO11%24%
Submission11%24%
Decision23%52%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes32 (1842)act 2
Takedowns1.1 (0.03.2)act 1
Combined totals~60 sig strikes~1.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R127%
R29%
R38%
Distance56%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.8%
Saunders
41.3%+138
Riggs
-13856.9%
Most takedownstie 40.2%
Saunders
8.6%+594
Riggs
-59451.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Saunders
Expected: 27.3
27.5
Over 27.5
41.9%
+138
Under 27.5
58.1%
-138
03569
Riggs
Expected: 32.4
32.5
Over 32.5
42.2%
+137
Under 32.5
57.8%
-137
04181
Takedowns — over/under
Saunders
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
14.8%
Exactly 0
85.2%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Riggs
Expected: 1.1
1
Over 1
36.7%
+121
Exactly 1
18.8%
push
Under 1
44.5%
-121
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 10.7 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
Saunders55.0%70.2%−15.2-250
Riggs45.0%29.8%+15.2+230

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
70.9Striking70.3
Saunders +0.5
58.6Grappling67.4
Riggs +8.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SaundersRiggs
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1546
Pound-for-pound
1538
1545
Divisional
1551
1510
Striking offense
1471
1523
Striking defense
1542
1510
Grappling offense
1509
1500
Grappling defense
1479
Physical
31 yrs
Age
32 yrs
6'2"
Height
6'0"
77"
Reach
70"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
2.78
Strikes landed / min
2.49
67%
Strike accuracy
47%
2.12
Strikes absorbed / min
1.59
49%
Strike defense
59%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.22
Takedowns / 15 min
2.80
25%
Takedown accuracy
50%
78%
Takedown defense
79%
2.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.7
Form & résumé
63%
UFC win rate
50%
+1
Win/loss streak
-1
40%
Last-5 win rate
40%
80%
Finish rate
75%
Recent opp. quality
112
Days since last fight
2922
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Ben Saunders
  • WChris HeatherlySUB R1
    Close -3854mo before
  • LDennis HallmanU-DEC R3
    Close -3004y 4mo before
  • LJon FitchU-DEC R3
    Close +2954y 9mo before
  • WMarcus DavisKO/TKO R1
    Close +2105y 1mo before
  • LMike SwickKO/TKO R2
    Close +1785y 6mo before
Joe Riggs
  • LDiego SanchezKO/TKO R1
    Close +3508y before
  • WJason Von FlueSUB R1
    Close -4608y 4mo before
  • LMike SwickSUB R1
    Close -1208y 7mo before
  • WNick DiazU-DEC R3
    Close +1208y 10mo before
  • LMatt HughesSUB R1
    Close +2909y 1mo before
Saunders — win / loss by method
Record: 17-6-2

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
9 wins, 3 losses
W
53% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
29% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
18% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
5win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (40%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
2 (40%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (20%)Decision(67%) 2
Non-UFC
12win3loss2draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (58%)KO/TKO(67%) 2
3 (25%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(33%) 1
Riggs — win / loss by method
Record: 40-14-0, 1 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
29 wins, 6 losses
W
73% of wins
L
43% of losses
Submission
7 wins, 6 losses
W
18% of wins
L
43% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 2 losses
W
10% of wins
L
14% of losses
UFC
4win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
1 (25%)Submission(75%) 3
1 (25%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
36win10loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
27 (75%)KO/TKO(50%) 5
6 (17%)Submission(30%) 3
3 (8%)Decision(20%) 2

Profiles

Experience
Saunders
Riggs
8
UFC fights
8
68.8 min · 8.6 avg
Octagon time
42.9 min · 5.4 avg
22y 3m
Career length
24y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Saunders
Riggs
122W–26L · 82.4%
Overall
142W–34L · 80.7%
40W–9L · 81.6%
Wins
69W–25L · 73.4%
82W–17L · 82.8%
Losses
73W–9L · 89.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Saunders
Riggs
214W–63L · 77.3%
Overall
515W–306L · 62.7%
153W–51L · 75.0%
Wins
271W–228L · 54.3%
61W–12L · 83.6%
Losses
244W–78L · 75.8%
Distance striking
Saunders
Riggs
8.03
Landed / min
2.58
53.7%
Accuracy
36.4%
71.6%
Defense
74.5%
0.44
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
14.3%
Time at distance
32.5%
Grappling & control
Saunders
Riggs
0.22
Takedowns / 15 min
2.80
25.0%
Takedown accuracy
50.0%
77.8%
Takedown defense
78.9%
1.96
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.70
25.9%
Control share
57.0%
Strike target map
Saunders
  • Head52%(99)div 62%
  • Body38%(72)div 21%
  • Legs10%(20)div 16%
Riggs
  • Head82%(88)div 62%
  • Body13%(14)div 21%
  • Legs5%(5)div 16%

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

Ben Saunders
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Joe Riggs
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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