The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs Saffiedine
Rory MacDonald
Rory MacDonald
17-2 · CAN
VS
Tarec Saffiedine
Tarec Saffiedine
15-3 · BEL
October 4, 2014 · Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Welterweight · 5 rounds · Main event
170.0lb
Weigh-in
170.0lb
Rory MacDonald def. Tarec Saffiedine by KO/TKO (Punch), R3 1:28
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
MacDonald15/461/200:13
Saffiedine10/410/000:00
R2
MacDonald21/470/000:00
Saffiedine23/700/000:00
R3 · 1:28
MacDonald11/180/110:07
Saffiedine9/250/000:00
Total
MacDonald47/1111/310:20
Saffiedine42/1360/000:00

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
MacDonaldWin probabilitySaffiedine
47.2%52.8%
KO / TKO
37%
Submission
6%
Decision
57%
Expected fight time: 18.9 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
MacDonald47%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO21%45%
Submission3%6%
Decision23%49%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes92 (53119)act 47
Takedowns0.9 (0.03.0)act 1
Saffiedine53%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO16%30%
Submission3%6%
Decision34%64%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes65 (3784)act 42
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.7)act 0
Combined totals~157 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R112%
R211%
R310%
R46%
R54%
Distance57%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.7%
MacDonald
65.5%-194
Saffiedine
+19433.8%
Most takedownstie 44.4%
MacDonald
37.8%-212
Saffiedine
+21217.8%
Significant strikes — over/under
MacDonald
Expected: 91.7
91.5
Over 91.5
42.7%
+134
Under 91.5
57.3%
-134
0115230
Saffiedine
Expected: 64.9
65
Over 65
41.8%
+137
Exactly 65
1.0%
push
Under 65
57.1%
-137
082163
Takedowns — over/under
MacDonald
Expected: 0.9
1
Over 1
30.1%
+186
Exactly 1
14.0%
push
Under 1
55.9%
-186
035
Saffiedine
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
25.8%
+287
Under 0.5
74.2%
-287
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 18.9 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
MacDonald47.2%79.6%−32.4-430
Saffiedine52.8%20.4%+32.4+380

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
73.4Striking69.4
MacDonald +4.0
69.9Grappling25.7
MacDonald +44.3
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
MacDonaldSaffiedine
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1631
Pound-for-pound
1557
1624
Divisional
1557
1513
Striking offense
1503
1530
Striking defense
1498
1515
Grappling offense
1497
1537
Grappling defense
1508
Physical
25 yrs
Age
28 yrs
6'0"
Height
5'10"
76"
Reach
70"
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
3.92
Strikes landed / min
4.80
44%
Strike accuracy
59%
2.30
Strikes absorbed / min
4.88
64%
Strike defense
56%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.49
Takedowns / 15 min
0.60
57%
Takedown accuracy
33%
89%
Takedown defense
0.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.6
Form & résumé
80%
UFC win rate
100%
+2
Win/loss streak
+1
80%
Last-5 win rate
100%
38%
Finish rate
0%
Recent opp. quality
112
Days since last fight
273
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rory MacDonald
  • WTyron WoodleyU-DEC R3
    Close -1154mo before
  • WDemian MaiaU-DEC R3
    Close -2907mo before
  • LRobbie LawlerS-DEC R3
    Close -41011mo before
  • WJake EllenbergerU-DEC R3
    Close -2301y 2mo before
  • WBJ PennU-DEC R3
    Close -3351y 10mo before
Tarec Saffiedine
  • WHyun Gyu LimU-DEC R5
    Close -2409mo before
MacDonald — win / loss by method
Record: 17-2-0

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
6 wins, 1 loss
W
35% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
6 wins, 0 losses
W
35% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 1 loss
W
29% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
8win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (25%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (13%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (63%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
9win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (44%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (56%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Saffiedine — win / loss by method
Record: 15-3-0

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
1 win, 0 losses
W
7% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 3 losses
W
60% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
1 (100%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
14win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (7%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
5 (36%)Submission(0%) 0
8 (57%)Decision(100%) 3

Profiles

Experience
MacDonald
Saffiedine
10
UFC fights
1
120.6 min · 12.1 avg
Octagon time
25.0 min · 25.0 avg
20y 9m
Career length
19y 4m
UFC schedule strength

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

MacDonald
Saffiedine
180W–54L · 76.9%
Overall
12W–3L · 80.0%
135W–40L · 77.1%
Wins
12W–3L · 80.0%
45W–14L · 76.3%
Losses
0W–0L
Non-UFC schedule strength
MacDonald
Saffiedine
52W–32L · 61.9%
Overall
172W–65L · 72.6%
52W–32L · 61.9%
Wins
158W–57L · 73.5%
0W–0L
Losses
14W–8L · 63.6%
Distance striking
MacDonald
Saffiedine
5.25
Landed / min
6.22
39.8%
Accuracy
58.5%
72.4%
Defense
56.4%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.80
55.5%
Time at distance
72.7%
Grappling & control
MacDonald
Saffiedine
2.49
Takedowns / 15 min
0.60
57.1%
Takedown accuracy
33.3%
88.9%
Takedown defense
0.62
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.60
60.1%
Control share
95.2%
Strike target map
MacDonald
  • Head73%(344)div 62%
  • Body21%(97)div 21%
  • Legs7%(32)div 16%
Saffiedine
  • Head50%(60)div 62%
  • Body11%(13)div 21%
  • Legs39%(47)div 16%

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

Rory MacDonald
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Tarec Saffiedine
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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