The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Sonnen
Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen
28-13-1 · USA
VS
Mauricio Rua
Mauricio Rua
21-7 · BRA
August 17, 2013 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Light Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
205.0lb
Weigh-in
205.0lb
Chael Sonnen def. Mauricio Rua by SUB (Guillotine Choke), R1 4:47
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:47
Sonnen5/92/303:48
Rua0/10/100:50
Total
Sonnen5/92/303:48
Rua0/10/100:50

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
SonnenWin probabilityRua
65.6%34.4%
KO / TKO
67%
Submission
25%
Decision
8%
Expected fight time: 8.3 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Sonnen66%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO39%59%
Submission20%30%
Decision7%11%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes31 (1741)act 5
Takedowns1.4 (0.03.7)act 2
Rua34%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO29%84%
Submission5%15%
Decision0%1%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes27 (1536)act 0
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.2)act 0
Combined totals~59 sig strikes~1.5 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R147%
R228%
R39%
R45%
R53%
Distance8%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.8%
Sonnen
55.1%-128
Rua
+12843.0%
Most takedownstie 31.8%
Sonnen
62.9%-1193
Rua
+11935.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sonnen
Expected: 31.2
31
Over 31
42.0%
+133
Exactly 31
2.1%
push
Under 31
55.9%
-133
04079
Rua
Expected: 27.4
27.5
Over 27.5
42.2%
+137
Under 27.5
57.8%
-137
03569
Takedowns — over/under
Sonnen
Expected: 1.4
1.5
Over 1.5
45.3%
+121
Under 1.5
54.7%
-121
035
Rua
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
11.2%
Exactly 0
88.8%
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 8.3 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
Sonnen65.6%39.4%+26.2+150
Rua34.4%60.6%−26.2-160

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
75.1Striking64.9
Sonnen +10.2
62.6Grappling42.0
Sonnen +20.6
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SonnenRua
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1555
Pound-for-pound
1569
1487
Divisional
1562
Striking offense
Striking defense
1549
Grappling offense
1494
1492
Grappling defense
1486
Physical
36 yrs
Age
31 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'1"
73"
Reach
76"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.01
Strikes landed / min
3.23
46%
Strike accuracy
52%
1.26
Strikes absorbed / min
3.26
64%
Strike defense
50%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.93
Takedowns / 15 min
1.76
54%
Takedown accuracy
40%
57%
Takedown defense
34%
0.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.4
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
50%
-2
Win/loss streak
-1
40%
Last-5 win rate
40%
17%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
112
Days since last fight
252
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Chael Sonnen
  • LJon JonesKO/TKO R1
    Close +6854mo before
  • LAnderson SilvaKO/TKO R2
    Close +2551y 1mo before
  • WMichael BispingU-DEC R3
    Close -3801y 7mo before
  • WBrian StannSUB R2
    Close -2601y 10mo before
  • LAnderson SilvaSUB R5
    Close +4103y before
Mauricio Rua
  • LAlexander GustafssonU-DEC R3
    Close +2408mo before
  • WBrandon VeraKO/TKO R4
    Close -4001y before
  • LDan HendersonU-DEC R5
    Close -1531y 9mo before
  • WForrest GriffinKO/TKO R1
    Close -2102y before
  • LJon JonesKO/TKO R3
    Close +1952y 5mo before
Sonnen — win / loss by method
Record: 28-13-1

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
8 wins, 4 losses
W
29% of wins
L
31% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 8 losses
W
11% of wins
L
62% of losses
Decision
17 wins, 1 loss
W
61% of wins
L
8% of losses
UFC
6win6loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(33%) 2
1 (17%)Submission(67%) 4
5 (83%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
22win7loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (36%)KO/TKO(29%) 2
2 (9%)Submission(57%) 4
12 (55%)Decision(14%) 1
Rua — win / loss by method
Record: 21-7-0

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
18 wins, 2 losses
W
86% of wins
L
29% of losses
Submission
1 win, 2 losses
W
5% of wins
L
29% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 3 losses
W
10% of wins
L
43% of losses
UFC
5win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (100%)KO/TKO(20%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(20%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(60%) 3
Non-UFC
16win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
13 (81%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (6%)Submission(50%) 1
2 (13%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Sonnen
Rua
12
UFC fights
10
133.7 min · 11.1 avg
Octagon time
136.1 min · 13.6 avg
29y 3m
Career length
23y 9m
UFC schedule strength

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

Sonnen
Rua
296W–51L · 85.3%
Overall
162W–39L · 80.6%
107W–22L · 82.9%
Wins
80W–25L · 76.2%
189W–29L · 86.7%
Losses
82W–14L · 85.4%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sonnen
Rua
394W–96L · 80.4%
Overall
230W–100L · 69.7%
191W–51L · 78.9%
Wins
195W–87L · 69.1%
203W–45L · 81.9%
Losses
35W–13L · 72.9%
Distance striking
Sonnen
Rua
5.99
Landed / min
4.30
28.5%
Accuracy
43.3%
76.0%
Defense
60.8%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.66
15.4%
Time at distance
41.8%
Grappling & control
Sonnen
Rua
3.93
Takedowns / 15 min
1.76
53.8%
Takedown accuracy
40.0%
56.5%
Takedown defense
34.3%
0.22
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.44
86.5%
Control share
52.1%
Strike target map
Sonnen
  • Head63%(254)div 64%
  • Body16%(65)div 18%
  • Legs21%(83)div 17%
Rua
  • Head62%(271)div 64%
  • Body15%(67)div 18%
  • Legs23%(102)div 17%

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

Chael Sonnen
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Mauricio Rua
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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