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Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
15-4-1 · BRA
VS
Joao Zeferino
Joao Zeferino
13-4 · BRA
May 18, 2013 · Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Middleweight · 3 rounds
186.0lb
Weigh-in
185.0lb
Rafael Natal def. Joao Zeferino by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Natal3/130/100:11
Zeferino5/140/000:14
R2
Natal13/300/001:53
Zeferino6/160/200:03
R3
Natal13/241/102:48
Zeferino3/100/000:05
Total
Natal29/671/204:52
Zeferino14/400/200:22

Scorecards

Natal vs Zeferino

RdBen CartlidgeDouglas CrosbyGuilherme BravoCommunity
R19-109-1010-99.1-10
R210-910-910-910-9.1
R310-910-910-910-8.9
Total29-2829-2830-2729.1-28

Media (10 cards) · avg 2928 · 10 Natal · 0 Zeferino

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

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 probabilityZeferino
42.9%57.1%
KO / TKO
26%
Submission
18%
Decision
56%
Expected fight time: 10.8 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 Zeferino. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Natal43%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%28%
Submission7%16%
Decision24%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes52 (2967)act 29
Takedowns1.3 (0.03.1)act 1
Zeferino57%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%25%
Submission11%19%
Decision32%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes42 (2355)act 14
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.6)act 0
Combined totals~94 sig strikes~1.7 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R126%
R211%
R37%
Distance56%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Natal
59.2%-149
Zeferino
+14939.7%
Most takedownstie 18.3%
Natal
69.1%-550
Zeferino
+55012.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Natal
Expected: 51.8
52
Over 52
41.6%
+137
Exactly 52
1.3%
push
Under 52
57.1%
-137
065130
Zeferino
Expected: 41.9
42
Over 42
41.6%
+137
Exactly 42
1.6%
push
Under 42
56.8%
-137
053105
Takedowns — over/under
Natal
Expected: 1.3
1.5
Over 1.5
50.2%
-101
Under 1.5
49.8%
+101
035
Zeferino
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
38.9%
+157
Under 0.5
61.1%
-157
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 10.8 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
Natal42.9%73.5%−30.6-300
Zeferino57.1%26.5%+30.6+270

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
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NatalZeferino
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1544
Pound-for-pound
1519
1544
Divisional
1519
1492
Striking offense
1482
1513
Striking defense
1500
1514
Grappling offense
1561
1506
Grappling defense
1558
Physical
30 yrs
Age
27 yrs
6'0"
Height
5'11"
77"
Reach
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.13
Strikes landed / min
48%
Strike accuracy
1.90
Strikes absorbed / min
65%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
3.47
Takedowns / 15 min
42%
Takedown accuracy
75%
Takedown defense
1.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
60%
UFC win rate
+1
Win/loss streak
60%
Last-5 win rate
33%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
112
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rafael Natal
  • WSean SpencerSUB R3
    Close -2354mo before
  • LAndrew CraigKO/TKO R2
    Close +13010mo before
  • WMichael KuiperU-DEC R3
    Close -1521y 3mo before
  • WPaul BradleyU-DEC R3
    Close +1301y 9mo before
  • DJesse BongfeldtM-DEC R3
    !Close -1652y 5mo before
Joao Zeferino
No prior UFC fights.
Natal — win / loss by method
Record: 15-4-1

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, 3 losses
W
20% of wins
L
75% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
53% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
27% of wins
L
25% of losses
UFC
3win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (67%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
7 (58%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Zeferino — win / loss by method
Record: 13-4-0

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, 3 losses
W
8% of wins
L
75% of losses
Submission
9 wins, 0 losses
W
69% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 1 loss
W
23% of wins
L
25% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
13win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (8%)KO/TKO(75%) 3
9 (69%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (23%)Decision(25%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Natal
Zeferino
6
UFC fights
0
82.1 min · 13.7 avg
Octagon time
21y 3m
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Natal
Zeferino
53W–6L · 89.8%
Overall
38W–3L · 92.7%
Wins
15W–3L · 83.3%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Natal
Zeferino
65W–22L · 74.7%
Overall
67W–48L · 58.3%
58W–22L · 72.5%
Wins
58W–42L · 58.0%
7W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
9W–6L · 60.0%
Distance striking
Natal
Zeferino
4.02
Landed / min
39.8%
Accuracy
76.2%
Defense
0.37
Knockdowns / 15 min
49.7%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Natal
Zeferino
3.47
Takedowns / 15 min
42.2%
Takedown accuracy
75.0%
Takedown defense
1.10
Sub attempts / 15 min
57.5%
Control share
Strike target map
Natal
  • Head62%(160)div 63%
  • Body13%(33)div 19%
  • Legs25%(64)div 17%
Zeferino
  • Head0%(0)div 63%
  • Body0%(0)div 19%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.

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.

Joao Zeferino

No UFC fights on record.

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