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UFC 159: Jones vs Sonnen
Jon Jones
Jon Jones
17-1 · USA
VS
Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen
28-12-1 · USA
April 27, 2013 · Newark, New Jersey, USA
Light Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
205.0lb
Weigh-in
205.0lb
Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen by KO/TKO (Punches), R1 4:33
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:33
Jones20/273/604:05
Sonnen6/150/000:00
Total
Jones20/273/604:05
Sonnen6/150/000:00

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
JonesWin probabilitySonnen
87.7%12.3%
KO / TKO
59%
Submission
27%
Decision
14%
Expected fight time: 13.7 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Jones88%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO53%60%
Submission25%28%
Decision10%12%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes61 (3580)act 20
Takedowns1.5 (0.03.9)act 3
Sonnen12%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO6%51%
Submission2%15%
Decision4%34%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1433)act 6
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.4)act 0
Combined totals~87 sig strikes~1.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R129%
R25%
R326%
R415%
R511%
Distance14%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.9%
Jones
83.4%-533
Sonnen
+53315.7%
Most takedownstie 28.0%
Jones
58.7%-442
Sonnen
+44213.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Jones
Expected: 61.2
61
Over 61
42.1%
+135
Exactly 61
1.1%
push
Under 61
56.8%
-135
077153
Sonnen
Expected: 25.7
25.5
Over 25.5
43.1%
+132
Under 25.5
56.9%
-132
03365
Takedowns — over/under
Jones
Expected: 1.5
1.5
Over 1.5
47.8%
+109
Under 1.5
52.2%
-109
035
Sonnen
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
29.6%
+238
Under 0.5
70.4%
-238
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 13.7 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
Jones87.7%87.6%+0.1-875
Sonnen12.3%12.4%−0.1+685

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
80.8Striking76.2
Jones +4.6
73.8Grappling64.0
Jones +9.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
JonesSonnen
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1680
Pound-for-pound
1566
1672
Divisional
1496
Striking offense
Striking defense
1559
Grappling offense
1548
1588
Grappling defense
1498
Physical
25 yrs
Age
36 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'1"
84"
Reach
73"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
3.92
Strikes landed / min
3.07
52%
Strike accuracy
46%
1.44
Strikes absorbed / min
1.15
67%
Strike defense
66%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.54
Takedowns / 15 min
4.06
64%
Takedown accuracy
54%
100%
Takedown defense
59%
0.9
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.2
Form & résumé
92%
UFC win rate
55%
+8
Win/loss streak
-1
100%
Last-5 win rate
60%
73%
Finish rate
17%
Recent opp. quality
217
Days since last fight
294
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Jon Jones
  • WVitor BelfortSUB R4
    Close -8407mo before
  • WRashad EvansU-DEC R5
    Close -5101y before
  • WLyoto MachidaSUB R2
    Close -4751y 5mo before
  • WQuinton JacksonSUB R4
    Close -5151y 7mo before
  • WMauricio RuaKO/TKO R3
    Close -2152y 1mo before
Chael Sonnen
  • LAnderson SilvaKO/TKO R2
    Close +25510mo before
  • WMichael BispingU-DEC R3
    Close -3801y 3mo before
  • WBrian StannSUB R2
    Close -2601y 7mo before
  • LAnderson SilvaSUB R5
    Close +4102y 9mo before
  • WNate MarquardtU-DEC R3
    Close +3603y 3mo before
Jones — win / loss by method
Record: 17-1-0

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
6 wins, 0 losses
W
35% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 0 losses
W
18% of wins
L
0% of losses
DQ / other
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
11win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (27%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
5 (45%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (27%)Decision(0%) 0
0 (0%)DQ / other(100%) 1
Non-UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (83%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (17%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Sonnen — win / loss by method
Record: 28-12-1

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, 3 losses
W
29% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 8 losses
W
11% of wins
L
67% of losses
Decision
17 wins, 1 loss
W
61% of wins
L
8% of losses
UFC
6win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(20%) 1
1 (17%)Submission(80%) 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

Profiles

Experience
Jones
Sonnen
12
UFC fights
11
135.7 min · 11.3 avg
Octagon time
129.2 min · 11.7 avg
18y 3m
Career length
29y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Jones
Sonnen
188W–40L · 82.5%
Overall
279W–50L · 84.8%
181W–38L · 82.6%
Wins
107W–22L · 82.9%
7W–2L · 77.8%
Losses
172W–28L · 86.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Jones
Sonnen
6W–6L · 50.0%
Overall
394W–96L · 80.4%
6W–6L · 50.0%
Wins
191W–51L · 78.9%
0W–0L
Losses
203W–45L · 81.9%
Distance striking
Jones
Sonnen
3.58
Landed / min
6.02
41.6%
Accuracy
28.9%
71.7%
Defense
76.0%
0.44
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
54.3%
Time at distance
15.8%
Grappling & control
Jones
Sonnen
2.54
Takedowns / 15 min
4.06
63.9%
Takedown accuracy
53.8%
100.0%
Takedown defense
58.8%
0.88
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.23
90.0%
Control share
89.9%
Strike target map
Jones
  • Head58%(306)div 64%
  • Body22%(116)div 18%
  • Legs21%(110)div 17%
Sonnen
  • Head64%(254)div 64%
  • Body15%(59)div 18%
  • Legs21%(83)div 17%

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

Jon Jones
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Chael Sonnen
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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