The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 159: Jones vs Sonnen
Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson
17-7 · USA
VS
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
18-7-2 · FRA
April 27, 2013 · Newark, New Jersey, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
258.0lb
Weigh-in
237.0lb
Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 2:03
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 2:03
Nelson2/50/011:11
Kongo4/60/000:00
Total
Nelson2/50/011:11
Kongo4/60/000:00

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
NelsonWin probabilityKongo
26.6%73.4%
KO / TKO
41%
Submission
10%
Decision
48%
Expected fight time: 10.9 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Nelson27%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO13%48%
Submission4%16%
Decision10%36%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1434)act 2
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.5)act 0
Kongo73%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO28%39%
Submission6%8%
Decision39%53%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes55 (3172)act 4
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.8)act 0
Combined totals~81 sig strikes~0.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R119%
R217%
R316%
Distance48%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Nelson
18.9%+425
Kongo
-42580.1%
Most takedownstie 54.9%
Nelson
19.5%+131
Kongo
-13125.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 26.0
26
Over 26
41.3%
+136
Exactly 26
2.5%
push
Under 26
56.2%
-136
03366
Kongo
Expected: 55.3
55.5
Over 55.5
42.3%
+137
Under 55.5
57.7%
-137
070139
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
24.3%
+311
Under 0.5
75.7%
-311
035
Kongo
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
30.4%
+229
Under 0.5
69.6%
-229
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 10.9 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
Nelson26.6%68.8%−42.2-235
Kongo73.4%31.2%+42.2+215

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
48.7Striking77.7
Kongo +29.0
28.4Grappling54.5
Kongo +26.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NelsonKongo
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1555
Pound-for-pound
1589
1555
Divisional
1589
1526
Striking offense
1532
1499
Striking defense
1551
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
36 yrs
Age
37 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'4"
73"
Reach
82"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.49
Strikes landed / min
3.53
40%
Strike accuracy
58%
5.05
Strikes absorbed / min
1.44
48%
Strike defense
54%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.70
Takedowns / 15 min
2.23
23%
Takedown accuracy
63%
42%
Takedown defense
53%
0.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.3
Form & résumé
63%
UFC win rate
69%
+2
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
60%
100%
Finish rate
64%
Recent opp. quality
133
Days since last fight
280
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Roy Nelson
  • WMatt MitrioneKO/TKO R1
    Close -1854mo before
  • WDave HermanKO/TKO R1
    Close -16211mo before
  • LFabricio WerdumU-DEC R3
    Close +1401y 3mo before
  • WMirko FilipovicKO/TKO R3
    Close -2401y 6mo before
  • LFrank MirU-DEC R3
    Close +1101y 11mo before
Cheick Kongo
  • WShawn JordanU-DEC R3
    Close -1259mo before
  • LMark HuntKO/TKO R1
    Close -2801y 2mo before
  • WMatt MitrioneU-DEC R3
    Close +1181y 6mo before
  • WPat BarryKO/TKO R1
    Close -2001y 10mo before
  • DTravis BrowneU-DEC R3
    Close -1902y 6mo before
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 17-7-0

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
12 wins, 1 loss
W
71% of wins
L
14% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
24% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 6 losses
W
6% of wins
L
86% of losses
UFC
5win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 3
Non-UFC
12win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (58%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
4 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (8%)Decision(75%) 3
Kongo — win / loss by method
Record: 18-7-2

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
11 wins, 2 losses
W
61% of wins
L
29% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 1 loss
W
11% of wins
L
14% of losses
Decision
5 wins, 4 losses
W
28% of wins
L
57% of losses
UFC
11win5loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (64%)KO/TKO(20%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(20%) 1
4 (36%)Decision(60%) 3
Non-UFC
7win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Kongo
8
UFC fights
17
64.7 min · 8.1 avg
Octagon time
161.4 min · 9.5 avg
22y 3m
Career length
25y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Kongo
115W–27L · 81.0%
Overall
177W–62L · 74.1%
76W–16L · 82.6%
Wins
121W–38L · 76.1%
39W–11L · 78.0%
Losses
56W–24L · 70.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Kongo
158W–71L · 69.0%
Overall
102W–62L · 62.2%
90W–53L · 62.9%
Wins
65W–46L · 58.6%
68W–18L · 79.1%
Losses
37W–16L · 69.8%
Distance striking
Nelson
Kongo
3.20
Landed / min
5.10
34.5%
Accuracy
39.3%
51.5%
Defense
68.2%
0.93
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.37
51.7%
Time at distance
25.6%
Grappling & control
Nelson
Kongo
0.70
Takedowns / 15 min
2.23
23.1%
Takedown accuracy
63.2%
41.7%
Takedown defense
53.3%
0.23
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.28
60.8%
Control share
53.9%
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head85%(137)div 67%
  • Body9%(14)div 18%
  • Legs6%(10)div 16%
Kongo
  • Head44%(253)div 67%
  • Body26%(151)div 18%
  • Legs29%(166)div 16%

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

Roy Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Cheick Kongo
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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