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UFC 143: Diaz vs Condit
Rafael Natal
Rafael Natal
13-3-1 · BRA
VS
Michael Kuiper
Michael Kuiper
11-0 · NLD
February 4, 2012 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
186.0lb
Weigh-in
183.0lb
Rafael Natal def. Michael Kuiper by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Natal3/94/702:28
Kuiper4/110/001:19
R2
Natal31/591/701:22
Kuiper8/290/000:15
R3
Natal2/41/202:34
Kuiper18/220/012:08
Total
Natal36/726/1606:24
Kuiper30/620/013:42

Scorecards

Natal vs Kuiper

RdAdalaide ByrdPatricia Morse JarmanSal D'AmatoCommunity
R1---10-9
R2---10-9
R3---9.4-9.6
Total30-2729-2830-2729.4-27.6

Media (6 cards) · avg 29.527.7 · 6 Natal · 0 Kuiper

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

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 probabilityKuiper
35.0%65.0%
KO / TKO
24%
Submission
35%
Decision
41%
Expected fight time: 8.9 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 Kuiper. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Natal35%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO6%16%
Submission13%38%
Decision16%46%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1638)act 36
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.5)act 6
Kuiper65%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO18%28%
Submission22%34%
Decision25%38%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes28 (1537)act 30
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.1)act 0
Combined totals~57 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R142%
R29%
R38%
Distance41%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.9%
Natal
50.2%-105
Kuiper
+10547.8%
Most takedownstie 39.2%
Natal
34.4%-130
Kuiper
+13026.4%
Significant strikes — over/under
Natal
Expected: 28.9
29
Over 29
41.2%
+137
Exactly 29
2.3%
push
Under 29
56.5%
-137
03773
Kuiper
Expected: 28.2
28
Over 28
41.7%
+134
Exactly 28
2.3%
push
Under 28
55.9%
-134
03671
Takedowns — over/under
Natal
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
45.1%
+122
Under 0.5
54.9%
-122
035
Kuiper
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
37.5%
+166
Under 0.5
62.5%
-166
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 8.9 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
Natal35.0%59.3%−24.3-152
Kuiper65.0%40.7%+24.3+142

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
NatalKuiper
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1528
Pound-for-pound
1536
1528
Divisional
1536
1476
Striking offense
1500
1514
Striking defense
1500
1534
Grappling offense
1500
1530
Grappling defense
1500
Physical
29 yrs
Age
22 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'0"
77"
Reach
73"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
1.87
Strikes landed / min
34%
Strike accuracy
2.02
Strikes absorbed / min
60%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
2.33
Takedowns / 15 min
39%
Takedown accuracy
74%
Takedown defense
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
+1
Win/loss streak
33%
Last-5 win rate
0%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
182
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rafael Natal
  • WPaul BradleyU-DEC R3
    Close +1306mo before
  • DJesse BongfeldtM-DEC R3
    !Close -1651y 2mo before
  • LRich AttonitoU-DEC R3
    Close -1951y 5mo before
Michael Kuiper
No prior UFC fights.
Natal — win / loss by method
Record: 13-3-1

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, 2 losses
W
23% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
7 wins, 0 losses
W
54% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 1 loss
W
23% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
1win1loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (100%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
12win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 2
7 (58%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (17%)Decision(0%) 0
Kuiper — win / loss by method
Record: 11-0-0

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, 0 losses
W
55% of wins
L
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
36% of wins
L
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
9% of wins
L
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
11win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (55%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (36%)Submission() 0
1 (9%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Natal
Kuiper
3
UFC fights
0
45.0 min · 15.0 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
Kuiper
26W–5L · 83.9%
Overall
18W–2L · 90.0%
Wins
8W–3L · 72.7%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Natal
Kuiper
65W–22L · 74.7%
Overall
24W–26L · 48.0%
58W–22L · 72.5%
Wins
24W–26L · 48.0%
7W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Natal
Kuiper
2.76
Landed / min
30.0%
Accuracy
74.8%
Defense
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
53.1%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Natal
Kuiper
2.33
Takedowns / 15 min
38.9%
Takedown accuracy
73.7%
Takedown defense
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
41.0%
Control share
Strike target map
Natal
  • Head49%(41)div 63%
  • Body14%(12)div 20%
  • Legs37%(31)div 17%
Kuiper
  • Head0%(0)div 63%
  • Body0%(0)div 20%
  • 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.

Michael Kuiper

No UFC fights on record.

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