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UFC 121: Lesnar vs Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
8-0 · USA
VS
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
5-1 · USA
October 23, 2010 · Anaheim, California, USA
Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
244.0lb
Weigh-in
264.0lb
Cain Velasquez def. Brock Lesnar by KO/TKO (Punches), R1 4:12
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:12
Velasquez31/671/221:43
Lesnar9/191/301:17
Total
Velasquez31/671/221:43
Lesnar9/191/301:17

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
VelasquezWin probabilityLesnar
58.5%41.5%
KO / TKO
52%
Submission
37%
Decision
11%
Expected fight time: 8.2 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Velasquez58%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO34%59%
Submission18%30%
Decision6%11%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes34 (1944)act 31
Takedowns1.0 (0.03.0)act 1
Lesnar42%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO18%43%
Submission19%45%
Decision5%12%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes19 (1025)act 9
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.7)act 1
Combined totals~53 sig strikes~1.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R153%
R222%
R37%
R44%
R53%
Distance11%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.7%
Velasquez
73.0%-289
Lesnar
+28925.2%
Most takedownstie 31.9%
Velasquez
49.1%-259
Lesnar
+25918.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Velasquez
Expected: 34.0
34
Over 34
41.5%
+136
Exactly 34
1.9%
push
Under 34
56.5%
-136
04385
Lesnar
Expected: 19.3
19.5
Over 19.5
41.8%
+139
Under 19.5
58.2%
-139
02549
Takedowns — over/under
Velasquez
Expected: 1.0
1
Over 1
37.6%
+104
Exactly 1
23.4%
push
Under 1
39.0%
-104
035
Lesnar
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
34.6%
+189
Under 0.5
65.4%
-189
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 8.2 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
Velasquez58.5%38.6%+19.9+155
Lesnar41.5%61.4%−19.9-165

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
95.7Striking77.8
Velasquez +17.9
81.5Grappling72.6
Velasquez +9.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
VelasquezLesnar
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1604
Pound-for-pound
1566
1604
Divisional
1565
1518
Striking offense
1501
1515
Striking defense
1521
1533
Grappling offense
1543
1538
Grappling defense
1518
Physical
28 yrs
Age
33 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'3"
77"
Reach
81"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
7.47
Strikes landed / min
3.80
63%
Strike accuracy
80%
1.03
Strikes absorbed / min
1.70
70%
Strike defense
53%
Grappling (UFC career)
5.99
Takedowns / 15 min
3.87
70%
Takedown accuracy
63%
75%
Takedown defense
67%
0.9
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.8
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
80%
+6
Win/loss streak
+4
100%
Last-5 win rate
80%
83%
Finish rate
75%
Recent opp. quality
245
Days since last fight
112
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cain Velasquez
  • WAntonio Rodrigo NogueiraKO/TKO R1
    Close +1018mo before
  • WBen RothwellKO/TKO R2
    Close -3081y before
  • WCheick KongoU-DEC R3
    Close -1901y 4mo before
  • WDenis StojnicKO/TKO R2
    Close -7001y 8mo before
  • WJake O'BrienKO/TKO R1
    Close -3332y 3mo before
Brock Lesnar
  • WShane CarwinSUB R2
    Close -1454mo before
  • WFrank MirKO/TKO R2
    Close -2251y 3mo before
  • WRandy CoutureKO/TKO R2
    Close -1361y 11mo before
  • WHeath HerringU-DEC R3
    Close -2082y 2mo before
  • LFrank MirSUB R1
    Close -1632y 9mo before
Velasquez — win / loss by method
Record: 8-0-0

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
7 wins, 0 losses
W
88% of wins
L
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
13% of wins
L
UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (83%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
1 (17%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
2win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Lesnar — win / loss by method
Record: 5-1-0

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
3 wins, 0 losses
W
60% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
20% of wins
L
100% of losses
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
20% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (25%)Submission(100%) 1
1 (25%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Velasquez
Lesnar
6
UFC fights
5
35.1 min · 5.8 avg
Octagon time
38.7 min · 7.7 avg
19y 10m
Career length
19y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Velasquez
Lesnar
98W–19L · 83.8%
Overall
78W–27L · 74.3%
98W–19L · 83.8%
Wins
68W–24L · 73.9%
0W–0L
Losses
10W–3L · 76.9%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Velasquez
Lesnar
6W–1L · 85.7%
Overall
2W–5L · 28.6%
6W–1L · 85.7%
Wins
2W–5L · 28.6%
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Velasquez
Lesnar
8.83
Landed / min
3.14
42.3%
Accuracy
36.8%
79.4%
Defense
75.0%
1.71
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.77
20.3%
Time at distance
11.5%
Grappling & control
Velasquez
Lesnar
5.99
Takedowns / 15 min
3.87
70.0%
Takedown accuracy
62.5%
75.0%
Takedown defense
66.7%
0.86
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.77
96.4%
Control share
75.4%
Strike target map
Velasquez
  • Head76%(198)div 67%
  • Body12%(31)div 17%
  • Legs13%(33)div 16%
Lesnar
  • Head65%(95)div 67%
  • Body29%(42)div 17%
  • Legs7%(10)div 16%

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

Cain Velasquez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Brock Lesnar
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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