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UFC Live: Vera vs Jones
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
14-6-1 · FRA
VS
Paul Buentello
Paul Buentello
27-11 · USA
March 21, 2010 · Broomfield, Colorado, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
237.0lb
Weigh-in
246.0lb
Cheick Kongo def. Paul Buentello by KO/TKO (Elbows), R3 1:16
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Kongo10/253/303:50
Buentello0/90/000:00
R2
Kongo39/625/503:38
Buentello3/180/000:00
R3 · 1:16
Kongo4/71/101:01
Buentello0/20/000:00
Total
Kongo53/949/908:29
Buentello3/290/000:00

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
KongoWin probabilityBuentello
73.2%26.8%
KO / TKO
48%
Submission
26%
Decision
25%
Expected fight time: 7.4 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Kongo73%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO34%47%
Submission17%23%
Decision22%30%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes30 (1739)act 53
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.3)act 9
Buentello27%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%52%
Submission9%34%
Decision4%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes17 (922)act 3
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.8)act 0
Combined totals~47 sig strikes~0.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R150%
R215%
R310%
Distance25%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.0%
Kongo
72.9%-289
Buentello
+28925.2%
Most takedownstie 46.5%
Kongo
41.2%-335
Buentello
+33512.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 30.3
30.5
Over 30.5
42.1%
+138
Under 30.5
57.9%
-138
03876
Buentello
Expected: 17.2
17
Over 17
41.2%
+133
Exactly 17
3.7%
push
Under 17
55.0%
-133
02243
Takedowns — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
46.5%
+115
Under 0.5
53.5%
-115
035
Buentello
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
18.8%
Exactly 0
81.2%
push
Under 0
0.0%
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 7.4 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
Kongo73.2%76.3%−3.1-345
Buentello26.8%23.7%+3.1+315

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
74.7Striking68.1
Kongo +6.7
53.9Grappling58.4
Buentello +4.5
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
KongoBuentello
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1549
Pound-for-pound
1534
1549
Divisional
1534
1529
Striking offense
1516
1540
Striking defense
1510
1525
Grappling offense
1498
1478
Grappling defense
1502
Physical
34 yrs
Age
36 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'2"
82"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.61
Strikes landed / min
4.26
64%
Strike accuracy
50%
1.53
Strikes absorbed / min
3.60
45%
Strike defense
54%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.94
Takedowns / 15 min
0.50
62%
Takedown accuracy
50%
49%
Takedown defense
75%
0.4
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.0
Form & résumé
64%
UFC win rate
60%
-2
Win/loss streak
-1
60%
Last-5 win rate
60%
71%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
99
Days since last fight
99
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cheick Kongo
  • LFrank MirSUB R1
    Close +1643mo before
  • LCain VelasquezU-DEC R3
    Close +1619mo before
  • WAntoni HardonkKO/TKO R2
    Close -31011mo before
  • WMostapha Al-TurkKO/TKO R1
    1y 3mo before
  • WDan EvensenKO/TKO R1
    Close -5131y 7mo before
Paul Buentello
  • LStefan StruveM-DEC R3
    Close +1113mo before
  • WGilbert AldanaKO/TKO R2
    Close -2754y 1mo before
  • LAndrei ArlovskiKO/TKO R1
    4y 5mo before
  • WKevin JordanSUB R1
    4y 10mo before
  • WJustin EilersKO/TKO R1
    Close -1105y 1mo before
Kongo — win / loss by method
Record: 14-6-1

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
9 wins, 1 loss
W
64% of wins
L
17% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 1 loss
W
14% of wins
L
17% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 4 losses
W
21% of wins
L
67% of losses
UFC
7win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (71%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(25%) 1
2 (29%)Decision(75%) 3
Non-UFC
7win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1
Buentello — win / loss by method
Record: 27-11-0

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
20 wins, 5 losses
W
74% of wins
L
45% of losses
Submission
6 wins, 4 losses
W
22% of wins
L
36% of losses
Decision
1 win, 2 losses
W
4% of wins
L
18% of losses
UFC
3win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (67%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
24win9loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
18 (75%)KO/TKO(44%) 4
5 (21%)Submission(44%) 4
1 (4%)Decision(11%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Kongo
Buentello
11
UFC fights
5
100.3 min · 9.1 avg
Octagon time
30.3 min · 6.1 avg
25y 2m
Career length
29y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Kongo
Buentello
119W–39L · 75.3%
Overall
49W–10L · 83.1%
70W–22L · 76.1%
Wins
22W–4L · 84.6%
49W–17L · 74.2%
Losses
27W–6L · 81.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Kongo
Buentello
102W–62L · 62.2%
Overall
226W–106L · 68.1%
65W–46L · 58.6%
Wins
133W–80L · 62.4%
37W–16L · 69.8%
Losses
93W–26L · 78.2%
Distance striking
Kongo
Buentello
6.93
Landed / min
5.75
44.9%
Accuracy
38.9%
65.4%
Defense
60.6%
0.45
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.49
17.3%
Time at distance
33.4%
Grappling & control
Kongo
Buentello
1.94
Takedowns / 15 min
0.50
61.9%
Takedown accuracy
50.0%
49.0%
Takedown defense
75.0%
0.45
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.99
44.3%
Control share
30.5%
Strike target map
Kongo
  • Head46%(166)div 66%
  • Body26%(95)div 18%
  • Legs28%(101)div 17%
Buentello
  • Head67%(86)div 66%
  • Body25%(32)div 18%
  • Legs9%(11)div 17%

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

Cheick Kongo
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Paul Buentello
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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