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The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale
Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson
12-4 · USA
VS
Brendan Schaub
Brendan Schaub
4-0 · USA
December 5, 2009 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds · Main event
263.0lb
Weigh-in
240.0lb
Roy Nelson def. Brendan Schaub by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 3:45
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:45
Nelson8/351/211:23
Schaub12/480/000:00
Total
Nelson8/351/211:23
Schaub12/480/000:00

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 probabilitySchaub
21.0%79.0%
KO / TKO
37%
Submission
10%
Decision
53%
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 Schaub. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Nelson21%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO7%35%
Submission4%19%
Decision10%46%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes31 (1740)act 8
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.9)act 1
Schaub79%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO29%37%
Submission6%7%
Decision44%56%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes50 (2865)act 12
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.7)act 0
Combined totals~80 sig strikes~1.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R123%
R214%
R310%
Distance53%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Nelson
28.5%+246
Schaub
-24670.2%
Most takedownstie 49.4%
Nelson
12.5%+306
Schaub
-30638.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 30.8
31
Over 31
41.1%
+138
Exactly 31
2.1%
push
Under 31
56.8%
-138
03978
Schaub
Expected: 49.6
49.5
Over 49.5
42.6%
+134
Under 49.5
57.4%
-134
063125
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
18.0%
Exactly 0
82.0%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Schaub
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
26.8%
+214
Exactly 1
15.7%
push
Under 1
57.5%
-214
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
Nelson21.0%59.7%−38.7-165
Schaub79.0%40.3%+38.7+138

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.

Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1513
Pound-for-pound
1512
1513
Divisional
1512
1482
Striking offense
1500
1500
Striking defense
1500
1561
Grappling offense
1494
1558
Grappling defense
1500
Physical
33 yrs
Age
26 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'4"
73"
Reach
78"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
Strikes landed / min
Strike accuracy
Strikes absorbed / min
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
Takedowns / 15 min
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
UFC win rate
Win/loss streak
Last-5 win rate
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Roy Nelson
No prior UFC fights.
Brendan Schaub
No prior UFC fights.
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 12-4-0

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, 1 loss
W
58% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
33% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 3 losses
W
8% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
12win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (58%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
4 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (8%)Decision(75%) 3
Schaub — win / loss by method
Record: 4-0-0

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
4 wins, 0 losses
W
100% of wins
L
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
4win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Schaub
0
UFC fights
0
Octagon time
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Schaub
Overall
Wins
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Schaub
158W–71L · 69.0%
Overall
5W–12L · 29.4%
90W–53L · 62.9%
Wins
5W–12L · 29.4%
68W–18L · 79.1%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Nelson
Schaub
Landed / min
Accuracy
Defense
Knockdowns / 15 min
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Nelson
Schaub
Takedowns / 15 min
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
Sub attempts / 15 min
Control share
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head0%(0)div 66%
  • Body0%(0)div 18%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.
Schaub
  • Head0%(0)div 66%
  • Body0%(0)div 18%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.

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

Roy Nelson

No UFC fights on record.

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

Brendan Schaub

No UFC fights on record.

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