The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 99: The Comeback
Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez
5-0 · USA
VS
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
14-4-1 · FRA
June 13, 2009 · Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
239.0lb
Weigh-in
230.0lb
Cain Velasquez def. Cheick Kongo by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Velasquez8/134/404:29
Kongo5/70/000:14
R2
Velasquez12/182/304:13
Kongo9/140/000:25
R3
Velasquez9/221/304:16
Kongo7/131/300:12
Total
Velasquez29/537/10012:58
Kongo21/341/300:51

Scorecards

Velasquez vs Kongo

RdChris WattsDouglas CrosbyHoward HughesCommunity
R110-910-910-99.8-9.1
R210-910-910-99.8-8.8
R310-910-910-910-8.6
Total30-2730-2730-2729.6-26.5

Media (6 cards) · avg 3026.2 · 6 Velasquez · 0 Kongo

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Velasquez-Kongo.

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 probabilityKongo
72.0%28.0%
KO / TKO
49%
Submission
34%
Decision
16%
Expected fight time: 6.7 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 Kongo. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Velasquez72%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO37%51%
Submission26%36%
Decision9%13%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes25 (1332)act 29
Takedowns1.2 (0.03.1)act 7
Kongo28%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%45%
Submission9%31%
Decision7%24%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes19 (1025)act 21
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.9)act 1
Combined totals~44 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R150%
R224%
R310%
Distance16%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.4%
Velasquez
60.1%-160
Kongo
+16037.5%
Most takedownstie 27.6%
Velasquez
63.3%-691
Kongo
+6919.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Velasquez
Expected: 24.8
25
Over 25
40.8%
+139
Exactly 25
2.6%
push
Under 25
56.6%
-139
03263
Kongo
Expected: 19.2
19
Over 19
41.6%
+132
Exactly 19
3.4%
push
Under 19
55.0%
-132
02549
Takedowns — over/under
Velasquez
Expected: 1.2
1
Over 1
42.9%
-151
Exactly 1
28.7%
push
Under 1
28.4%
+151
035
Kongo
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
22.0%
Exactly 0
78.0%
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 6.7 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
Velasquez72.0%63.1%+8.9-190
Kongo28.0%36.9%−8.9+161

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
96.8Striking76.6
Velasquez +20.2
55.9Grappling57.3
Kongo +1.4
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
VelasquezKongo
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1554
Pound-for-pound
1581
1554
Divisional
1581
1497
Striking offense
1539
1507
Striking defense
1542
1553
Grappling offense
1533
1556
Grappling defense
1491
Physical
26 yrs
Age
34 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'4"
77"
Reach
82"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
12.58
Strikes landed / min
4.06
67%
Strike accuracy
64%
0.76
Strikes absorbed / min
1.45
80%
Strike defense
44%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.55
Takedowns / 15 min
2.14
40%
Takedown accuracy
67%
100%
Takedown defense
54%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.5
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
78%
+3
Win/loss streak
+3
100%
Last-5 win rate
80%
100%
Finish rate
71%
Recent opp. quality
126
Days since last fight
56
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cain Velasquez
  • WDenis StojnicKO/TKO R2
    Close -7004mo before
  • WJake O'BrienKO/TKO R1
    Close -33311mo before
  • WBrad MorrisKO/TKO R1
    Close -2831y 2mo before
Cheick Kongo
  • WAntoni HardonkKO/TKO R2
    Close -31056d before
  • WMostapha Al-TurkKO/TKO R1
    6mo before
  • WDan EvensenKO/TKO R1
    Close -51310mo before
  • LHeath HerringS-DEC R3
    Close -1901y 3mo before
  • WMirko FilipovicU-DEC R3
    Close +3151y 9mo before
Velasquez — win / loss by method
Record: 5-0-0

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
5 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
3win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
2win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Kongo — win / loss by method
Record: 14-4-1

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
25% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
21% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
7win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (71%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (29%)Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
7win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Velasquez
Kongo
3
UFC fights
9
11.8 min · 3.9 avg
Octagon time
84.1 min · 9.3 avg
19y 10m
Career length
25y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Velasquez
Kongo
25W–4L · 86.2%
Overall
102W–35L · 74.5%
25W–4L · 86.2%
Wins
70W–22L · 76.1%
0W–0L
Losses
32W–13L · 71.1%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Velasquez
Kongo
6W–1L · 85.7%
Overall
102W–62L · 62.2%
6W–1L · 85.7%
Wins
65W–46L · 58.6%
0W–0L
Losses
37W–16L · 69.8%
Distance striking
Velasquez
Kongo
12.33
Landed / min
7.09
44.9%
Accuracy
45.5%
84.6%
Defense
63.3%
3.82
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.54
24.1%
Time at distance
18.8%
Grappling & control
Velasquez
Kongo
2.55
Takedowns / 15 min
2.14
40.0%
Takedown accuracy
66.7%
100.0%
Takedown defense
53.7%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.54
99.1%
Control share
52.6%
Strike target map
Velasquez
  • Head70%(103)div 65%
  • Body14%(21)div 18%
  • Legs16%(24)div 17%
Kongo
  • Head45%(155)div 65%
  • Body26%(87)div 18%
  • Legs29%(99)div 17%

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.

Cheick Kongo
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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