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UFC 99: The Comeback
Mike Swick
Mike Swick
13-2 · USA
VS
Ben Saunders
Ben Saunders
7-0-2 · USA
June 13, 2009 · Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Welterweight · 3 rounds
169.0lb
Weigh-in
169.0lb
Mike Swick def. Ben Saunders by KO/TKO (Punches), R2 3:47
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Swick2/120/003:35
Saunders8/140/100:38
R2 · 3:47
Swick8/231/111:50
Saunders9/170/000:01
Total
Swick10/351/115:25
Saunders17/310/100:39

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
SwickWin probabilitySaunders
49.4%50.6%
KO / TKO
23%
Submission
8%
Decision
69%
Expected fight time: 12.3 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Swick49%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%25%
Submission4%7%
Decision33%68%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes42 (2455)act 10
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.6)act 1
Saunders51%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO11%21%
Submission4%9%
Decision36%70%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes34 (1944)act 17
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.5)act 0
Combined totals~76 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R111%
R216%
R34%
Distance69%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.4%
Swick
59.6%-153
Saunders
+15339.0%
Most takedownstie 53.8%
Swick
36.6%-382
Saunders
+3829.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Swick
Expected: 42.2
42
Over 42
42.1%
+134
Exactly 42
1.6%
push
Under 42
56.3%
-134
053106
Saunders
Expected: 33.7
33.5
Over 33.5
42.9%
+133
Under 33.5
57.1%
-133
04385
Takedowns — over/under
Swick
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
39.6%
+153
Under 0.5
60.4%
-153
035
Saunders
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
13.6%
Exactly 0
86.4%
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 12.3 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
Swick49.4%65.6%−16.2-217
Saunders50.6%34.4%+16.2+178

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
63.3Striking86.9
Saunders +23.6
58.4Grappling78.1
Saunders +19.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SwickSaunders
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1618
Pound-for-pound
1557
1566
Divisional
1557
1479
Striking offense
1509
1536
Striking defense
1521
1521
Grappling offense
1516
1520
Grappling defense
1514
Physical
29 yrs
Age
26 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'2"
77"
Reach
77"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.82
Strikes landed / min
4.16
42%
Strike accuracy
75%
2.19
Strikes absorbed / min
0.99
50%
Strike defense
66%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.14
Takedowns / 15 min
0.62
56%
Takedown accuracy
100%
69%
Takedown defense
95%
0.7
Sub attempts / 15 min
3.7
Form & résumé
89%
UFC win rate
100%
+3
Win/loss streak
+3
80%
Last-5 win rate
100%
63%
Finish rate
67%
Recent opp. quality
185
Days since last fight
185
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Mike Swick
  • WJonathan GouletKO/TKO R1
    Close -4426mo before
  • WMarcus DavisU-DEC R3
    Close -1191y before
  • WJoshua BurkmanM-DEC R3
    Close -1961y 5mo before
  • LYushin OkamiU-DEC R3
    Close -1252y 2mo before
  • WDavid LoiseauU-DEC R3
    Close -1452y 9mo before
Ben Saunders
  • WBrandon WolffKO/TKO R1
    Close -3516mo before
  • WRyan ThomasSUB R2
    Close -25110mo before
  • WDan BarreraU-DEC R3
    Close -2311y 6mo before
Swick — win / loss by method
Record: 13-2-0

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, 1 loss
W
46% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
23% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
31% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (38%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (25%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (38%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (60%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (20%)Decision(0%) 0
Saunders — win / loss by method
Record: 7-0-2

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
43% of wins
L
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
43% of wins
L
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
UFC
3win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (33%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (33%)Submission() 0
1 (33%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
4win0loss2draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO() 0
2 (50%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Swick
Saunders
9
UFC fights
3
65.7 min · 7.3 avg
Octagon time
24.3 min · 8.1 avg
27y 9m
Career length
22y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Swick
Saunders
138W–38L · 78.4%
Overall
16W–3L · 84.2%
119W–35L · 77.3%
Wins
16W–3L · 84.2%
19W–3L · 86.4%
Losses
0W–0L
Non-UFC schedule strength
Swick
Saunders
10W–2L · 83.3%
Overall
12W–6L · 66.7%
4W–1L · 80.0%
Wins
12W–6L · 66.7%
6W–1L · 85.7%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Swick
Saunders
3.37
Landed / min
10.34
28.1%
Accuracy
64.2%
69.8%
Defense
79.1%
0.68
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.24
35.3%
Time at distance
17.1%
Grappling & control
Swick
Saunders
1.14
Takedowns / 15 min
0.62
55.6%
Takedown accuracy
100.0%
69.0%
Takedown defense
94.7%
0.68
Sub attempts / 15 min
3.71
45.8%
Control share
58.6%
Strike target map
Swick
  • Head41%(75)div 64%
  • Body24%(45)div 21%
  • Legs35%(65)div 15%
Saunders
  • Head66%(67)div 64%
  • Body29%(29)div 21%
  • Legs5%(5)div 15%

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

Mike Swick
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Ben Saunders
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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