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UFC 97: Redemption
Mauricio Rua
Mauricio Rua
17-3 · BRA
VS
Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
21-6 · USA
April 18, 2009 · Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
206.0lb
Weigh-in
206.0lb
Mauricio Rua def. Chuck Liddell by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 4:28
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:28
Rua24/320/110:26
Liddell8/371/100:21
Total
Rua24/320/110:26
Liddell8/371/100:21

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
RuaWin probabilityLiddell
65.7%34.3%
KO / TKO
67%
Submission
10%
Decision
24%
Expected fight time: 11.3 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Rua66%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO47%71%
Submission7%11%
Decision12%18%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes49 (2864)act 24
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.4)act 0
Liddell34%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO20%59%
Submission2%7%
Decision12%34%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes53 (3068)act 8
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.2)act 1
Combined totals~102 sig strikes~0.7 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R115%
R25%
R356%
Distance24%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.1%
Rua
46.5%+113
Liddell
-11352.4%
Most takedownstie 56.3%
Rua
9.1%+378
Liddell
-37834.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Rua
Expected: 49.3
49.5
Over 49.5
42.2%
+137
Under 49.5
57.8%
-137
062124
Liddell
Expected: 52.5
52.5
Over 52.5
42.5%
+135
Under 52.5
57.5%
-135
066132
Takedowns — over/under
Rua
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
12.6%
Exactly 0
87.4%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Liddell
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
37.3%
+168
Under 0.5
62.7%
-168
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 11.3 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
Rua65.7%39.1%+26.6+148
Liddell34.3%60.9%−26.6-168

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
63.6Striking67.7
Liddell +4.1
52.6Grappling49.5
Rua +3.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
RuaLiddell
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1556
Pound-for-pound
1635
1554
Divisional
1605
1506
Striking offense
1524
1526
Striking defense
1545
1491
Grappling offense
1501
1489
Grappling defense
1577
Physical
27 yrs
Age
39 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'2"
76"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.03
Strikes landed / min
3.00
50%
Strike accuracy
38%
3.30
Strikes absorbed / min
1.98
51%
Strike defense
62%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.07
Takedowns / 15 min
0.38
43%
Takedown accuracy
83%
18%
Takedown defense
81%
1.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
76%
+1
Win/loss streak
-1
50%
Last-5 win rate
40%
100%
Finish rate
63%
Recent opp. quality
91
Days since last fight
224
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Mauricio Rua
  • WMark ColemanKO/TKO R3
    Close -3863mo before
  • LForrest GriffinSUB R3
    Close -2931y 7mo before
Chuck Liddell
  • LRashad EvansKO/TKO R2
    Close -2537mo before
  • WWanderlei SilvaU-DEC R3
    Close +1181y 4mo before
  • LKeith JardineS-DEC R3
    Close -3951y 7mo before
  • LQuinton JacksonKO/TKO R1
    Close -1751y 11mo before
  • WTito OrtizKO/TKO R3
    Close -2202y 4mo before
Rua — win / loss by method
Record: 17-3-0

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
14 wins, 1 loss
W
82% of wins
L
33% of losses
Submission
1 win, 2 losses
W
6% of wins
L
67% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
12% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
1win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
16win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
13 (81%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (6%)Submission(50%) 1
2 (13%)Decision(0%) 0
Liddell — win / loss by method
Record: 21-6-0

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
13 wins, 4 losses
W
62% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
5% of wins
L
17% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
17% of losses
UFC
16win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
10 (63%)KO/TKO(60%) 3
0 (0%)Submission(20%) 1
6 (38%)Decision(20%) 1
Non-UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (60%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (20%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Rua
Liddell
2
UFC fights
21
29.4 min · 14.7 avg
Octagon time
195.1 min · 9.3 avg
23y 9m
Career length
28y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Rua
Liddell
27W–12L · 69.2%
Overall
366W–103L · 78.0%
13W–8L · 61.9%
Wins
284W–85L · 77.0%
14W–4L · 77.8%
Losses
82W–18L · 82.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Rua
Liddell
230W–100L · 69.7%
Overall
81W–19L · 81.0%
195W–87L · 69.1%
Wins
63W–16L · 79.7%
35W–13L · 72.9%
Losses
18W–3L · 85.7%
Distance striking
Rua
Liddell
6.75
Landed / min
2.70
43.4%
Accuracy
32.5%
66.7%
Defense
63.3%
1.02
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.08
26.8%
Time at distance
77.6%
Grappling & control
Rua
Liddell
3.07
Takedowns / 15 min
0.38
42.9%
Takedown accuracy
83.3%
18.2%
Takedown defense
81.2%
1.02
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
41.2%
Control share
62.2%
Strike target map
Rua
  • Head62%(55)div 66%
  • Body25%(22)div 16%
  • Legs13%(12)div 18%
Liddell
  • Head68%(397)div 66%
  • Body7%(43)div 16%
  • Legs25%(146)div 18%

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

Mauricio Rua
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Chuck Liddell
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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