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UFC 97: Redemption
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
13-4-1 · FRA
VS
Antoni Hardonk
Antoni Hardonk
8-4 · NLD
April 18, 2009 · Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
232.0lb
Weigh-in
249.0lb
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by KO/TKO (Punches), R2 2:29
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Kongo36/551/202:52
Hardonk8/180/000:00
R2 · 2:29
Kongo17/291/102:08
Hardonk1/20/000:00
Total
Kongo53/842/305:00
Hardonk9/200/000:00

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 probabilityHardonk
67.3%32.7%
KO / TKO
51%
Submission
27%
Decision
22%
Expected fight time: 7.1 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 Hardonk. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Kongo67%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO33%49%
Submission16%25%
Decision18%26%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1638)act 53
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.7)act 2
Hardonk33%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO18%55%
Submission10%31%
Decision5%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes17 (922)act 9
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.0)act 0
Combined totals~46 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R151%
R217%
R310%
Distance22%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.1%
Kongo
71.0%-263
Hardonk
+26327.0%
Most takedownstie 43.0%
Kongo
52.1%-1073
Hardonk
+10734.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 28.9
29
Over 29
41.1%
+138
Exactly 29
2.3%
push
Under 29
56.6%
-138
03773
Hardonk
Expected: 17.2
17
Over 17
41.3%
+133
Exactly 17
3.7%
push
Under 17
55.0%
-133
02243
Takedowns — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
32.1%
+141
Exactly 1
22.6%
push
Under 1
45.3%
-141
035
Hardonk
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
8.7%
Exactly 0
91.3%
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 7.1 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
Kongo67.3%72.3%−5.0-310
Hardonk32.7%27.7%+5.0+245

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
74.9Striking74.8
Kongo +0.2
57.0Grappling27.0
Kongo +30.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
KongoHardonk
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1566
Pound-for-pound
1538
1566
Divisional
1538
1532
Striking offense
1519
1542
Striking defense
1515
1529
Grappling offense
1484
1483
Grappling defense
1474
Physical
33 yrs
Age
33 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'4"
82"
Reach
78"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.76
Strikes landed / min
3.76
65%
Strike accuracy
71%
1.48
Strikes absorbed / min
2.07
43%
Strike defense
49%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.96
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
67%
Takedown accuracy
54%
Takedown defense
41%
0.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.2
Form & résumé
75%
UFC win rate
67%
+2
Win/loss streak
+3
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
67%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
112
Days since last fight
112
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cheick Kongo
  • WMostapha Al-TurkKO/TKO R1
    4mo before
  • WDan EvensenKO/TKO R1
    Close -5138mo before
  • LHeath HerringS-DEC R3
    Close -1901y 2mo before
  • WMirko FilipovicU-DEC R3
    Close +3151y 7mo before
  • WAssuerio SilvaM-DEC R3
    Close +1952y before
Antoni Hardonk
  • WMike WesselKO/TKO R2
    4mo before
  • WEddie SanchezKO/TKO R2
    Close -20510mo before
  • WColin RobinsonKO/TKO R1
    Close -3331y 3mo before
  • LFrank MirSUB R1
    Close +1401y 8mo before
  • LJustin McCullyU-DEC R3
    Close -4252y before
Kongo — win / loss by method
Record: 13-4-1

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
8 wins, 1 loss
W
62% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 0 losses
W
15% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
23% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
6win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (67%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (33%)Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
7win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1
Hardonk — win / loss by method
Record: 8-4-0

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
6 wins, 0 losses
W
75% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 1 loss
W
25% of wins
L
25% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 3 losses
W
0% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
4win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(50%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
4win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 2

Profiles

Experience
Kongo
Hardonk
8
UFC fights
6
76.6 min · 9.6 avg
Octagon time
36.2 min · 6.0 avg
25y 2m
Career length
25y 6m
UFC schedule strength

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

Kongo
Hardonk
94W–31L · 75.2%
Overall
52W–15L · 77.6%
62W–18L · 77.5%
Wins
35W–9L · 79.5%
32W–13L · 71.1%
Losses
17W–6L · 73.9%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Kongo
Hardonk
102W–62L · 62.2%
Overall
28W–15L · 65.1%
65W–46L · 58.6%
Wins
24W–15L · 61.5%
37W–16L · 69.8%
Losses
4W–0L · 100.0%
Distance striking
Kongo
Hardonk
6.97
Landed / min
10.89
45.1%
Accuracy
58.1%
65.7%
Defense
61.3%
0.59
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.24
18.0%
Time at distance
10.9%
Grappling & control
Kongo
Hardonk
1.96
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
66.7%
Takedown accuracy
53.7%
Takedown defense
41.2%
0.59
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.24
48.4%
Control share
8.4%
Strike target map
Kongo
  • Head45%(131)div 65%
  • Body27%(78)div 18%
  • Legs27%(79)div 17%
Hardonk
  • Head61%(83)div 65%
  • Body24%(33)div 18%
  • Legs15%(20)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.

Antoni Hardonk
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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