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UFC 96: Jackson vs Jardine
Shane Nelson
Shane Nelson
11-3 · USA
VS
Aaron Riley
Aaron Riley
28-10-1 · USA
March 7, 2009 · Columbus, Ohio, USA
Lightweight · 3 rounds
155.0lb
Weigh-in
155.0lb
Shane Nelson def. Aaron Riley by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 0:44
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 0:44
Nelson5/120/010:06
Riley4/90/000:02
Total
Nelson5/120/010:06
Riley4/90/000:02

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 probabilityRiley
45.3%54.7%
KO / TKO
29%
Submission
14%
Decision
56%
Expected fight time: 11.1 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 Riley. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Nelson45%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO11%25%
Submission4%9%
Decision30%66%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes38 (2149)act 5
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.4)act 0
Riley55%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO18%33%
Submission10%18%
Decision27%49%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes31 (1741)act 4
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.8)act 0
Combined totals~69 sig strikes~1.4 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R119%
R218%
R37%
Distance56%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.6%
Nelson
57.3%-140
Riley
+14041.1%
Most takedownstie 39.7%
Nelson
26.2%+130
Riley
-13034.1%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 37.5
37.5
Over 37.5
42.5%
+135
Under 37.5
57.5%
-135
04794
Riley
Expected: 31.4
31.5
Over 31.5
42.2%
+137
Under 31.5
57.8%
-137
04079
Takedowns — over/under
Nelson
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
36.6%
+173
Under 0.5
63.4%
-173
035
Riley
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
28.5%
+197
Exactly 1
15.3%
push
Under 1
56.2%
-197
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 11.1 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
Nelson45.3%31.0%+14.3+210
Riley54.7%69.0%−14.3-255

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
59.8Striking65.7
Riley +5.9
53.6Grappling40.4
Nelson +13.2
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
NelsonRiley
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1530
Pound-for-pound
1514
1530
Divisional
1543
1490
Striking offense
1493
1503
Striking defense
1511
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
24 yrs
Age
28 yrs
5'9"
Height
5'8"
70"
Reach
69"
Southpaw
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
0.67
Strikes landed / min
4.63
31%
Strike accuracy
43%
1.40
Strikes absorbed / min
4.54
72%
Strike defense
62%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.00
Takedowns / 15 min
1.29
30%
Takedown accuracy
38%
0%
Takedown defense
42%
2.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.4
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
33%
+1
Win/loss streak
+1
100%
Last-5 win rate
33%
0%
Finish rate
0%
Recent opp. quality
84
Days since last fight
112
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Shane Nelson
  • WGeorge RoopS-DEC R3
    Close -1033mo before
Aaron Riley
  • WJorge GurgelU-DEC R3
    Close -1114mo before
  • LSpencer FisherKO/TKO R1
    Close +1803y 2mo before
  • LRobbie LawlerU-DEC R3
    6y 10mo before
Nelson — win / loss by method
Record: 11-3-0

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
2 wins, 0 losses
W
18% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 0 losses
W
18% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 3 losses
W
64% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
1 (100%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
10win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (20%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
6 (60%)Decision(100%) 3
Riley — win / loss by method
Record: 28-10-1

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, 4 losses
W
32% of wins
L
40% of losses
Submission
10 wins, 2 losses
W
36% of wins
L
20% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 4 losses
W
32% of wins
L
40% of losses
UFC
1win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (100%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
27win8loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
9 (33%)KO/TKO(38%) 3
10 (37%)Submission(25%) 2
8 (30%)Decision(38%) 3

Profiles

Experience
Nelson
Riley
1
UFC fights
3
15.0 min · 15.0 avg
Octagon time
35.0 min · 11.7 avg
21y 11m
Career length
29y 0m
UFC schedule strength

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

Nelson
Riley
8W–3L · 72.7%
Overall
31W–5L · 86.1%
8W–3L · 72.7%
Wins
12W–4L · 75.0%
0W–0L
Losses
19W–1L · 95.0%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nelson
Riley
77W–49L · 61.1%
Overall
160W–90L · 64.0%
45W–35L · 56.3%
Wins
89W–62L · 58.9%
32W–14L · 69.6%
Losses
71W–28L · 71.7%
Distance striking
Nelson
Riley
0.46
Landed / min
5.16
11.1%
Accuracy
36.5%
82.2%
Defense
66.5%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
14.5%
Time at distance
55.9%
Grappling & control
Nelson
Riley
3.00
Takedowns / 15 min
1.29
30.0%
Takedown accuracy
37.5%
0.0%
Takedown defense
41.7%
2.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.43
66.9%
Control share
53.7%
Strike target map
Nelson
  • Head100%(10)div 67%
  • Body0%(0)div 18%
  • Legs0%(0)div 15%
Riley
  • Head51%(83)div 67%
  • Body27%(43)div 18%
  • Legs22%(36)div 15%

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

Shane Nelson
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Aaron Riley
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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