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UFC 95: Sanchez vs Stevenson
Demian Maia
Demian Maia
10-0 · BRA
VS
Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen
23-9-1 · USA
February 21, 2009 · London, England, United Kingdom
Middleweight · 3 rounds
184.0lb
Weigh-in
185.0lb
Demian Maia def. Chael Sonnen by SUB (Triangle Choke), R1 2:37
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 2:37
Maia6/171/400:09
Sonnen8/240/001:27
Total
Maia6/171/400:09
Sonnen8/240/001:27

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
MaiaWin probabilitySonnen
41.5%58.5%
KO / TKO
12%
Submission
42%
Decision
46%
Expected fight time: 8.7 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Maia41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO3%7%
Submission27%65%
Decision11%28%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes15 (719)act 6
Takedowns1.4 (0.03.6)act 1
Sonnen59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO9%16%
Submission16%26%
Decision34%58%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes21 (1128)act 8
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.8)act 0
Combined totals~36 sig strikes~1.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R147%
R25%
R32%
Distance46%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.7%
Maia
32.2%+202
Sonnen
-20265.1%
Most takedownstie 26.4%
Maia
55.2%-301
Sonnen
+30118.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Maia
Expected: 14.6
14.5
Over 14.5
42.9%
+133
Under 14.5
57.1%
-133
01937
Sonnen
Expected: 21.4
21.5
Over 21.5
42.3%
+136
Under 21.5
57.7%
-136
02754
Takedowns — over/under
Maia
Expected: 1.4
1.5
Over 1.5
46.0%
+117
Under 1.5
54.0%
-117
035
Sonnen
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
38.7%
+158
Under 0.5
61.3%
-158
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 8.7 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
Maia41.5%70.7%−29.2-270
Sonnen58.5%29.3%+29.2+230

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
72.6Striking65.7
Maia +7.0
78.5Grappling58.7
Maia +19.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
MaiaSonnen
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1584
Pound-for-pound
1499
1584
Divisional
1512
1487
Striking offense
1479
1517
Striking defense
1505
1550
Grappling offense
1547
1524
Grappling defense
1517
Physical
31 yrs
Age
31 yrs
6'1"
Height
6'1"
72"
Reach
73"
Southpaw
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
1.99
Strikes landed / min
1.56
57%
Strike accuracy
43%
0.96
Strikes absorbed / min
0.76
52%
Strike defense
52%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.59
Takedowns / 15 min
5.43
38%
Takedown accuracy
43%
67%
Takedown defense
50%
4.8
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
33%
+4
Win/loss streak
-1
100%
Last-5 win rate
33%
100%
Finish rate
0%
Recent opp. quality
98
Days since last fight
1001
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Demian Maia
  • WNate QuarrySUB R1
    Close -2383mo before
  • WJason MacDonaldSUB R3
    Close -2466mo before
  • WEd HermanSUB R2
    Close -18010mo before
  • WRyan JensenSUB R1
    Close -1981y 4mo before
Chael Sonnen
  • LJeremy HornSUB R2
    Close +2552y 9mo before
  • WTrevor PrangleyU-DEC R3
    Close +1902y 11mo before
  • LRenato SobralSUB R2
    3y 5mo before
Maia — win / loss by method
Record: 10-0-0

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
2 wins, 0 losses
W
20% of wins
L
Submission
7 wins, 0 losses
W
70% of wins
L
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
10% of wins
L
UFC
4win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (100%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (33%)KO/TKO() 0
3 (50%)Submission() 0
1 (17%)Decision() 0
Sonnen — win / loss by method
Record: 23-9-1

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, 2 losses
W
35% of wins
L
22% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 6 losses
W
9% of wins
L
67% of losses
Decision
13 wins, 1 loss
W
57% of wins
L
11% of losses
UFC
1win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 2
1 (100%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
22win7loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (36%)KO/TKO(29%) 2
2 (9%)Submission(57%) 4
12 (55%)Decision(14%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Maia
Sonnen
4
UFC fights
3
25.1 min · 6.3 avg
Octagon time
27.6 min · 9.2 avg
24y 10m
Career length
29y 3m
UFC schedule strength

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

Maia
Sonnen
57W–18L · 76.0%
Overall
114W–23L · 83.2%
57W–18L · 76.0%
Wins
11W–3L · 78.6%
0W–0L
Losses
103W–20L · 83.7%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Maia
Sonnen
38W–15L · 71.7%
Overall
394W–96L · 80.4%
38W–15L · 71.7%
Wins
191W–51L · 78.9%
0W–0L
Losses
203W–45L · 81.9%
Distance striking
Maia
Sonnen
3.12
Landed / min
2.06
40.0%
Accuracy
31.6%
81.8%
Defense
60.0%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
7.7%
Time at distance
10.5%
Grappling & control
Maia
Sonnen
3.59
Takedowns / 15 min
5.43
37.5%
Takedown accuracy
43.5%
66.7%
Takedown defense
50.0%
4.79
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
59.7%
Control share
83.6%
Strike target map
Maia
  • Head82%(41)div 63%
  • Body12%(6)div 20%
  • Legs6%(3)div 17%
Sonnen
  • Head74%(32)div 63%
  • Body19%(8)div 20%
  • Legs7%(3)div 17%

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

Demian Maia
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Chael Sonnen
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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