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UFC 88: Breakthrough
Rashad Evans
Rashad Evans
11-0-1 · USA
VS
Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
21-5 · USA
September 6, 2008 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds · Main event
205.0lb
Weigh-in
204.0lb
Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell by KO/TKO (Punch), R2 1:51
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Evans7/170/000:00
Liddell7/300/000:00
R2 · 1:51
Evans6/180/010:00
Liddell3/200/000:00
Total
Evans13/350/010:00
Liddell10/500/000:00

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
EvansWin probabilityLiddell
67.9%32.1%
KO / TKO
30%
Submission
5%
Decision
64%
Expected fight time: 12.5 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Evans68%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO17%25%
Submission4%6%
Decision47%69%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes38 (2150)act 13
Takedowns0.5 (0.01.9)act 0
Liddell32%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%42%
Submission1%4%
Decision17%54%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes42 (2455)act 10
Takedowns0.2 (0.01.1)act 0
Combined totals~80 sig strikes~0.7 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R113%
R25%
R318%
Distance64%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.4%
Evans
44.7%+120
Liddell
-12053.9%
Most takedownstie 52.1%
Evans
30.9%-181
Liddell
+18117.0%
Significant strikes — over/under
Evans
Expected: 38.1
38
Over 38
41.9%
+135
Exactly 38
1.7%
push
Under 38
56.4%
-135
04896
Liddell
Expected: 42.1
42
Over 42
41.9%
+135
Exactly 42
1.6%
push
Under 42
56.5%
-135
053106
Takedowns — over/under
Evans
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
36.1%
+177
Under 0.5
63.9%
-177
035
Liddell
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
23.1%
Exactly 0
76.9%
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 12.5 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
Evans67.9%31.9%+36.0+198
Liddell32.1%68.1%−36.0-253

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
66.2Striking68.1
Liddell +1.9
66.4Grappling49.5
Evans +16.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
EvansLiddell
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1612
Pound-for-pound
1653
1598
Divisional
1622
1497
Striking offense
1530
1528
Striking defense
1552
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
28 yrs
Age
38 yrs
6'0"
Height
6'2"
75"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
1.90
Strikes landed / min
3.06
39%
Strike accuracy
38%
1.72
Strikes absorbed / min
1.98
68%
Strike defense
62%
Grappling (UFC career)
5.43
Takedowns / 15 min
0.40
57%
Takedown accuracy
83%
59%
Takedown defense
81%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
80%
+1
Win/loss streak
+1
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
33%
Finish rate
63%
Recent opp. quality
294
Days since last fight
252
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Rashad Evans
  • WMichael BispingS-DEC R3
    Close -26310mo before
  • DTito OrtizU-DEC R3
    Close +1031y 2mo before
  • WSean SalmonKO/TKO R2
    Close -6501y 7mo before
  • WJason LambertKO/TKO R2
    Close -2401y 11mo before
  • WStephan BonnarM-DEC R3
    Close +1652y 2mo before
Chuck Liddell
  • WWanderlei SilvaU-DEC R3
    Close +1188mo before
  • LKeith JardineS-DEC R3
    Close -39511mo before
  • LQuinton JacksonKO/TKO R1
    Close -1751y 3mo before
  • WTito OrtizKO/TKO R3
    Close -2201y 8mo before
  • WRenato SobralKO/TKO R1
    Close -3302y before
Evans — win / loss by method
Record: 11-0-1

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
4 wins, 0 losses
W
36% of wins
L
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
9% of wins
L
Decision
6 wins, 0 losses
W
55% of wins
L
UFC
6win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (33%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
4 (67%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
5win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (40%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (20%)Submission() 0
2 (40%)Decision() 0
Liddell — win / loss by method
Record: 21-5-0

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, 3 losses
W
62% of wins
L
60% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
5% of wins
L
20% of losses
Decision
7 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
16win4loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
10 (63%)KO/TKO(50%) 2
0 (0%)Submission(25%) 1
6 (38%)Decision(25%) 1
Non-UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (60%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (20%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Evans
Liddell
7
UFC fights
20
88.5 min · 12.6 avg
Octagon time
188.3 min · 9.4 avg
22y 4m
Career length
28y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Evans
Liddell
64W–9L · 87.7%
Overall
355W–103L · 77.5%
64W–9L · 87.7%
Wins
284W–85L · 77.0%
0W–0L
Losses
71W–18L · 79.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Evans
Liddell
65W–44L · 59.6%
Overall
81W–19L · 81.0%
65W–44L · 59.6%
Wins
63W–16L · 79.7%
0W–0L
Losses
18W–3L · 85.7%
Distance striking
Evans
Liddell
2.55
Landed / min
2.76
29.2%
Accuracy
33.1%
76.0%
Defense
63.4%
0.51
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.12
38.1%
Time at distance
76.9%
Grappling & control
Evans
Liddell
5.43
Takedowns / 15 min
0.40
57.1%
Takedown accuracy
83.3%
59.1%
Takedown defense
81.2%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
80.0%
Control share
62.2%
Strike target map
Evans
  • Head83%(140)div 66%
  • Body17%(28)div 16%
  • Legs0%(0)div 18%
Liddell
  • Head68%(390)div 66%
  • Body7%(42)div 16%
  • Legs25%(144)div 18%

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

Rashad Evans
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.