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UFC 88: Breakthrough
Jason MacDonald
Jason MacDonald
20-10 · CAN
VS
Jason Lambert
Jason Lambert
23-8 · USA
September 6, 2008 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Middleweight · 3 rounds
185.0lb
Weigh-in
185.0lb
Jason MacDonald def. Jason Lambert by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R2 1:20
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
MacDonald8/121/104:49
Lambert0/00/000:00
R2 · 1:20
MacDonald2/61/101:07
Lambert1/50/000:00
Total
MacDonald10/182/205:56
Lambert1/50/000:00

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
MacDonaldWin probabilityLambert
29.5%70.5%
KO / TKO
20%
Submission
53%
Decision
26%
Expected fight time: 7.0 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
MacDonald29%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO2%8%
Submission22%75%
Decision5%17%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes17 (922)act 10
Takedowns0.6 (0.02.4)act 2
Lambert71%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO18%26%
Submission31%44%
Decision22%30%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes23 (1230)act 1
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.5)act 0
Combined totals~39 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R157%
R29%
R38%
Distance26%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.6%
MacDonald
34.6%+182
Lambert
-18262.9%
Most takedownstie 41.9%
MacDonald
28.4%+105
Lambert
-10529.8%
Significant strikes — over/under
MacDonald
Expected: 16.5
16.5
Over 16.5
42.7%
+134
Under 16.5
57.3%
-134
02142
Lambert
Expected: 22.9
23
Over 23
40.8%
+138
Exactly 23
2.8%
push
Under 23
56.4%
-138
02958
Takedowns — over/under
MacDonald
Expected: 0.6
0.5
Over 0.5
37.7%
+165
Under 0.5
62.3%
-165
035
Lambert
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
39.0%
+157
Under 0.5
61.0%
-157
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 7.0 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
MacDonald29.5%59.1%−29.6-160
Lambert70.5%40.9%+29.6+135

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
61.9Striking75.9
Lambert +14.0
45.6Grappling57.7
Lambert +12.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
MacDonaldLambert
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1532
Pound-for-pound
1543
1530
Divisional
1538
Striking offense
Striking defense
1516
Grappling offense
1516
1469
Grappling defense
1479
Physical
33 yrs
Age
33 yrs
6'3"
Height
6'3"
80"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
1.65
Strikes landed / min
3.72
55%
Strike accuracy
59%
2.48
Strikes absorbed / min
1.88
47%
Strike defense
52%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.18
Takedowns / 15 min
1.57
14%
Takedown accuracy
36%
31%
Takedown defense
32%
2.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
2.0
Form & résumé
57%
UFC win rate
57%
-1
Win/loss streak
-2
40%
Last-5 win rate
40%
100%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
28
Days since last fight
91
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Jason MacDonald
  • LDemian MaiaSUB R3
    Close +21128d before
  • WJoe DoerksenKO/TKO R2
    Close -1685mo before
  • LYushin OkamiU-DEC R3
    Close +20611mo before
  • WRory SingerKO/TKO R2
    Close -2451y 3mo before
  • LRich FranklinKO/TKO R2
    Close +2901y 6mo before
Jason Lambert
  • LLuiz CaneKO/TKO R1
    Close -1533mo before
  • LWilson GouveiaKO/TKO R2
    Close +1188mo before
  • WRenato SobralKO/TKO R2
    Close +3651y 6mo before
  • LRashad EvansKO/TKO R2
    Close +2001y 11mo before
  • WBranden Lee HinkleKO/TKO R1
    Close -1852y 2mo before
MacDonald — win / loss by method
Record: 20-10-0

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
3 wins, 3 losses
W
15% of wins
L
30% of losses
Submission
16 wins, 3 losses
W
80% of wins
L
30% of losses
Decision
1 win, 4 losses
W
5% of wins
L
40% of losses
UFC
4win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
2 (50%)Submission(33%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(33%) 1
Non-UFC
16win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (6%)KO/TKO(29%) 2
14 (88%)Submission(29%) 2
1 (6%)Decision(43%) 3
Lambert — win / loss by method
Record: 23-8-0

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
15 wins, 5 losses
W
65% of wins
L
63% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 2 losses
W
17% of wins
L
25% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
17% of wins
L
13% of losses
UFC
4win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (75%)KO/TKO(100%) 3
1 (25%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
19win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
12 (63%)KO/TKO(40%) 2
3 (16%)Submission(40%) 2
4 (21%)Decision(20%) 1

Profiles

Experience
MacDonald
Lambert
7
UFC fights
7
63.7 min · 9.1 avg
Octagon time
38.2 min · 5.5 avg
26y 7m
Career length
25y 5m
UFC schedule strength

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

MacDonald
Lambert
129W–30L · 81.1%
Overall
82W–21L · 79.6%
79W–24L · 76.7%
Wins
57W–16L · 78.1%
50W–6L · 89.3%
Losses
25W–5L · 83.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
MacDonald
Lambert
194W–98L · 66.4%
Overall
145W–70L · 67.4%
114W–72L · 61.3%
Wins
111W–45L · 71.2%
80W–26L · 75.5%
Losses
34W–25L · 57.6%
Distance striking
MacDonald
Lambert
1.96
Landed / min
3.76
21.6%
Accuracy
24.1%
63.1%
Defense
67.2%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
1.18
12.8%
Time at distance
9.0%
Grappling & control
MacDonald
Lambert
1.18
Takedowns / 15 min
1.57
13.5%
Takedown accuracy
36.4%
30.8%
Takedown defense
31.6%
2.12
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.96
45.3%
Control share
49.6%
Strike target map
MacDonald
  • Head36%(38)div 62%
  • Body14%(15)div 20%
  • Legs50%(52)div 17%
Lambert
  • Head62%(88)div 62%
  • Body27%(39)div 20%
  • Legs11%(15)div 17%

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

Jason MacDonald
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Jason Lambert
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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