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UFC 87: Seek And Destroy
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
11-4-1 · FRA
VS
Dan Evensen
Dan Evensen
10-2 · NOR
August 9, 2008 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
235.0lb
Weigh-in
244.0lb
Cheick Kongo def. Dan Evensen by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 4:55
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:55
Kongo23/342/213:50
Evensen2/90/000:00
Total
Kongo23/342/213:50
Evensen2/90/000:00

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 probabilityEvensen
75.2%24.8%
KO / TKO
40%
Submission
30%
Decision
31%
Expected fight time: 7.9 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 Evensen. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Kongo75%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO29%39%
Submission22%29%
Decision24%32%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes46 (2659)act 23
Takedowns1.2 (0.12.9)act 2
Evensen25%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO10%42%
Submission8%31%
Decision7%27%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes21 (1128)act 2
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.2)act 0
Combined totals~67 sig strikes~1.3 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R146%
R215%
R38%
Distance31%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.2%
Kongo
80.2%-432
Evensen
+43218.6%
Most takedownstie 9.7%
Kongo
88.1%-4032
Evensen
+40322.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 45.6
45.5
Over 45.5
42.6%
+135
Under 45.5
57.4%
-135
057114
Evensen
Expected: 21.2
21
Over 21
41.5%
+134
Exactly 21
3.1%
push
Under 21
55.5%
-134
02753
Takedowns — over/under
Kongo
Expected: 1.2
1
Over 1
49.4%
-848
Exactly 1
44.8%
push
Under 1
5.8%
+848
035
Evensen
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
11.6%
Exactly 0
88.4%
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 7.9 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
Kongo75.2%79.5%−4.3-513
Evensen24.8%20.5%+4.3+363

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
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
KongoEvensen
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1538
Pound-for-pound
1520
1538
Divisional
1520
1517
Striking offense
1500
1528
Striking defense
1533
1516
Grappling offense
1494
1477
Grappling defense
1500
Physical
33 yrs
Age
34 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'3"
82"
Reach
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.44
Strikes landed / min
63%
Strike accuracy
1.60
Strikes absorbed / min
41%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
1.57
Takedowns / 15 min
58%
Takedown accuracy
44%
Takedown defense
0.7
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
-1
Win/loss streak
60%
Last-5 win rate
50%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
161
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Cheick Kongo
  • LHeath HerringS-DEC R3
    Close -1905mo before
  • WMirko FilipovicU-DEC R3
    Close +31511mo before
  • WAssuerio SilvaM-DEC R3
    Close +1951y 4mo before
  • LCarmelo MarreroS-DEC R3
    Close -5501y 10mo before
  • WChristian WellischKO/TKO R1
    Close -1701y 11mo before
Dan Evensen
No prior UFC fights.
Kongo — win / loss by method
Record: 11-4-1

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
6 wins, 1 loss
W
55% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 0 losses
W
18% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
27% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
4win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (50%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (50%)Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
7win2loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (57%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
2 (29%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1
Evensen — win / loss by method
Record: 10-2-0

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, 1 loss
W
60% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
10% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
20% of wins
L
0% of losses
DQ / other
1 win, 0 losses
W
10% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
10win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (60%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (10%)Submission(50%) 1
2 (20%)Decision(0%) 0
1 (10%)DQ / other(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Kongo
Evensen
6
UFC fights
0
67.1 min · 11.2 avg
Octagon time
25y 2m
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Kongo
Evensen
78W–26L · 75.0%
Overall
46W–13L · 78.0%
Wins
32W–13L · 71.1%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Kongo
Evensen
102W–62L · 62.2%
Overall
60W–28L · 68.2%
65W–46L · 58.6%
Wins
41W–18L · 69.5%
37W–16L · 69.8%
Losses
19W–10L · 65.5%
Distance striking
Kongo
Evensen
7.04
Landed / min
44.0%
Accuracy
60.3%
Defense
0.22
Knockdowns / 15 min
17.8%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Kongo
Evensen
1.57
Takedowns / 15 min
58.3%
Takedown accuracy
44.1%
Takedown defense
0.67
Sub attempts / 15 min
44.6%
Control share
Strike target map
Kongo
  • Head43%(99)div 66%
  • Body32%(73)div 17%
  • Legs26%(59)div 17%
Evensen
  • Head0%(0)div 66%
  • Body0%(0)div 17%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.

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.

Dan Evensen

No UFC fights on record.

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