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UFC 84: Ill Will
BJ Penn
BJ Penn
12-4-1 · USA
VS
Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
34-2-1 · USA
May 24, 2008 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Lightweight · 5 rounds · Main event
155.0lb
Weigh-in
155.0lb
BJ Penn def. Sean Sherk by KO/TKO (Flying Knee), R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Penn43/550/000:03
Sherk13/540/100:00
R2
Penn38/540/000:00
Sherk15/540/100:00
R3
Penn41/660/110:04
Sherk18/540/000:00
Total
Penn122/1750/110:07
Sherk46/1620/200:00

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
PennWin probabilitySherk
59.7%40.3%
KO / TKO
29%
Submission
15%
Decision
56%
Expected fight time: 18.0 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Penn60%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO20%32%
Submission9%16%
Decision31%52%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes59 (3376)act 122
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.8)act 0
Sherk40%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO9%23%
Submission6%14%
Decision25%63%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes69 (3990)act 46
Takedowns1.4 (0.04.0)act 0
Combined totals~128 sig strikes~1.6 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R120%
R28%
R38%
R45%
R53%
Distance56%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.9%
Penn
42.0%+136
Sherk
-13657.1%
Most takedownstie 38.4%
Penn
8.9%+593
Sherk
-59352.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Penn
Expected: 58.7
58.5
Over 58.5
42.8%
+134
Under 58.5
57.2%
-134
074147
Sherk
Expected: 69.1
69
Over 69
42.1%
+135
Exactly 69
1.0%
push
Under 69
56.9%
-135
087173
Takedowns — over/under
Penn
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
15.7%
Exactly 0
84.3%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Sherk
Expected: 1.4
1.5
Over 1.5
42.2%
+137
Under 1.5
57.8%
-137
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 18.0 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
Penn59.7%68.8%−9.1-253
Sherk40.3%31.2%+9.1+208

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
74.3Striking65.1
Penn +9.3
68.9Grappling61.1
Penn +7.8
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
PennSherk
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1589
Pound-for-pound
1592
1597
Divisional
1564
1504
Striking offense
1468
1531
Striking defense
1513
1537
Grappling offense
1519
1532
Grappling defense
1506
Physical
29 yrs
Age
34 yrs
5'9"
Height
5'6"
70"
Reach
67"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.69
Strikes landed / min
1.67
61%
Strike accuracy
46%
1.83
Strikes absorbed / min
1.58
56%
Strike defense
55%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.27
Takedowns / 15 min
4.85
71%
Takedown accuracy
49%
66%
Takedown defense
31%
1.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.5
Form & résumé
73%
UFC win rate
75%
+2
Win/loss streak
+3
60%
Last-5 win rate
60%
88%
Finish rate
33%
Recent opp. quality
126
Days since last fight
322
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
BJ Penn
  • WJoe StevensonSUB R2
    Close -3404mo before
  • WJens PulverSUB R2
    Close -34011mo before
  • LMatt HughesKO/TKO R3
    Close +1951y 8mo before
  • LGeorges St-PierreS-DEC R3
    Close -1152y 3mo before
  • WMatt HughesSUB R1
    Close +2004y 4mo before
Sean Sherk
  • WHermes FrancaU-DEC R5
    Close -25311mo before
  • WKenny FlorianU-DEC R5
    Close -3651y 7mo before
  • WNick DiazU-DEC R3
    Close -1802y 1mo before
  • LGeorges St-PierreKO/TKO R2
    Close +2402y 6mo before
  • LMatt HughesU-DEC R5
    Close +4005y 1mo before
Penn — win / loss by method
Record: 12-4-1

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
4 wins, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
42% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
25% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
8win3loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (50%)KO/TKO(33%) 1
3 (38%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (13%)Decision(67%) 2
Non-UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
2 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (50%)Decision(100%) 1
Sherk — win / loss by method
Record: 34-2-1

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, 1 loss
W
26% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
12 wins, 0 losses
W
35% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
13 wins, 1 loss
W
38% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
6win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (17%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (17%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (67%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
28win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (29%)KO/TKO() 0
11 (39%)Submission() 0
9 (32%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Penn
Sherk
12
UFC fights
8
132.0 min · 11.0 avg
Octagon time
126.9 min · 15.9 avg
25y 3m
Career length
27y 1m
UFC schedule strength

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

Penn
Sherk
181W–29L · 86.2%
Overall
103W–24L · 81.1%
119W–23L · 83.8%
Wins
60W–20L · 75.0%
62W–6L · 91.2%
Losses
43W–4L · 91.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Penn
Sherk
43W–8L · 84.3%
Overall
99W–63L · 61.1%
38W–8L · 82.6%
Wins
99W–63L · 61.1%
5W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Penn
Sherk
3.78
Landed / min
1.88
47.5%
Accuracy
24.1%
64.2%
Defense
62.9%
0.45
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
30.1%
Time at distance
18.8%
Grappling & control
Penn
Sherk
2.27
Takedowns / 15 min
4.85
71.4%
Takedown accuracy
49.4%
66.0%
Takedown defense
30.8%
1.14
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.47
50.1%
Control share
78.5%
Strike target map
Penn
  • Head69%(246)div 68%
  • Body22%(79)div 18%
  • Legs8%(30)div 14%
Sherk
  • Head78%(166)div 68%
  • Body11%(23)div 18%
  • Legs11%(23)div 14%

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

BJ Penn
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Sean Sherk
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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