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UFC 79: Nemesis
Eddie Sanchez
Eddie Sanchez
9-1 · USA
VS
Soa Palelei
Soa Palelei
8-1 · AUS
December 29, 2007 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
239.0lb
Weigh-in
262.0lb
Eddie Sanchez def. Soa Palelei by KO/TKO (Punches), R3 3:24
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Sanchez12/300/101:17
Palelei12/171/102:26
R2
Sanchez20/451/200:53
Palelei8/150/002:26
R3 · 3:24
Sanchez20/400/201:09
Palelei1/50/000:55
Total
Sanchez52/1151/503:19
Palelei21/371/105:47

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
SanchezWin probabilityPalelei
36.9%63.1%
KO / TKO
66%
Submission
15%
Decision
19%
Expected fight time: 7.1 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Sanchez37%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO25%68%
Submission5%14%
Decision7%18%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes22 (1229)act 52
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.1)act 1
Palelei63%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO41%64%
Submission10%16%
Decision12%20%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes22 (1228)act 21
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.4)act 1
Combined totals~44 sig strikes~0.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R142%
R233%
R36%
Distance19%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.4%
Sanchez
49.9%-105
Palelei
+10547.6%
Most takedownstie 45.9%
Sanchez
15.2%+256
Palelei
-25638.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sanchez
Expected: 22.4
22.5
Over 22.5
42.1%
+138
Under 22.5
57.9%
-138
02856
Palelei
Expected: 21.8
22
Over 22
40.4%
+140
Exactly 22
2.9%
push
Under 22
56.6%
-140
02855
Takedowns — over/under
Sanchez
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
22.6%
+343
Under 0.5
77.4%
-343
035
Palelei
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
45.0%
+122
Under 0.5
55.0%
-122
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 7.1 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
Sanchez36.9%36.8%+0.1+163
Palelei63.1%63.2%−0.1-188

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
SanchezPalelei
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1541
Pound-for-pound
1524
1541
Divisional
1524
1507
Striking offense
1482
1504
Striking defense
1500
1490
Grappling offense
1561
1495
Grappling defense
1558
Physical
25 yrs
Age
30 yrs
6'2"
Height
6'4"
74"
Reach
81"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
3.64
Strikes landed / min
40%
Strike accuracy
4.30
Strikes absorbed / min
39%
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
0.98
Takedowns / 15 min
50%
Takedown accuracy
0%
Takedown defense
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
67%
UFC win rate
+1
Win/loss streak
67%
Last-5 win rate
100%
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
196
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Eddie Sanchez
  • WColin RobinsonKO/TKO R2
    Close -2156mo before
  • LMirko FilipovicKO/TKO R1
    Close +90011mo before
  • WMario NetoKO/TKO R2
    1y 3mo before
Soa Palelei
No prior UFC fights.
Sanchez — win / loss by method
Record: 9-1-0

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
8 wins, 1 loss
W
89% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
11% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
7win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (86%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (14%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Palelei — win / loss by method
Record: 8-1-0

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
7 wins, 0 losses
W
88% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
13% of wins
L
100% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
8win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
7 (88%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (13%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Sanchez
Palelei
3
UFC fights
0
15.4 min · 5.1 avg
Octagon time
21y 11m
Career length
UFC schedule strength

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

Sanchez
Palelei
38W–10L · 79.2%
Overall
17W–6L · 73.9%
Wins
21W–4L · 84.0%
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sanchez
Palelei
17W–25L · 40.5%
Overall
26W–9L · 74.3%
17W–25L · 40.5%
Wins
23W–9L · 71.9%
0W–0L
Losses
3W–0L · 100.0%
Distance striking
Sanchez
Palelei
1.28
Landed / min
10.8%
Accuracy
56.4%
Defense
0.98
Knockdowns / 15 min
35.6%
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Sanchez
Palelei
0.98
Takedowns / 15 min
50.0%
Takedown accuracy
0.0%
Takedown defense
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
39.7%
Control share
Strike target map
Sanchez
  • Head89%(50)div 66%
  • Body7%(4)div 17%
  • Legs4%(2)div 17%
Palelei
  • 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.

Eddie Sanchez
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Soa Palelei

No UFC fights on record.

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