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UFC 73: Stacked
Stephan Bonnar
Stephan Bonnar
10-4 · USA
VS
Mike Nickels
Mike Nickels
5-1 · USA
July 7, 2007 · Sacramento, California, USA
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
204.5lb
Weigh-in
205.5lb
Stephan Bonnar def. Mike Nickels by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R1 2:14
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 2:14
Bonnar2/50/001:05
Nickels2/91/200:41
Total
Bonnar2/50/001:05
Nickels2/91/200:41

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
BonnarWin probabilityNickels
75.0%25.0%
KO / TKO
46%
Submission
28%
Decision
26%
Expected fight time: 7.3 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Bonnar75%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO31%41%
Submission22%30%
Decision22%29%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes26 (1434)act 2
Takedowns1.0 (0.02.7)act 0
Nickels25%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO15%61%
Submission6%23%
Decision4%16%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes25 (1332)act 2
Takedowns0.8 (0.02.6)act 1
Combined totals~51 sig strikes~1.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R152%
R213%
R39%
Distance26%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.1%
Bonnar
51.6%-112
Nickels
+11246.3%
Most takedownstie 25.4%
Bonnar
43.4%-139
Nickels
+13931.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Bonnar
Expected: 26.4
26.5
Over 26.5
42.2%
+137
Under 26.5
57.8%
-137
03467
Nickels
Expected: 24.9
25
Over 25
40.9%
+138
Exactly 25
2.6%
push
Under 25
56.5%
-138
03263
Takedowns — over/under
Bonnar
Expected: 1.0
1
Over 1
41.0%
-225
Exactly 1
40.8%
push
Under 1
18.2%
+225
035
Nickels
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
35.0%
-114
Exactly 1
34.3%
push
Under 1
30.6%
+114
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 7.3 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
Bonnar75.0%79.2%−4.2-557
Nickels25.0%20.8%+4.2+350

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
55.4Striking94.5
Nickels +39.1
52.6Grappling75.0
Nickels +22.4
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
BonnarNickels
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1521
Pound-for-pound
1521
1520
Divisional
1521
Striking offense
Striking defense
1506
Grappling offense
1560
1501
Grappling defense
1557
Physical
30 yrs
Age
35 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'4"
79"
Reach
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.36
Strikes landed / min
6.95
35%
Strike accuracy
59%
3.37
Strikes absorbed / min
1.26
54%
Strike defense
67%
Grappling (UFC career)
1.13
Takedowns / 15 min
14.21
38%
Takedown accuracy
100%
57%
Takedown defense
1.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
4.7
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
100%
-2
Win/loss streak
+1
60%
Last-5 win rate
100%
33%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
315
Days since last fight
378
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Stephan Bonnar
  • LForrest GriffinU-DEC R3
    Close +21010mo before
  • LRashad EvansM-DEC R3
    Close -1851y before
  • WKeith JardineU-DEC R3
    Close -3351y 3mo before
  • WJames IrvinSUB R1
    Close -1751y 6mo before
  • WSam HogerU-DEC R3
    1y 11mo before
Mike Nickels
  • WWes CombsSUB R1
    Close +4001y before
Bonnar — win / loss by method
Record: 10-4-0

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
1 win, 1 loss
W
10% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
6 wins, 0 losses
W
60% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
3 wins, 3 losses
W
30% of wins
L
75% of losses
UFC
3win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (67%)Decision(100%) 3
Non-UFC
7win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (14%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
5 (71%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(0%) 0
Nickels — win / loss by method
Record: 5-1-0

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
3 wins, 0 losses
W
60% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
2 wins, 1 loss
W
40% of wins
L
100% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
1win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (100%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (75%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (25%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Bonnar
Nickels
6
UFC fights
1
79.5 min · 13.3 avg
Octagon time
3.2 min · 3.2 avg
24y 9m
Career length
21y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Bonnar
Nickels
53W–7L · 88.3%
Overall
12W–0L · 100.0%
25W–2L · 92.6%
Wins
12W–0L · 100.0%
28W–5L · 84.8%
Losses
0W–0L
Non-UFC schedule strength
Bonnar
Nickels
27W–16L · 62.8%
Overall
5W–2L · 71.4%
26W–16L · 61.9%
Wins
3W–2L · 60.0%
1W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
2W–0L · 100.0%
Distance striking
Bonnar
Nickels
3.17
Landed / min
4.68
29.0%
Accuracy
25.0%
59.6%
Defense
71.4%
0.19
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
48.8%
Time at distance
6.8%
Grappling & control
Bonnar
Nickels
1.13
Takedowns / 15 min
14.21
37.5%
Takedown accuracy
100.0%
56.5%
Takedown defense
1.13
Sub attempts / 15 min
4.74
52.7%
Control share
99.4%
Strike target map
Bonnar
  • Head82%(155)div 68%
  • Body11%(21)div 14%
  • Legs6%(12)div 18%
Nickels
  • Head55%(12)div 68%
  • Body45%(10)div 14%
  • Legs0%(0)div 18%

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

Stephan Bonnar
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Mike Nickels
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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