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UFC 59: Reality Check
Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
31-2-1 · USA
VS
Nick Diaz
Nick Diaz
11-5 · USA
April 15, 2006 · Anaheim, California, USA
Welterweight · 3 rounds
170.0lb
Weigh-in
171.0lb
Sean Sherk def. Nick Diaz by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Sherk11/540/1002:03
Diaz15/340/000:17
R2
Sherk9/461/501:06
Diaz21/531/100:44
R3
Sherk19/551/400:37
Diaz21/490/000:25
Total
Sherk39/1552/1903:46
Diaz57/1361/101:26

Scorecards

Sherk vs Diaz

RdAbe BelardoAlejandro RochinCecil PeoplesCommunity
R1---9.8-9.3
R2---9.2-9.7
R3---9.5-9.6
Total30-2730-2730-2728.5-28.6

Media (2 cards) · avg 2928 · 2 Sherk · 0 Diaz

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Sherk-Diaz.

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
SherkWin probabilityDiaz
21.8%78.2%
KO / TKO
25%
Submission
18%
Decision
57%
Expected fight time: 11.5 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Sherk22%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO4%17%
Submission4%20%
Decision14%63%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes30 (1639)act 39
Takedowns1.6 (0.04.0)act 2
Diaz78%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO21%27%
Submission14%18%
Decision43%55%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes44 (2557)act 57
Takedowns0.1 (0.00.4)act 1
Combined totals~74 sig strikes~1.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R113%
R222%
R38%
Distance57%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.4%
Sherk
31.7%+211
Diaz
-21167.0%
Most takedownstie 25.8%
Sherk
68.9%-1300
Diaz
+13005.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sherk
Expected: 29.6
29.5
Over 29.5
42.7%
+134
Under 29.5
57.3%
-134
03875
Diaz
Expected: 44.0
44
Over 44
41.8%
+136
Exactly 44
1.5%
push
Under 44
56.7%
-136
056111
Takedowns — over/under
Sherk
Expected: 1.6
1.5
Over 1.5
51.7%
-107
Under 1.5
48.3%
+107
035
Diaz
Expected: 0.1
0
Over 0
13.3%
Exactly 0
86.7%
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 11.5 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
Sherk21.8%61.6%−39.8-180
Diaz78.2%38.4%+39.8+150

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
64.6Striking66.7
Diaz +2.1
50.1Grappling56.5
Diaz +6.5
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SherkDiaz
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1546
Pound-for-pound
1527
1546
Divisional
1527
1479
Striking offense
1505
1511
Striking defense
1536
1521
Grappling offense
1503
1514
Grappling defense
1492
Physical
32 yrs
Age
22 yrs
5'6"
Height
6'1"
67"
Reach
76"
Orthodox
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
1.26
Strikes landed / min
2.37
53%
Strike accuracy
40%
1.84
Strikes absorbed / min
2.14
53%
Strike defense
65%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.63
Takedowns / 15 min
1.94
47%
Takedown accuracy
31%
27%
Takedown defense
50%
0.2
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.5
Form & résumé
60%
UFC win rate
57%
-2
Win/loss streak
-2
60%
Last-5 win rate
40%
67%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
147
Days since last fight
70
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Sean Sherk
  • LGeorges St-PierreKO/TKO R2
    Close +2405mo before
  • LMatt HughesU-DEC R5
    Close +4003y before
  • WBenji RadachKO/TKO R1
    3y 7mo before
  • WJutaro NakaoU-DEC R3
    4y 1mo before
  • WTiki GhosnSUB R2
    5y 2mo before
Nick Diaz
  • LJoe RiggsU-DEC R3
    Close -1402mo before
  • LDiego SanchezU-DEC R3
    5mo before
  • WKoji OishiKO/TKO R1
    10mo before
  • WDrew FickettKO/TKO R1
    Close -2301y 2mo before
  • LKaro ParisyanS-DEC R3
    1y 8mo before
Sherk — win / loss by method
Record: 31-2-1

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
29% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
12 wins, 0 losses
W
39% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 1 loss
W
32% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
3win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (33%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
1 (33%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (33%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
28win0loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (29%)KO/TKO() 0
11 (39%)Submission() 0
9 (32%)Decision() 0
Diaz — win / loss by method
Record: 11-5-0

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
55% of wins
L
20% of losses
Submission
4 wins, 0 losses
W
36% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 4 losses
W
9% of wins
L
80% of losses
UFC
4win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (75%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (25%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 3
Non-UFC
7win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (43%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
3 (43%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (14%)Decision(50%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Sherk
Diaz
5
UFC fights
7
61.9 min · 12.4 avg
Octagon time
69.7 min · 10.0 avg
27y 1m
Career length
24y 11m
UFC schedule strength

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

Sherk
Diaz
69W–12L · 85.2%
Overall
95W–18L · 84.1%
26W–8L · 76.5%
Wins
48W–9L · 84.2%
43W–4L · 91.5%
Losses
47W–9L · 83.9%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sherk
Diaz
99W–63L · 61.1%
Overall
33W–16L · 67.3%
99W–63L · 61.1%
Wins
27W–13L · 67.5%
0W–0L
Losses
6W–3L · 66.7%
Distance striking
Sherk
Diaz
1.65
Landed / min
4.02
26.1%
Accuracy
29.9%
63.8%
Defense
71.2%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.65
17.6%
Time at distance
30.0%
Grappling & control
Sherk
Diaz
3.63
Takedowns / 15 min
1.94
46.9%
Takedown accuracy
31.0%
27.3%
Takedown defense
50.0%
0.24
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.51
62.5%
Control share
40.9%
Strike target map
Sherk
  • Head73%(57)div 69%
  • Body9%(7)div 20%
  • Legs18%(14)div 11%
Diaz
  • Head73%(120)div 69%
  • Body20%(33)div 20%
  • Legs7%(12)div 11%

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

Sean Sherk
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Nick Diaz
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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