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UFC 56: Full Force
Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes
38-4 · USA
VS
Joe Riggs
Joe Riggs
23-5 · USA
November 19, 2005 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Welterweight · 173 lb · 3 rounds
170.0lb
Weigh-in
172.5lb
Matt Hughes def. Joe Riggs by SUB (Kimura), R1 3:28
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:28
Hughes8/131/102:03
Riggs1/50/000:00
Total
Hughes8/131/102:03
Riggs1/50/000:00

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
HughesWin probabilityRiggs
41.5%58.5%
KO / TKO
16%
Submission
15%
Decision
68%
Expected fight time: 12.4 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Hughes41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO5%12%
Submission8%20%
Decision28%68%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes24 (1332)act 8
Takedowns1.9 (0.04.5)act 1
Riggs59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO12%20%
Submission7%12%
Decision40%68%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes25 (1332)act 1
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.3)act 0
Combined totals~49 sig strikes~2.2 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R110%
R216%
R35%
Distance69%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 2.2%
Hughes
48.6%+101
Riggs
-10149.2%
Most takedownstie 20.7%
Hughes
70.2%-778
Riggs
+7789.0%
Significant strikes — over/under
Hughes
Expected: 24.5
24.5
Over 24.5
42.4%
+136
Under 24.5
57.6%
-136
03162
Riggs
Expected: 24.6
24.5
Over 24.5
42.8%
+134
Under 24.5
57.2%
-134
03162
Takedowns — over/under
Hughes
Expected: 1.9
2
Over 2
37.8%
+112
Exactly 2
19.8%
push
Under 2
42.4%
-112
036
Riggs
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
24.6%
+307
Under 0.5
75.4%
-307
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 12.4 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
Hughes41.5%75.3%−33.8-360
Riggs58.5%24.7%+33.8+290

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
76.6Striking75.1
Hughes +1.5
71.5Grappling71.0
Hughes +0.5
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
HughesRiggs
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1639
Pound-for-pound
1547
1629
Divisional
1547
1480
Striking offense
1496
1541
Striking defense
1523
1557
Grappling offense
1547
1511
Grappling defense
1523
Physical
32 yrs
Age
23 yrs
5'9"
Height
6'0"
73"
Reach
70"
Switch
Stance
Southpaw
Striking (UFC career)
2.36
Strikes landed / min
2.72
61%
Strike accuracy
55%
0.65
Strikes absorbed / min
0.60
53%
Strike defense
50%
Grappling (UFC career)
4.54
Takedowns / 15 min
3.27
64%
Takedown accuracy
80%
38%
Takedown defense
70%
1.1
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.8
Form & résumé
85%
UFC win rate
67%
+3
Win/loss streak
+1
80%
Last-5 win rate
67%
73%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
217
Days since last fight
43
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Matt Hughes
  • WFrank TriggSUB R1
    Close -2007mo before
  • WGeorges St-PierreSUB R1
    Close -2851y 1mo before
  • WRenato VerissimoU-DEC R3
    Close -1701y 5mo before
  • LBJ PennSUB R1
    Close -2401y 10mo before
  • WFrank TriggSUB R1
    2y before
Joe Riggs
  • WChris LytleKO/TKO R2
    43d before
  • LIvan SalaverrySUB R1
    Close -1607mo before
  • WJoe DoerksenKO/TKO R2
    1y 3mo before
Hughes — win / loss by method
Record: 38-4-0

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
18 wins, 1 loss
W
47% of wins
L
25% of losses
Submission
12 wins, 3 losses
W
32% of wins
L
75% of losses
Decision
8 wins, 0 losses
W
21% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
11win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (45%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
3 (27%)Submission(100%) 2
3 (27%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
27win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
13 (48%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
9 (33%)Submission(50%) 1
5 (19%)Decision(0%) 0
Riggs — win / loss by method
Record: 23-5-0, 1 NC

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
19 wins, 1 loss
W
83% of wins
L
20% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 3 losses
W
13% of wins
L
60% of losses
Decision
1 win, 1 loss
W
4% of wins
L
20% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
21win4loss0draw1NC
WinsLosses
17 (81%)KO/TKO(25%) 1
3 (14%)Submission(50%) 2
1 (5%)Decision(25%) 1

Profiles

Experience
Hughes
Riggs
13
UFC fights
3
125.6 min · 9.7 avg
Octagon time
18.4 min · 6.1 avg
28y 7m
Career length
24y 10m
UFC schedule strength

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

Hughes
Riggs
122W–21L · 85.3%
Overall
58W–20L · 74.4%
100W–17L · 85.5%
Wins
47W–16L · 74.6%
22W–4L · 84.6%
Losses
11W–4L · 73.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Hughes
Riggs
139W–66L · 67.8%
Overall
246W–120L · 67.2%
114W–62L · 64.8%
Wins
96W–74L · 56.5%
25W–4L · 86.2%
Losses
150W–46L · 76.5%
Distance striking
Hughes
Riggs
1.51
Landed / min
1.36
35.7%
Accuracy
33.3%
75.0%
Defense
64.3%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
21.0%
Time at distance
16.1%
Grappling & control
Hughes
Riggs
4.54
Takedowns / 15 min
3.27
64.4%
Takedown accuracy
80.0%
37.5%
Takedown defense
70.0%
1.07
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.82
82.6%
Control share
72.9%
Strike target map
Hughes
  • Head77%(228)div 70%
  • Body22%(65)div 20%
  • Legs1%(3)div 10%
Riggs
  • Head86%(43)div 70%
  • Body6%(3)div 20%
  • Legs8%(4)div 10%

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

Matt Hughes
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Joe Riggs
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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