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UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2
Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
15-3 · USA
VS
Randy Couture
Randy Couture
13-6 · USA
April 16, 2005 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Light Heavyweight · 5 rounds · Main event
204.5lb
Weigh-in
203.0lb
Chuck Liddell def. Randy Couture by KO/TKO (Punch), R1 2:06
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 2:06
Liddell13/260/010:02
Couture9/240/000:02
Total
Liddell13/260/010:02
Couture9/240/000:02

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
LiddellWin probabilityCouture
54.8%45.2%
KO / TKO
66%
Submission
5%
Decision
29%
Expected fight time: 13.8 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Liddell55%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO36%66%
Submission2%4%
Decision17%30%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes52 (2968)act 13
Takedowns0.2 (0.00.8)act 0
Couture45%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO30%66%
Submission3%7%
Decision12%27%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes45 (2558)act 9
Takedowns0.9 (0.02.8)act 0
Combined totals~97 sig strikes~1.1 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R121%
R227%
R312%
R47%
R55%
Distance28%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.1%
Liddell
56.3%-132
Couture
+13242.6%
Most takedownstie 40.2%
Liddell
10.6%+464
Couture
-46449.2%
Significant strikes — over/under
Liddell
Expected: 52.1
52
Over 52
42.0%
+135
Exactly 52
1.3%
push
Under 52
56.7%
-135
066131
Couture
Expected: 44.9
45
Over 45
41.7%
+136
Exactly 45
1.5%
push
Under 45
56.8%
-136
057113
Takedowns — over/under
Liddell
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
18.0%
Exactly 0
82.0%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035
Couture
Expected: 0.9
1
Over 1
33.1%
+137
Exactly 1
21.7%
push
Under 1
45.2%
-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 13.8 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
Liddell54.8%31.3%+23.5+205
Couture45.2%68.7%−23.5-255

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
68.8Striking75.5
Couture +6.7
48.9Grappling57.0
Couture +8.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
LiddellCouture
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1617
Pound-for-pound
1607
1584
Divisional
1535
1506
Striking offense
1512
1546
Striking defense
1544
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
35 yrs
Age
41 yrs
6'2"
Height
6'1"
76"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.80
Strikes landed / min
2.61
42%
Strike accuracy
64%
1.49
Strikes absorbed / min
1.22
56%
Strike defense
53%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.39
Takedowns / 15 min
2.88
75%
Takedown accuracy
59%
79%
Takedown defense
44%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.4
Form & résumé
83%
UFC win rate
77%
+2
Win/loss streak
+1
80%
Last-5 win rate
60%
50%
Finish rate
70%
Recent opp. quality
238
Days since last fight
238
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Chuck Liddell
  • WVernon WhiteKO/TKO R1
    Close -2808mo before
  • WTito OrtizKO/TKO R2
    Close +1451y before
  • LRandy CoutureKO/TKO R3
    Close -2301y 10mo before
  • WRenato SobralKO/TKO R1
    Close -3752y 5mo before
  • WVitor BelfortU-DEC R3
    2y 10mo before
Randy Couture
  • WVitor BelfortKO/TKO R3
    Close -1658mo before
  • LVitor BelfortKO/TKO R1
    Close -2251y 2mo before
  • WTito OrtizU-DEC R5
    Close +1501y 7mo before
  • WChuck LiddellKO/TKO R3
    Close +1701y 10mo before
  • LRicco RodriguezKO/TKO R5
    2y 7mo before
Liddell — win / loss by method
Record: 15-3-0

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, 2 losses
W
53% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
7% of wins
L
33% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 0 losses
W
40% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
10win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (50%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(50%) 1
5 (50%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
5win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (60%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (20%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (20%)Decision(0%) 0
Couture — win / loss by method
Record: 13-6-0

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, 3 losses
W
46% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
1 win, 3 losses
W
8% of wins
L
50% of losses
Decision
6 wins, 0 losses
W
46% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
10win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (60%)KO/TKO(100%) 3
1 (10%)Submission(0%) 0
3 (30%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
3win3loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(100%) 3
3 (100%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Liddell
Couture
12
UFC fights
13
114.5 min · 9.5 avg
Octagon time
172.1 min · 13.2 avg
28y 2m
Career length
29y 2m
UFC schedule strength

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

Liddell
Couture
139W–52L · 72.8%
Overall
111W–27L · 80.4%
107W–43L · 71.3%
Wins
75W–22L · 77.3%
32W–9L · 78.0%
Losses
36W–5L · 87.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Liddell
Couture
81W–19L · 81.0%
Overall
125W–53L · 70.2%
63W–16L · 79.7%
Wins
86W–36L · 70.5%
18W–3L · 85.7%
Losses
39W–17L · 69.6%
Distance striking
Liddell
Couture
2.50
Landed / min
1.73
34.3%
Accuracy
45.8%
58.5%
Defense
70.3%
0.92
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
68.2%
Time at distance
29.2%
Grappling & control
Liddell
Couture
0.39
Takedowns / 15 min
2.88
75.0%
Takedown accuracy
58.9%
78.8%
Takedown defense
43.8%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.44
59.4%
Control share
69.9%
Strike target map
Liddell
  • Head53%(169)div 67%
  • Body7%(23)div 13%
  • Legs40%(129)div 20%
Couture
  • Head78%(350)div 67%
  • Body9%(42)div 13%
  • Legs13%(58)div 20%

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

Chuck Liddell
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Randy Couture
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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