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UFC 39: The Warriors Return
BJ Penn
BJ Penn
4-1 · USA
VS
Matt Serra
Matt Serra
6-1 · USA
September 27, 2002 · Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Lightweight · 3 rounds
154.0lb
Weigh-in
154.0lb
BJ Penn def. Matt Serra by U-DEC, R3 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Penn14/200/000:10
Serra1/110/501:55
R2
Penn5/91/100:43
Serra5/141/502:20
R3
Penn13/230/000:02
Serra2/240/700:04
Total
Penn32/521/100:55
Serra8/491/1704:19

Scorecards

Penn vs Serra

RdCecil PeoplesDouglas CrosbyJeff MullenCommunity
R1---10-9
R2---9.2-9.8
R3---9.7-9.4
Total29-2829-2829-2828.9-28.2

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Penn-Serra.

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
PennWin probabilitySerra
53.4%46.6%
KO / TKO
16%
Submission
19%
Decision
66%
Expected fight time: 11.6 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Penn53%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO13%25%
Submission6%11%
Decision34%64%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes35 (1945)act 32
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.7)act 1
Serra47%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO2%5%
Submission13%28%
Decision32%67%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes39 (2150)act 8
Takedowns0.4 (0.01.8)act 1
Combined totals~73 sig strikes~0.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R121%
R28%
R35%
Distance66%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.5%
Penn
44.2%+123
Serra
-12354.3%
Most takedownstie 48.9%
Penn
23.8%+114
Serra
-11427.3%
Significant strikes — over/under
Penn
Expected: 34.6
34.5
Over 34.5
42.7%
+134
Under 34.5
57.3%
-134
04487
Serra
Expected: 38.6
38.5
Over 38.5
42.6%
+135
Under 38.5
57.4%
-135
04997
Takedowns — over/under
Penn
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
30.9%
+224
Under 0.5
69.1%
-224
035
Serra
Expected: 0.4
0.5
Over 0.5
34.5%
+190
Under 0.5
65.5%
-190
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 11.6 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

No market on record for this bout.

Trait web
79.4Striking58.4
Penn +21.0
67.4Grappling57.7
Penn +9.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
PennSerra
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1549
Pound-for-pound
1531
1549
Divisional
1528
1502
Striking offense
1474
1511
Striking defense
1503
1528
Grappling offense
1546
1526
Grappling defense
1529
Physical
23 yrs
Age
28 yrs
5'9"
Height
5'6"
70"
Reach
68"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.94
Strikes landed / min
0.64
62%
Strike accuracy
42%
1.16
Strikes absorbed / min
0.82
60%
Strike defense
44%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.64
Takedowns / 15 min
2.74
71%
Takedown accuracy
21%
55%
Takedown defense
33%
0.7
Sub attempts / 15 min
4.1
Form & résumé
80%
UFC win rate
67%
+1
Win/loss streak
+2
80%
Last-5 win rate
67%
100%
Finish rate
50%
Recent opp. quality
140
Days since last fight
189
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
BJ Penn
  • WPaul CreightonKO/TKO R2
    5mo before
  • LJens PulverM-DEC R5
    9mo before
  • WCaol UnoKO/TKO R1
    11mo before
  • WDin ThomasKO/TKO R1
    Close -1451y 3mo before
  • WJoey GilbertKO/TKO R1
    1y 5mo before
Matt Serra
  • WKelly DullantySUB R1
    missed6mo before
  • WYves EdwardsM-DEC R3
    Close -1851y before
  • LShonie CarterKO/TKO R3
    1y 5mo before
Penn — win / loss by method
Record: 4-1-0

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
4 wins, 0 losses
W
100% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Serra — win / loss by method
Record: 6-1-0

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
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
5 wins, 0 losses
W
83% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
17% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
2win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
1 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (50%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
4win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (100%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Penn
Serra
5
UFC fights
3
41.2 min · 8.2 avg
Octagon time
32.8 min · 10.9 avg
25y 3m
Career length
28y 4m
UFC schedule strength

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

Penn
Serra
40W–7L · 85.1%
Overall
40W–10L · 80.0%
29W–6L · 82.9%
Wins
22W–5L · 81.5%
11W–1L · 91.7%
Losses
18W–5L · 78.3%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Penn
Serra
Overall
0W–0L
Wins
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Penn
Serra
4.02
Landed / min
1.21
46.4%
Accuracy
28.6%
70.4%
Defense
47.8%
0.73
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.00
27.1%
Time at distance
20.2%
Grappling & control
Penn
Serra
3.64
Takedowns / 15 min
2.74
71.4%
Takedown accuracy
21.4%
54.5%
Takedown defense
33.3%
0.73
Sub attempts / 15 min
4.11
54.2%
Control share
65.0%
Strike target map
Penn
  • Head64%(78)div 61%
  • Body21%(26)div 23%
  • Legs14%(17)div 16%
Serra
  • Head48%(10)div 61%
  • Body29%(6)div 23%
  • Legs24%(5)div 16%

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

BJ Penn
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Matt Serra
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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