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UFC 21: Return of the Champions
Maurice Smith
Maurice Smith
5-9 · USA
VS
Marco Ruas
Marco Ruas
8-2-2 · BRA
July 16, 1999 · Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
Heavyweight · 3 rounds · Main event
226.0lb
Weigh-in
220.0lb
Maurice Smith def. Marco Ruas by KO/TKO (to Knee Injury), R1 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Smith4/40/000:34
Ruas1/11/103:41
Total
Smith4/40/000:34
Ruas1/11/103:41

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
SmithWin probabilityRuas
34.5%65.5%
KO / TKO
21%
Submission
14%
Decision
64%
Expected fight time: 11.7 min
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Smith34%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO7%21%
Submission2%7%
Decision25%72%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes51 (2966)act 4
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.3)act 0
Ruas66%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%22%
Submission12%18%
Decision40%60%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes46 (2659)act 1
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.1)act 1
Combined totals~97 sig strikes~1.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R120%
R28%
R38%
Distance64%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.1%
Smith
54.8%-124
Ruas
+12444.1%
Most takedownstie 30.6%
Smith
14.6%+374
Ruas
-37454.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Smith
Expected: 51.0
51
Over 51
41.9%
+136
Exactly 51
1.3%
push
Under 51
56.8%
-136
064128
Ruas
Expected: 45.5
45.5
Over 45.5
42.5%
+135
Under 45.5
57.5%
-135
057114
Takedowns — over/under
Smith
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
55.3%
-124
Under 0.5
44.7%
+124
035
Ruas
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
88.2%
-751
Under 0.5
11.8%
+751
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 11.7 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
73.7Striking71.4
Smith +2.4
18.6Grappling71.5
Ruas +52.9
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SmithRuas
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1480
Pound-for-pound
1548
1476
Divisional
1501
1468
Striking offense
1485
1553
Striking defense
1532
1477
Grappling offense
1516
1511
Grappling defense
1532
Physical
37 yrs
Age
38 yrs
6'2"
Height
6'1"
Reach
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
1.31
Strikes landed / min
1.19
77%
Strike accuracy
45%
0.92
Strikes absorbed / min
0.50
59%
Strike defense
68%
Grappling (UFC career)
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.60
Takedown accuracy
67%
36%
Takedown defense
75%
0.7
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.8
Form & résumé
50%
UFC win rate
80%
-2
Win/loss streak
-1
50%
Last-5 win rate
80%
50%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
133
Days since last fight
1308
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Maurice Smith
  • LKevin RandlemanU-DEC R2
    4mo before
  • LRandy CoutureM-DEC R3
    1y 7mo before
  • WDavid AbbottSUB R1
    1y 9mo before
  • WMark ColemanU-DEC R3
    2y before
Marco Ruas
  • LOleg TaktarovU-DEC R1
    3y 7mo before
  • WKeith HackneySUB R1
    3y 7mo before
  • WPaul VarelansKO/TKO R1
    3y 10mo before
  • WLarry CuretonSUB R1
    3y 10mo before
  • WRemco PardoelSUB R1
    3y 10mo before
Smith — win / loss by method
Record: 5-9-0

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
1 win, 5 losses
W
20% of wins
L
56% of losses
Decision
1 win, 2 losses
W
20% of wins
L
22% of losses
DQ / other
0 wins, 2 losses
W
0% of wins
L
22% of losses
UFC
2win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
1 (50%)Decision(100%) 2
Non-UFC
3win7loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (100%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(71%) 5
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
0 (0%)DQ / other(29%) 2
Ruas — win / loss by method
Record: 8-2-2

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
2 wins, 1 loss
W
25% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
6 wins, 0 losses
W
75% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 1 loss
W
0% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
4win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (25%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
3 (75%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
4win1loss2draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (25%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (75%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Smith
Ruas
4
UFC fights
5
65.1 min · 16.3 avg
Octagon time
49.8 min · 10.0 avg
32y 2m
Career length
41y 8m
UFC schedule strength

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

Smith
Ruas
21W–7L · 75.0%
Overall
13W–6L · 68.4%
12W–5L · 70.6%
Wins
6W–5L · 54.5%
9W–2L · 81.8%
Losses
7W–1L · 87.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Smith
Ruas
56W–20L · 73.7%
Overall
13W–14L · 48.1%
13W–7L · 65.0%
Wins
13W–12L · 52.0%
43W–13L · 76.8%
Losses
0W–2L · 0.0%
Distance striking
Smith
Ruas
0.96
Landed / min
1.05
71.1%
Accuracy
41.1%
78.1%
Defense
78.8%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.30
86.2%
Time at distance
84.1%
Grappling & control
Smith
Ruas
0.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.60
Takedown accuracy
66.7%
35.7%
Takedown defense
75.0%
0.69
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.81
Control share
Strike target map
Smith
  • Head56%(48)div 75%
  • Body5%(4)div 11%
  • Legs39%(33)div 15%
Ruas
  • Head32%(19)div 75%
  • Body3%(2)div 11%
  • Legs64%(38)div 15%

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

Maurice Smith
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Marco Ruas
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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