The Ultimate Fight Fan
+ Log a bet
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya
Valter Walker
Valter Walker
11-1 · BRA
VS
Junior Tafa
Junior Tafa
5-2 · NZL
August 17, 2024 · Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Heavyweight · 3 rounds
252.0lb
Weigh-in
244.0lb
Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa by SUB (Heel Hook), R1 4:56
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 4:56
Walker4/42/303:54
Tafa5/80/000:00
Total
Walker4/42/303:54
Tafa5/80/000:00

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
WalkerWin probabilityTafa
61.3%38.7%
KO / TKO
48%
Submission
16%
Decision
36%
Expected fight time: 9.0 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

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

Predicted outcomes
Walker61%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO27%44%
Submission10%16%
Decision24%40%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes29 (1139)act 4
Takedowns1.5 (0.04.5)act 2
Tafa39%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%56%
Submission6%15%
Decision11%29%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes28 (1138)act 5
Takedowns0.3 (0.01.2)act 0
Combined totals~56 sig strikes~1.8 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R135%
R216%
R313%
Distance36%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.7%
Walker
49.9%-103
Tafa
+10348.5%
Most takedownstie 30.6%
Walker
58.8%-553
Tafa
+55310.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Walker
Expected: 28.5
28.5
Over 28.5
39.8%
+152
Under 28.5
60.2%
-152
03672
Tafa
Expected: 27.8
28
Over 28
38.5%
+155
Exactly 28
1.7%
push
Under 28
59.8%
-155
03570
Takedowns — over/under
Walker
Expected: 1.5
1.5
Over 1.5
46.3%
+116
Under 1.5
53.7%
-116
035
Tafa
Expected: 0.3
0.5
Over 0.5
20.9%
+378
Under 0.5
79.1%
-378
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 9.0 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
Walker61.3%55.9%+5.4-145
Tafa38.7%44.1%−5.4+114

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
54.5Striking60.4
Tafa +5.9
45.0Grappling22.6
Walker +22.4
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
WalkerTafa
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1518
Pound-for-pound
1503
1518
Divisional
1503
1498
Striking offense
1507
1496
Striking defense
1506
1504
Grappling offense
1495
1507
Grappling defense
1501
Physical
26 yrs
Age
27 yrs
6'6"
Height
6'3"
78"
Reach
75"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.20
Strikes landed / min
1.81
49%
Strike accuracy
41%
3.87
Strikes absorbed / min
1.86
43%
Strike defense
50%
Grappling (UFC career)
4.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
80%
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
81%
0.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.0
Form & résumé
0%
UFC win rate
33%
-1
Win/loss streak
-1
0%
Last-5 win rate
33%
Finish rate
100%
Recent opp. quality
133
Days since last fight
182
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Valter Walker
  • LLukasz BrzeskiU-DEC R3
    Close -2404mo before
Junior Tafa
  • LMarcos Rogerio de LimaKO/TKO R2
    Close +1906mo before
  • WParker PorterKO/TKO R1
    Close -1621y before
  • LMohammed UsmanU-DEC R3
    Close -1161y 4mo before
Walker — win / loss by method
Record: 11-1-0

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
6 wins, 0 losses
W
55% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 0 losses
W
9% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 1 loss
W
36% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
0win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 ()Submission(0%) 0
0 ()Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
11win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
6 (55%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (9%)Submission() 0
4 (36%)Decision() 0
Tafa — win / loss by method
Record: 5-2-0

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
5 wins, 1 loss
W
100% of wins
L
50% 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
50% of losses
UFC
1win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (100%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
4win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (100%)KO/TKO() 0
0 (0%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Walker
Tafa
1
UFC fights
3
15.0 min · 15.0 avg
Octagon time
22.6 min · 7.5 avg
5y 10m
Career length
4y 1m
UFC schedule strength

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

Walker
Tafa
8W–4L · 66.7%
Overall
43W–19L · 69.4%
0W–0L
Wins
14W–8L · 63.6%
8W–4L · 66.7%
Losses
29W–11L · 72.5%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Walker
Tafa
64W–34L · 65.3%
Overall
28W–20L · 58.3%
64W–34L · 65.3%
Wins
28W–20L · 58.3%
0W–0L
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Walker
Tafa
3.54
Landed / min
4.40
43.4%
Accuracy
33.3%
42.7%
Defense
58.7%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.66
43.3%
Time at distance
26.1%
Grappling & control
Walker
Tafa
4.00
Takedowns / 15 min
0.00
80.0%
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
81.3%
0.00
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.00
91.1%
Control share
0.4%
Strike target map
Walker
  • Head58%(19)div 65%
  • Body18%(6)div 20%
  • Legs24%(8)div 16%
Tafa
  • Head80%(33)div 65%
  • Body17%(7)div 20%
  • Legs2%(1)div 16%

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

Valter Walker
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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

Junior Tafa
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

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