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Middleweight
3 Rounds
Robert Whittaker won · U-DEC R3
Elo1511
Robert Whittaker editorial illustration
Elo1361

Robert WhittakervsRafael NatalUFC Prediction Result

UFC 197: Jones vs Saint Preux · Saturday, April 23, 2016Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Official fight result

Robert Whittaker won

U-DEC · Round 3 · 5:00

Style matchupRobert Whittaker: Well-roundedvsRafael Natal: Wrestler

Well-rounded fighters typically have the tools to neutralize wrestlers if their TD defense is sharp.

Model Prediction: Robert Whittaker wins(54.4%)

Actual result: Robert Whittaker wins · Model version: ufc_v6_2_pure_lightgbm_20260715_055615

Correct

Hypothetical $100 stake on the replay pick

Robert Whittaker at -325 American odds

+$31 profit

$131 total returned

Scouting Report

Auto-generated signals worth knowing before you read the deep stats below.

  • Rafael Natal has a 10cm reach advantage.

Tale of the Tape

Robert Whittaker
Red Corner
VS
Rafael Natal
Blue Corner
-325
(76%)
Vegas Odds
+265
(27%)
1511
Elo
1361
35
Age
43
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
6'0"
Height
6'0"
185.42 cm
Reach
195.58 cm

Recent Form

Last 5 fights for each fighter — most recent on the right. Hover any result for the matchup.

Robert Whittaker
oldest →
W
vs Paulo Costa · Feb 24
W
KOvs Ikram Aliskerov · Jun 24
L
SUBvs Khamzat Chimaev · Oct 24
L
vs Reinier de Ridder · Jul 25
W
KOvs Nikita Krylov · Jul 26
latest
Rafael NatalL2 streak
oldest →
W
vs Tom Watson · Jan 15
W
vs Uriah Hall · May 15
W
KOvs Kevin Casey · Jan 16
L
KOvs Tim Boetsch · Nov 16
L
KOvs Eryk Anders · Jul 17
latest

Output & Defense Comparison

Rate-normalized career statistics. Bold side has the edge per metric.

Robert WhittakerMetricRafael Natal
4.39
Strikes / min
3.10
3.36
Strikes absorbed / min
2.48
59%
Strike defense
57%
0.73
TDs / 15 min
2.55
82%
Takedown defense
77%
0.00
Sub atts / 15 min
0.50
Net striking (SLpM − SApM)
+1.03evenly matched on net striking+0.62

Statistical Profile

Career averages · bigger area = stronger across dimensions

Elo1577 vs 1583Strikes49.4 vs 41.1Takedowns0.5 vs 2.6Sub Atts0.00 vs 0.50Form0.9 vs 0.8
Robert WhittakerRafael Natal

Recent Elo Trajectory

Last 10 fights for each fighter, aligned right (most recent on the right).

14801493150515181530← oldermost recent →
Robert Whittaker(10 fights)Rafael Natal(10 fights)

Model Feature Differentials

Red − Blue for each engineered feature. Bar leans toward the stronger fighter.Hover a label to see what it measures.

ELO Rating
Red +150.0|Blue -150.0
Recent Form
Red +0.0|Blue -0.0
EVEN
Striker Score
Red +1.1|Blue -1.1
Grappler Score
Red -0.3|Blue +0.3
Layoff
Red +77.0|Blue -77.0
Red Corner advantageBlue Corner advantage

Strike Breakdown

Where the strikes landed. Head accuracy is the single strongest predictor of fight outcomes.

Robert WhittakerTargetRafael Natal

By target zone

51
40% acc · 57%
Head
36
38% acc · 58%
10
91% acc · 11%
Body
4
27% acc · 6%
28
78% acc · 31%
Leg
22
81% acc · 35%

By position

83
50% acc · 93%
Distance
61
45% acc · 98%
2
50% acc · 2%
Clinch
1
50% acc · 2%
4
67% acc · 4%
Ground
0

Round-by-Round Scoring (Model)

Statistical round-winner heuristic based on strikes, takedowns, control time, and knockdowns. Not the official judges' scorecard.

2
Robert Whittaker rounds
1
even
0
Rafael Natal rounds
Round 1Even round
Sig. strikes23
Takedowns0
Control0:02
22Sig. strikes
0Takedowns
0:00Control
Round 2Robert Whittaker edged it
Sig. strikes31
Takedowns0
Control0:00
21Sig. strikes
0Takedowns
0:00Control
Round 3Robert Whittaker edged it
Sig. strikes35
Takedowns0
Control0:00
19Sig. strikes
0Takedowns
0:00Control
Statistical round count agrees with the official result.

Fight Stats

Totals

0
KD
0
89 / 176
Sig Strikes
62 / 137
49.7%
Sig Str %
44.7%
92 / 179
Total Strikes
63 / 138
0 / 0
TDs
0 / 4
TD %
0%
0
Sub Att
0
0
Rev
0
0:02
Ctrl Time
0:00

Round-by-Round

RoundFighterSig StrTotal StrTDSub
1Rafael Natal22 / 4823 / 490 / 10
1Robert Whittaker23 / 5123 / 510 / 00
2Rafael Natal21 / 4621 / 460 / 20
2Robert Whittaker31 / 6133 / 630 / 00
3Rafael Natal19 / 4319 / 430 / 10
3Robert Whittaker35 / 6436 / 650 / 00

Robert Whittaker

StanceOrthodox
Height72.0"
Reach73.0"
Fights26

Rafael Natal

StanceOrthodox
Height72.0"
Reach77.0"
Fights16