Fighting with Data

mikey1

Came across a really interesting presentation on UFC fight statistics you guys may like. Some of it is a little obvious but some of it very interesting. I'm sure the UFC uses some of the data in its match making.

FightMetric, the official statistics provider of the UFC, answered fundamental questions about MMA: Is a kick more effective than a punch? How do you evaluate fighter performance when matches can last 15 minutes or 15 seconds? The specific answers challenged conventional wisdom about the sport, while the broader observations hold potential insight for stats beyond the cage.

Here are the slides that go with the presentation:
http://www.sloansportsconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Genauer-Rami-Fight-Metrics-Sloan-v1-Dark1.pdf

The Presentation:

Jason McCabe

Data was the only person who could beat Worf in an MMA match

Mellor

I'm only a few minutes in and there's a lot of nonsense so far.

The "conventional wisdom" hierarchy for strikes, where did that come from?
Nobody would put type (kick or punch) ahead of strength (power or jab) or target (head, body, leg). By that insane logic, a jab leg kick is more important than a power punch to the head.

I say if you surveyed MMA fans/fighters. That they'd rank target as being a huge factor, closely followed by strength. Which is exactly what the results show. Looks like the conventional wisdom was ordered to make it look like the results achieve something.

MartyMcFly84

Data was the only person who could beat Worf in an MMA match

Really more of an android than a person. But I agree he would mop the floor with Worf inside the first frame.