SHERDOG MARVIN CHEUNG
ufc Fightology report 2012 - 2014
Executive summary This report highlights the data and the analysis taken place in order to bring forth the concept of the UFC Fightology for Sherdog. The data utilised encompasses the general data associated with each fight during a UFC event. Events that have been covered span from 2012 to May 31, 2014. The data has been catagorised by weight divisions, thus providing a clear insight into the network created by fighters and their opponents. The result of the data analysis allows for the creation of visualisations, which further leads to the development of products on various platforms. Henceforth providing users with greater insight into each fight. This can affect how one can perceive a fight, as well as possibly impact upon a bet.
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Design Aim The aim of Sherdog’s UFC Fightology is to provide avid viewers as well casual viewers with further insight into the possibilities in which could occur during a match. The further insight could impact upon a viewer’s perception of the potential outcome of a fight. With betting being a prominent factor associated with Mixed Martial Arts as a sport, being able to utilise statistics is a valuable resource. This will be conveyed and delivered through three platforms a website, a smartphone application and analytical videos. In order to maintain consistency throughout the products, Sherdog’s design theme has been applied, thus users will be able to associate UFC Fightology with the Sherdog brand. UFC Fightology will act as a readily accessible resource for viewers at any moment.
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Data analysis Origin of data
Dataset Attributes
Catagorisation
The data utilised was gathered from every fight to occur in the UFC from 2012 to the current day.
With the attributes in the dataset, networks can be created between the UFC fighters through the linking of fighters to each other based on opponents they had faced within the time period.
The data was catagorised as weightclasses as fighters only compete and against other fighters in their weightclass. As a result, this would allow for a clustering of networks. There are fighters who have changed weightclasses during the timeframe, which allows for the interconnection of clusters.
A total of 83 UFC events took place within this timeframe. 837 fights in total.
2014
18 Events
Weightclass Winner
2013 33 Events
Loser Result
2012
32 Events
Round Time
37
Flyweights
63 Bantamweights 97
Featherweights
135
Lightweights
148
Welterweights
185
Middleweights
56 Light Heavyweights 49 Heavyweights
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Data analysis With all of the data collated from 2012 to 2014, this would allow for the display of the temporal evolution of the UFC ďŹ ghter weight divisions. Data would be further proccessed before being brought into Gephi in order to create a visualisation of the networks present.
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Data analysis The Gephi visualisations allow for greater insight into the dynamic environment of the weightclasses. Each node is a fighter. There are also clusters which are defined as the weight classes. Edges connect fighters who have faced one another, as well as linking them to their respective weight class.
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT
MIDDLEWEIGHT LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
WELTERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT FLYWEIGHT BANTAMWEIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT BANTAMWEIGHT
BANTAMWEIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT
LIGHTWEIGHT
FEATHERWEIGHT LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT FLYWEIGHT
2012
2013
2014
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125 lbs
135 lbs
2014
2014
Flyweight
Trends & Findings The data was analysed and translated into appropriate visualisations. These visualisations will be able to adapt between the platforms mentioned previously. They will allow for the depiction of trends in a weight division over the course of the three years. As a result this could affect one’s decision in choosing the outcome of a fight. The comparative bar charts display the amount of technical knockout (TKO) / knockouts (KO), submissions and decision victories in which have occured over each years. Recognising how a certain way of victory is common within a certain weight division can be a vital indicator to the potential outcome of the match. Also accompanying the bar charts are temporal line charts, which indicate the most common rounds in which a TKO/KO or Submission could occur. This compliments the comparative bar charts as it highlights when the fight outcomes could actually occur. A chart for decisions is unneccesary as they occur only when the match has fulfilled its time limit without a finishing victory.
bantamweight
TKO/KO 0 SUB 3 DEC 10
TKO/KO 6 SUB 4 DEC 12
2013
2013
TKO/KO 5 SUB 1 DEC 7
TKO/KO 7 SUB 8 DEC 13
2012
2012
TKO/KO 3 SUB 3 DEC 6
TKO/KO 9 SUB 11 DEC 15
mOST COMMON
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND 2
2012
2
2013
mOST COMMON
sUBMISSION ROUND
0
2014
2
2012
5
2013
1
2014
1
2012
145 lbs
155 lbs
2014
2014
2
2013
TKO/KO 6 SUB 5 DEC 13
TKO/KO 10 SUB 4 DEC 24
2013
2013
TKO/KO 10 SUB 4 DEC 25
TKO/KO 14 SUB 15 DEC 25
2012
2012
mOST COMMON
1
mOST COMMON
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
2013
1
2014
1
2012
1
3
2013
2014
TKO/KO 16 SUB 13 DEC 37
TKO/KO 12 SUB 10 DEC 27
1
sUBMISSION ROUND
lightweight
featherweight
2012
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
1
2012
1
2013
2
2014
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
1
2012
2
2013
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
1
2012
2
2013
1
2014
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170 lbs
185 lbs
2014
2014
middleweight
welterweight
Trends & Findings In addition to the weight division overviews, visualisations have also been created for individual fighters highlighting their career victories and losses, as well as further breaking down the way each had occured.
TKO/KO 2 SUB 10 DEC 22
TKO/KO 4 SUB 8 DEC 13
2013
2013
TKO/KO 20 SUB 7 DEC 30
TKO/KO 10 SUB 12 DEC 21
2012
2012 TKO/KO 16 SUB 7 DEC 23
TKO/KO 19 SUB 12 DEC 30
mOST COMMON
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND 15 TKO/KO 19 Submission 3 Decision
Wins
8 TKO/KO 2 Submission 3 Decision
Losses
This data is also holds a high level of significance as individual fighter attributes and statistics greatly impact upon the outcome of a fight. Hence the synthesised connection between the individual fighter visualisations and the charts is included. Furthermore, an individual fighter’s past fight outcomes is also included to provided further depth into the background of each fighter participating. This could allow one to forecast the potential outcome of an upcoming fight.
1
2012
1
2013
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
3
2012
1
2013
1
2014
mOST COMMON
2
2012
2
2013
205 lbs
265 lbs
2014
2014
TKO/KO 4 SUB 3 DEC 4
TKO/KO 4 SUB 0 DEC 5
2013
2013
TKO/KO 9 SUB 4 DEC 13
TKO/KO 18 SUB 3 DEC 4
2012
2012
TKO/KO 5 SUB 8 DEC 11
TKO/KO 17 SUB 5 DEC 5
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
1
2012
1
2013
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
2
2012
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
2
2012
1
2013
1
2014
heavyweight
light heavyweight
mOST COMMON
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
1
2013
1
2014
mOST COMMON
mOST COMMON
TKO/KO ROUND
1
2012
1
2013
sUBMISSION ROUND
1
2014
1
2012
2
2013
0
2014
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Platforms
Desktop Website
Smartphone App
Analytical Video
The desktop website will provide users with a dashboard of data visualisations based upon which fight they select from an event. This is ideally for those who a looking to gain further insight into a fight before an event or look back at past fights. The visualisations encompass the fighter statistics, fighter past fights as well as their weight division overview. These three elements in synchronicity provide the neccesary insight into a fight in order to assist in predicting the winner.
The smartphone app will ideally cater for those attending live UFC events. The features on the smartphone app mirror those on the desktop website. However, the intention is to provide the UFC Fightology product to those who do not have the desktop website readily available.
The analytical videos will be hosted on YouTube and featured on Sherdog’s website as well as social media accounts. They will allow for a widespread distribution of the information through a video medium, which will summarise stats relevant to a specific fight. They will be of approximately a minute in length. This will allow for the quick delivery of information to the viewer. The videos will include past fight footage of the featured fighters, as well as overlays of the information accompanied by a voice over from a professional analyst.
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Desktop Website
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Smartphone Application
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Analytical videos
[Voice over]: “Knockouts have become synonymous within the heavyweight division over the years. Will we see another knockout victory in this heavyweight bout?”
“...however rwe can see that he is piling on the knockout victories in his most recent bouts.”
“Alistair Overeem has won many of his career victories by means of submission...”
“So who is your pick to win at the event?”
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