UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song
Rei Tsuruya defeats Kevin Borjas by Submission
Round 1 · 4:14
Tsuruya vs Borjas — Flyweight · UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song
Predictions summary
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Rei Tsuruya took Kevin Borjas down in less than a minute and punished him from top position.
When Borjas stood, Tsuruya took his back and dragged him down again before securing a first-round rear-naked choke.
- Primary sourceOfficial UFC source
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Tsuruya
Five of Tsuruya's eleven wins are submissions, and the rates behind them are 5.03 takedowns and 2.01 submission attempts per 15 minutes. What he does not do is defend — 43% striking defence, 50% takedown defence — which is more survivable against an opponent who never shoots.
Case for Borjas
Borjas has recorded 0.00 takedowns and 0.00 submission attempts per 15 minutes: a striker who stays a striker, with eight knockouts among eleven wins and 73% takedown defence. The figure against him is 5.27 significant strikes absorbed a minute, more than the 3.87 he lands.
What We Were Watching For
- Tsuruya's 5.03 takedowns per 15 minutes against Borjas's 73% takedown defence — and Borjas's own 0.00, which leaves Tsuruya nothing to defend.
- Borjas has never recorded a submission attempt. Five of Tsuruya's eleven wins are submissions.
- Tsuruya's 43% striking defence against a man who has stopped eight of his eleven opponents.
- Borjas beat Andre Lima in June; Lima fights Namsrai Batbayar on this same card.
Records & career stats
- 2.85 3.70
- 43% 50%
- 1.79 5.44
- 50% 70%
- 83% 73%
- 11-1-0
- Record
- 11-5-0
- —
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- Japan
- Nationality
- Peru
- 24
- Age
- 28
- —
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- —
- 09:07
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- 11:54
- The BLACKBELT Japan
- Team
- Pitbull Martial Arts Center
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Record is as of fight night; career stats, recent form and win totals are the latest on file and may include this fight. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Comments
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Performance filters use calls resolved before this event.
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · KO/TKO · Round 2
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya for a second-round ground-and-pound stoppage.
“Rei Tsuruya, TKO via ground and pound in the second round.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 70.8% 121 50
- Method Accuracy 62.9% 56 33
- Round Accuracy 38.5% 10 16
- Underdog Accuracy 48.5% 16 17
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 2
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya by second-round submission; the captioned name is garbled but the opponent and card context resolve the bout.
“I'm going to go with Ray Seruya to win this fight by a second round submission.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 70.6% 115 48
- Method Accuracy 61.8% 47 29
- Round Accuracy 36.5% 19 33
- Underdog Accuracy 52.9% 9 8
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission.
“Rei Tsuruya sub is the pick.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 69.6% 165 72
- Method Accuracy 58.4% 59 42
- Round Accuracy 75.0% 6 2
- Underdog Accuracy 46.2% 12 14
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya without committing to a method.
“I'm gonna go with Ray Turia.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 65.9% 203 105
- Method Accuracy 52.8% 57 51
- Round Accuracy 32.4% 12 25
- Underdog Accuracy 47.2% 17 19
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 1
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya for a first-round submission through his grappling advantage.
“First-round submission.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 65.4% 83 44
- Method Accuracy 60.4% 29 19
- Round Accuracy 44.4% 4 5
- Underdog Accuracy 30.0% 3 7
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya and expects an early finish without committing to one exact outcome.
“I think it's Tsuruya here. I think it's done in rounds one or rounds two.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 64.4% 94 52
- Method Accuracy 58.5% 48 34
- Round Accuracy 35.9% 14 25
- Underdog Accuracy 35.0% 7 13
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 1
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya by first-round submission.
“Rei Tsuruya by sub in the first round.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 63.6% 77 44
- Method Accuracy 64.6% 42 23
- Round Accuracy 47.2% 17 19
- Underdog Accuracy 26.3% 5 14
Current pick evidence
Picked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub
Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission
Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission, allowing either of the opening two rounds.
“Rei Tsuruya for me in this fight to win via submission.”
Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
- Winner Accuracy 59.4% 41 28
- Method Accuracy 57.7% 15 11
- Round Accuracy 12.5% 1 7
- Underdog Accuracy 30.8% 4 9
Analyst picks: Bedtime MMA Hit; TheWeasle Hit; AJ Devito Hit; The MMA Guru Hit; JakeGerberMMA Hit; DFS By The Numbers Hit; HopperMMA Hit; MMA Prediction Guru (MMAPG) Hit.
| Expand row | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bedtime MMA
Bedtime MMA
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · KO/TKO · Round 2 Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya for a second-round ground-and-pound stoppage. “Rei Tsuruya, TKO via ground and pound in the second round.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · KO/TKO · R2 | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Miss | Miss | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya for a second-round ground-and-pound stoppage. “Rei Tsuruya, TKO via ground and pound in the second round.” Track record: winner called in 121 of 171 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
TheWeasle
TheWeasle
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 2 Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya by second-round submission; the captioned name is garbled but the opponent and card context resolve the bout. “I'm going to go with Ray Seruya to win this fight by a second round submission.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · Sub · R2 | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Hit | Miss | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya by second-round submission; the captioned name is garbled but the opponent and card context resolve the bout. “I'm going to go with Ray Seruya to win this fight by a second round submission.” Track record: winner called in 115 of 163 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
AJ Devito
AJ Devito
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission. “Rei Tsuruya sub is the pick.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · Sub | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission. “Rei Tsuruya sub is the pick.” Track record: winner called in 165 of 237 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
The MMA Guru
The MMA Guru
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya without committing to a method. “I'm gonna go with Ray Turia.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · to win | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya without committing to a method. “I'm gonna go with Ray Turia.” Track record: winner called in 203 of 308 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
JakeGerberMMA
JakeGerberMMA
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 1 Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya for a first-round submission through his grappling advantage. “First-round submission.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · Sub · R1 | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya for a first-round submission through his grappling advantage. “First-round submission.” Track record: winner called in 83 of 127 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
DFS By The Numbers
DFS By The Numbers
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya and expects an early finish without committing to one exact outcome. “I think it's Tsuruya here. I think it's done in rounds one or rounds two.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · to win | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Not called | Not called | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya and expects an early finish without committing to one exact outcome. “I think it's Tsuruya here. I think it's done in rounds one or rounds two.” Track record: winner called in 94 of 146 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
HopperMMA
HopperMMA
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub · Round 1 Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya by first-round submission. “Rei Tsuruya by sub in the first round.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · Sub · R1 | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya by first-round submission. “Rei Tsuruya by sub in the first round.” Track record: winner called in 77 of 121 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
MMA Prediction Guru (MMAPG)
MMA Prediction Guru (MMAPG)
Current pick evidencePicked: Rei Tsuruya · Sub Fight result: Rei Tsuruya · Submission Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission, allowing either of the opening two rounds. “Rei Tsuruya for me in this fight to win via submission.” Analyst track record Track record countsWinner counts resolved calls. Method and Round count only after a correct winner call. Underdog counts picks for a strict underdog in frozen pre-fight odds.Methodology
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 87.5%. Tsuruya · Sub | Tsuruya · Sub R1 | Hit | Hit | Not called | |
| Picks Rei Tsuruya by submission, allowing either of the opening two rounds. “Rei Tsuruya for me in this fight to win via submission.”
Hear it — 31:42
MMA Prediction Guru (MMAPG) on YouTube ↗
MMA Prediction Guru (MMAPG)’s track record →
Track record: winner called in 41 of 69 resolved picks. How winner calls are counted | ||||||
8 of 8 nailed it.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Results
Pre-fight calls vs result. Market: sportsbook snapshot or historic market reconstruction.
Actual Tsuruya · Submission · R1
Closest probability Gemini put 85% on Tsuruya.
AI Predictions — pre-fight snapshot
AI Predictions
Independent forecasts from ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini · latest 24 Aug, 4 days before the fight
All 3 models pick Tsuruya
They differ on how the fight ends, with win chances from 72% (ChatGPT) to 85% (Gemini).
Method mix differs most for Decision: 23% (Gemini) to 41% (Claude), a 18-point range.
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ChatGPT
47 of 81 winner picks correct · 58% hit rate
Pick Tsuruya by submission in round 2
Win probability: Tsuruya 72%, Borjas 28%.
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score. -
Claude
46 of 75 winner picks correct · 61% hit rate
Pick Tsuruya by decision
Win probability: Tsuruya 82%, Borjas 18%.
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score. -
Gemini
50 of 81 winner picks correct · 62% hit rate
Pick Tsuruya by submission in round 1
Win probability: Tsuruya 85%, Borjas 15%.
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.
ChatGPT reads the fight as “Rei Tsuruya is favored because the locked distribution assigns him a 72% overall win probability, led by a 36% submission outcome. Kevin Borjas's strongest path is a KO/TKO at 18%, but the model's likeliest single outcome is a Tsuruya submission in round two.”
What to watch
- Tsuruya holds a 72% overall win probability in the locked distribution.
- Tsuruya by submission is the largest individual outcome at 36%.
- Borjas by KO/TKO is the principal upset outcome at 18%.
Swing factor
Whether Borjas can keep the fight in the phase most favorable to his 18% KO/TKO path before Tsuruya can realize the model's submission-heavy advantage.
More detail3 areas differ
The models differ on finish method, round timing, probability distribution.
| Detail | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it endsKO/TKOSubmissionDecisionTop to bottom in each stack | |||
| Round | Round 2 | — | Round 1 |
| Detail | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it endsKO/TKOSubmissionDecisionTop to bottom in each stack | |||
| Round | Round 2 | — | Round 1 |
ChatGPT
Pick
Tsuruya by submission in round 2
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.Winner probability by method
How ChatGPT sees the fight
Rei Tsuruya is favored because the locked distribution assigns him a 72% overall win probability, led by a 36% submission outcome. Kevin Borjas's strongest path is a KO/TKO at 18%, but the model's likeliest single outcome is a Tsuruya submission in round two.
Keys to victory
- Tsuruya holds a 72% overall win probability in the locked distribution.
- Tsuruya by submission is the largest individual outcome at 36%.
- Borjas by KO/TKO is the principal upset outcome at 18%.
X-factor
Whether Borjas can keep the fight in the phase most favorable to his 18% KO/TKO path before Tsuruya can realize the model's submission-heavy advantage.
gpt-5.6-sol · 23 Aug47 of 81 winner picks correct · 58% hit rate
Claude
Pick
Tsuruya by decision
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.Winner probability by method
How Claude sees the fight
Rei Tsuruya should win by imposing a wrestling-first game: entries, control, back-take, choke. Tsuruya's UFC takedown completion is only ~25% (8/32) and his striking output is low (17/32/17 sig. strikes in three UFC bouts), so a grindy decision is at least as likely as a finish. Kevin Borjas has the output and pop edge standing (3.87 vs 2.40 SLpM) but absorbs 5.27/min, has 0 UFC takedowns and 73% TDD, and is on a 70-day turnaround in his third fight in six months after missing weight in June. The model prices Tsuruya ~82%, marginally under the ~85% no-vig market.
Keys to victory
- Grappling gap: Rei Tsuruya's wrestling base and 2.01 subs/15min vs Kevin Borjas' 73% TDD; Borjas was taken down before Imanol Rodriguez finished him
- Standing risk is real: Kevin Borjas has the volume (3.87 SLpM) and knockdown edge against Rei Tsuruya's 43% strike defense and 0.00 knockdown average
- Load and weight: Borjas' 70-day turnaround, three fights in six months and a 3 lb miss in June vs Tsuruya's first 125 lb cut since March 2025
X-factor
Weigh-ins (Aug 28) were unknown at research close: Kevin Borjas missed weight last time after walking around 170, and Rei Tsuruya returns to 125 post-layoff — either bad cut reshapes the grappling.
claude-opus-5 · 24 Aug46 of 75 winner picks correct · 61% hit rate
Gemini
Pick
Tsuruya by submission in round 1
High confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.Winner probability by method
How Gemini sees the fight
Based on the provided records and inferred stylistic profiles from the assignment, Rei Tsuruya (11-1-0) enters as the clear favorite over Kevin Borjas (11-5-0). Model inference suggests that Tsuruya will effectively implement a dominant, likely grappling-heavy game plan, exploiting Borjas's statistical defensive gaps to secure a submission or TKO. Borjas's most viable path to victory relies on landing a concussive strike, which remains a low-probability outcome given the respective trajectories of both fighters.
Keys to victory
- Rei Tsuruya's strong 11-1-0 record suggests a dominant stylistic advantage, inferred to be a high-level grappling skill set.
- Kevin Borjas's 11-5-0 record indicates exploitable defensive vulnerabilities against top-tier prospects.
- Model inference points to a likely early finish for Tsuruya via submission or ground strikes due to the notable disparity in their professional records.
X-factor
High-variance striking exchanges in the opening minutes representing Borjas's primary path to an upset.
gemini-3.1-pro-high · 24 Aug50 of 81 winner picks correct · 62% hit rate
AI-generated · Not betting advice · 18+ (21+ where required) · Gambling help (opens in new tab) ↗
No market odds are available for this fight yet.










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