Paul Gift
Dr. Paul Gift is a sports economist with a research focus on mixed martial arts. A licensed MMA referee and judge himself, Dr. Gift’s interests pertain to many facets of the MMA industry including behavioral biases and judging, the role of financial and environmental factors on fighter performance, determination of fighter marginal products, and predictive analytics.
A regular MMA business contributor for Forbes, Dr. Gift also writes about MMA analytics and officiating in popular press for SB Nation and co-hosts the MMA business podcast Show Money. His sports research has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, ESPN’s Grantland, and popular media including Around the Horn, Olbermann, and various MMA and boxing podcasts.
UFC 292: Two of the best fighters ever meet in main event
A detailed breakdown of the position-by-position statistics to watch out for in UFC 292’s Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley main event this Saturday.
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez alternative stats
A detailed breakdown of the position-by-position statistics to watch out for in UFC 290’s Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez main event this Saturday.
UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo alternative stats
A detailed breakdown of the position-by-position statistics to watch out for in UFC 288's Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo main event this Saturday.
UFC 281: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira alternative stats
The Octagon revisits NYC this Saturday with their UFC 281 PPV (pay-per-view) event, with one hell of a headliner and #3 hole matchup. Israel Adesanya finally gets his chance for the MMA version of redemption against Alex Pereira, the only man to ever knock him out. And oh good lord we finally get to see […]
UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev alternative stats
One of the most anticipated matchups of the year should finally arrive Saturday afternoon at UFC 280. If we can’t get the lightweight champ Charles Oliveira (not technically, but in spirit) against the undefeated former divisional champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, then Islam Makhachev sure is a nice consolation prize. It’s the second time in two months […]
UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards alternative stats
UFC 278 goes down Saturday night in Utah with the return of pound-for-pound #1 ranked champion Kamaru Usman. He’ll square up in a rematch with Leon Edwards, seven years in the making. The co-main event features a long-awaited return of former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold who hasn’t fought since before the world […]
UFC 276: Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier alternative stats
UFC 276 goes down Saturday night in Las Vegas where “The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya will put his title and 11-fight middleweight win streak on the line in the main event against Jared Cannonier, who’s won five-of-six since dropping down from light heavyweight. We aren’t going to waste any time with the co-main event today. […]
UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje alternative stats
UFC 274 goes down this Saturday night in Phoenix headlined by Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira’s second defense of his lightweight strap. With challenger Justin Gaethje, we’ve got a back-to-back lightweight title matchup with two excellent strikers who are also very hittable in their own right. The co-main event will be skipped as 2022 “Thug” Rose […]
UFC 272 analytics: Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal alternative stats
The grudge match is here. UFC 272 goes down Saturday night with a rare non-title headliner between former teammates turned rivals Colby Covington, the former interim welterweight champion, and Jorge Masvidal. Does he still count as the BMF belt-holder? Either way, the bad blood is there and the stats are, too, for one of them […]
UFC 271 analytics: Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker alternative stats
The UFC returns to Houston this Saturday with a middleweight rematch that will hopefully be a bit more compelling than the original. “The Last Stylebender,” Israel Adesanya, who just reportedly got paid even though no one really knows how much, defends his middleweight strap against Robert Whittaker, the former champ who’s clawed his way back […]
UFC 269: Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier alternative stats
The final PPV event of what should end up as the best financial year in UFC history goes down this Saturday night in Las Vegas. Now that McGregor madness is on the sidelines for the moment, Dustin Poirier’s calendar has cleared up for him to get back to the business of fighting the best-of-the-best. And […]
UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 alternative stats
The second of two UFC numbered events in a row goes down this Saturday with UFC 268 offering an impressive main card we unfortunately have to start paying for again. Colby Covington enters the Octagon on an eight-fight win streak over everyone except the man standing across him. That man, defending welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, […]
UFC 264 alternative stats
UFC 264 brings a capacity MMA crowd back to Las Vegas for the first time since Joanna and Weili put on a fight-of-the-year performance right before we all started learning about lockdowns, r-naught, and respiratory droplets. With an immediate rematch in the main event (even though it’s a McGregor fight), our focus will shift to […]
UFC 261: Weili Zhang vs. Rose Namajunas alternative stats
Fans? What’s it like to have fans? UFC 261 goes down Saturday night in Jacksonville to remind us of the good ol’ days when those who love the sport of MMA would spend their hard-earned money to sit in the same proximity as combatants engaged in a cage fight. With a stacked main card including […]
UFC 259: Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya alternative stats
Three belts will on the line this Saturday night at UFC 259 – COVID willing – for just the seventh time in the UFC’s 20-year history under the Zuffa banner. In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya moves up 20 pounds to challenge Jan Blachowicz in the first defense of his light heavyweight strap. […]
UFC 258: Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns alternative stats
The UFC brings its tentpole shows back to Vegas tomorrow when Zuffa-undefeated welterweight champion Kamaru Usman headlines UFC 258 against challenger Gilbert Burns who hasn’t lost since moving up to welterweight in 2019 and most recently cruised to a 50-45/44 victory over former champ Tyron Woodley. As former training partners, these two should be intimately […]
UFC 257: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 alternative stats
You know it’s a Conor McGregor fight week when a shirtless arrival video is making the news on a Monday. UFC 257 goes down this Saturday night and the alternative stats will be singularly focused this week: Poirier vs. McGregor, the rematch. WATCH LIVE! UFC 257 – ‘MCGREGOR VS. POIRIER 2’: SUPER FIGHT! – PLUS: […]
UFC 256: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno alternative stats
It’s déjà vu in Vegas on Saturday as UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo gets set to headline two pay-per-view events in a row, with only three weeks rest, against an upstart challenger in Brandon Moreno who went from cut to UFC title challenger in the span of just four fights, and also happens to be […]
UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje alternative stats
The UFC closes out its second stint on Fight Island during the pandemic era with a special 2pm ET main card start time this Saturday. In what may now be a more anticipated matchup than Tony Ferguson, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to Abu Dhabi to defend his strap against an interim champ in Justin […]
UFC 253: Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa alternative stats
The UFC heads back to Fight Island this Saturday for a five-week stint with some seriously fun fights on the menu (see Marlon Moraes vs. Cory Sandhagen), culminating in the return of Khabib Nurmagomedov on Oct. 24 at UFC 254. DON’T MISS UFC 254 – ‘KHABIB VS. GAETHJE’ & WHITTAKER VS CANNONIER – October 24th., […]
UFC 252: Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3 alternative stats
The UFC is back in Vegas this week for the second pandemic PPV show to be held at its Apex facility, and boy is its headliner a doozy. Whether or not you believe the winner should be considered the best heavyweight in UFC history, it’s one hell of a matchup. The current champ, Stipe Miocic, […]
UFC 251: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal alternative stats
Fight Island time is almost upon us. Please face-punching gods, throw us a bone in these trying coronavirus times and let this lovely UFC 251 main card stay intact. I love a good deal and the value per dollar of this PPV show, on paper, is impressive. DON’T MISS UFC 251 – ‘USMAN VS. MASVIDAL’ […]
UFC 250: Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer alternative stats
There’s only one more day until the women’s GOAT – and possibly overall MMA GOAT – Amanda Nunes brings joy to our fight lives with damage inside a locked cage. It’s UFC Pandemic Show #4 and the promotion’s come home to Nevada and an empty Apex facility to keep us entertained on a quasi-quarantine Saturday […]
UFC 249: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje alternative stats
We’ve got live sports again! The UFC throws its fight entertainment hat back into the ring this Saturday with a stacked card, quickly followed by two more shows to remind us of the pre-virus fight-overload days. DON’T MISS ‘UFC 249 ‘GAETHJE VS. FERGUSON’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a single second […]
UFC 248: Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero win probabilities and possible bets
The win probabilities for UFC 248’s six qualifying matchups are in. Here are the estimated odds for each bout where both fighters have at least four fully-documented prior fights and aren’t heavyweights. For statistical overload on the distance, clinch, and ground alternative stats behind the Adesanya-Romero and Zhang-Jedrzejczyk headlining matchups, see Tuesday’s piece. BE SURE […]
Accuracy, volume, even power!? Adesanya has Romero out-gunned according to UFC 248 alternative stats
UFC 248 goes down Saturday night in Las Vegas and with it the first title defenses for two of the promotion’s newer champions. BE SURE TO WATCH ‘UFC 248 – ‘ADESANYA VS. ROMERO & WEILI VS. JOANNA’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a single second of face-punching action! Plus, you get […]
UFC 247: Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes win probabilities and possible bets
The win probabilities for UFC 247’s four qualifying matchups are in. Here are the estimated odds for each bout where both fighters have at least four fully-documented prior fights and aren’t heavyweights. For statistical overload on the distance, clinch, and ground alternative stats behind the Jones-Reyes and Shevchenko-Chookagian main and co-main event matchups, see Tuesday’s […]
UFC 247: Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes alternative stats
The UFC holds its first double-title event, or even single-title, of 2020 this Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX when Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight belt on the line against the undefeated challenger Dominick Reyes and Valentina Shevchenko defends her flyweight strap against the #1 contender, and prohibitive underdog, Katlyn Chookagian. Only […]
UFC 246: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone win probabilities and possible bets
The win probabilities for UFC 246’s four qualifying matchups are in. Here are the estimated odds for each bout where both fighters have at least four fully-documented prior fights and aren’t heavyweights. For statistical overload on the distance, clinch, and ground alternative stats behind the McGregor-Cerrone main event matchup, see Tuesday’s piece. Watch ‘UFC 246 […]
UFC 246: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone alternative stats
The UFC is finally back from holiday vacation and about to kick off the new year with two PPV shows in three weeks with three sure-fire future hall of famers in the four headliner spots. Watch ‘UFC 246 – ‘MCGREGOR VS, COWBOY’ Stream all the fights broadcast LIVE — don’t miss a single second of […]