Have you ever wondered how many Millers are ranked by Fight Matrix?  Apparently 8 at the moment:

http://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-search/?fName=Miller

Of course, Silvas have them beat:

http://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-search/?fName=Silva

This means we are one step closer to making our entire ranking database searchable.  In the coming weeks, we will be working on some additional improvements - soon we will have the ability to search for historical rankings, and eventually to track a fighter’s progress in rankings over time.   As we are busy working on the new features, there will be no ranking release this weekend.  The next release will be published after the ‘UFC on Versus’ event.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan (155 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters circle each other tentatively.  Karen lands the first significant punch.  Bart answers with leg kicks.  Karen advances with a flurry, backing Bart into the cage, then goes for a takedown.  Palaszewski grabs on to a guillotine but gets slammed as Darabedyan breaks free and lands elbows to the head.  Bart tries for an omoplata and uses it to regain guard.  Bart attempts and armbar and a triangle but Karen evades danger and finds openings for elbows and punches.  Karen stands over Bart and eats an upkick then dives back into Palaszewski’s guard.  Palaszewski keeps looking for an armbar and finally secures one, straightening out Karen’s arm.  Darabedyan tries to roll out of it but he is trapped and forced to tap out.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. LC Davis (145 lbs)

Round 1: The fighters quickly clinch.  They exchange short strikes against the fence and jockey for position, spinning each other around.  Deividas attempts a takedown several times but Davis has excellent defense.  Davis barely edges out an uneventful round. Round 10-9 Davis

Round 2: A brief exchange and Deividas shoots for a takedown.  He finally gets through LC’s defense but Davis uses the fence to scramble back to his feet.  They clinch and Deividas lands a knee to the groin of Davis.  Davis groans but the referee doesn’t stop the action.  More knees exchanged from clinch and another one lands low; Davis complains but the ref claims he did not see it.  Davis breaks free of the clinch and lands a combination but Taurosevicius closes the distance and looks for another takedown as the round ends.   Round 10-9 Taurosevicius

Round 3: Some even exchanges in the beginning of the final round and then back to clinch they go.  Deividas works hard to take Davis down, but LC’s defense is impeccable.  At one point Deividas actually lifts Davis off his feet, but LC still manages to somehow remain standing, and then scores a takedown of his own.  Taurosevicius threatens an omoplata from the bottom, falling short but neutralizing Davis while landing some light punches.  Referee stands them up much to Taurosevius’ chagrin, and the round ends as it began, clinched against the fence.  Round 10-9 Davis

LC Davis win the majority decision, with the scores of 29-29, 29-28, 29-28.  Boring fight that sucked all the life out of the broadcast.

Fight Grade: 2/5

Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vasquez (145 lbs)

Round 1: Jens Pulver is looking to strike.  Vasquez catches a kick and takes Pulver down but gets caught in a guillotine.  He escapes but Pulver ends up in the top position and stands up.  Vasquez goes for another takedown, and Pulver tries the guillotine again but Vasquez takes his back.  Vasquez looks for a choke.  Pulver escapes and stands over Vasquez, kicking his legs.  Vasquez trips Jens and puts him on his back.  Vasquez passes guard into side mount then traps Pulver in the crucifix position and pounds away on Pulver’s head.  Pulver escapes the bad position but Vasquez now has his back.  Vasquez transitions into mount and grabs an armbar, and Pulver is forced to tap out.  Pulver is grimacing in pain holding his arm after the break.

In a tearful post-fight interview, former UFC champion Jens Pulver, in so many words, announces his retirement from the Mixed Martial Arts competition.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George  (135 lbs)

Round 1: George shoots in for an early takedown but Jorgensen sprawls and locks onto George’s neck with a guillotine.  George tries to back out of it but is trapped against the fence, and frantically taps out as Jorgensen lifts him off his feet by his neck.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Miguel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez (135 lbs)

Round 1: Torres circles while Benavidez advances.  Low strike output from both fighters.  They trade leg kicks.  Benavidez lands a couple of punches.  Benavidez catches a leg kick and tosses Torres to the mat, then back off to let him stand up.  They clinch and Benavidez takes Torres down.  Torres looks for an armbar but there’s nothing there.  Benavidez attempts to lock in a guillotine from the top.  It’s a stalemate on the ground and Benavidez stands up just as the round ends.  Round 10-9 Benavidez

Round 2: Both fighters are throwing kicks in the second round.  Not seeing the usual aggression from Torres.  Benavidez is getting the best of standing exchanges then takes Torres down and lands a series of elbows that open a huge gushing cut on Miguel’s forehead.  Torres escapes; he’s visibly affected by the cut, wiping the blood out of his eyes.  Torres shoots for a takedown and gets caught in a guillotine.  Benavidez rolls over and Torres is tapping out with both hands.

This was the second loss (and finish) in a row for once thought to be unstoppable Miguel Torres.  Looks like his days at the top of the division are over for now, and Joseph Benavidez is a lock for the next title shot.

Fight Grade: 3/5

 Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis (155 lbs)

Round 1: An uneventful start to the fight.  Light exchanges then Castillo scores a takedown.  Castillo lands a few shots and Pettis scrambles to his feet.  They clinch and Castillo lands a knee to the groin of Pettis.  They restart after a brief break, then Pettis lays Castillo out cold with a head kick.  Pettis lands five more strikes to the unconscious Castillo as the referee is a bit slow to stop the fight.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Champion Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz (135 lbs title bout)

Round 1: Cruz is very light on his feet, bouncing around his opponent while Bowles is firmly planted and swinging for the fences.  Both fighters miss with some wild shots.  Cruz connects a solid punch; Bowles answers with a flurry.  Cruz lands another big one and Bowles backs up.  Cruz gets a takedown but can’t do much with it.  Bowles escapes and the round is over. Round 10-9 Cruz

Round 2: Cruz  is quicker than Bowles, beating him to the punch and landing leg kicks.  Cruz lands  a punch combination then ends with a leg kick that knocks Bowles down.  Bowles is right back up and flurries on Cruz but eats counters.  Bowles’ nose is bleeding.  Cruz is controlling the stand-up, then gets another takedown near the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Cruz

Brian Bowles does not answer the bell for the third round.  Apparently he broke his hand in the first round and feels he is not able to continue.  Not very champion-like to quit between rounds because of a hand injury.  No title defenses for Bowles, and Dominick Cruz is the new WEC bantamweight champion.

A rematch between Cruz and Benavidez for the title seems inevitable.  An unexciting prospect as they have fought recently and the first fight was fairly one-sided in Dominick’s favor.  Bowles should rematch Miguel Torres, after his hand heals up.

Fight Grade: 2/5

We saw a big shakeup in the bantamweight division, the retirement of a legend, and several slick submissions.   But between the Taurosevicius-Davis fight and the ending of the main event, I was left somewhat disappointed with WEC 47.

Event Grade: 3.5/5

Mirko Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh (HW)

Round 1: Mirko leads with a punch and misses with a head kick.  Perosh shoots for a takedown and Mirko sprawls, punching the side of Anthony’s head.  This sets the pace for the entire round, with Perosh’s takedown attempts repeatedly stuffed.  Mirko punishes Perosh on the feet with uppercuts and straight punches.  Perosh is persistent but unsuccessful with his shots, bleeding from the nose by the end of the round.  Round 10-9 Filipovic

Round 2: Perosh throws hands briefly, eats an uppercut and shoots for another takedown.  Mirko sprawls.  Perosh is still not having any success with his takedowns.  Mirko hurts Perosh with a body kick.  Perosh throws a couple of leg kicks and shoots again; Mirko stuffs the shot and punches the head of Perosh.  Perosh pulls guard and Mirko blasts him with an elbow from the top.  The elbow opens a huge, gushing cut on Anthony’s forehead.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and somehow allowed to continue.  Perosh attempts a few more failed takedowns and absorbs more punishment until the round finally ends.

The fight is stopped between rounds because of the severity of the cut, giving Mirko Filipovic the TKO victory.

Aftermath: This was a major mismatch, with the local fighter Perosh stepping in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Ben Rothwell who was originally scheduled to fight Filipovic.  Perosh never stood a chance in this matchup, and remains winless in the UFC.  Despite his willingness to fight on short notice, it’s unlikely he will get another UFC bout, unless perhaps they hold another event in Australia soon.

‘Cro Cop’ gets a much needed win, looking workmanlike against a outmatched opponent.  It looks like he will still take on Rothwell next – this should be a better indicator of just how far the mighty Cop has fallen.

Fight Grade: 2/5

Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos (155 lbs)

Round 1: After an initial exchange, Sotiropoulos goes for a single-leg takedown.  Stevenson fights it off at first but Sotiropoulos is persistent and eventually drags Stevenson to the ground.  Sotiropoulous is intent on passing Joe’s guard; he gets into half-guard and it’s a stalemate.  Sotiropoulos stands up, trying to reign down punches, and eats a huge upkick from Stevenson but drops down into side control.  Stevenson attempts to lock George up from the bottom.  Sotiropoulos passes into mount; Stevenson gives up his back and Sotiropoulos goes for a kimura off the back then transitions to an armbar attempt.  Stevenson holds on for dear life, waiting out the last few seconds of the round.  Round 10-9 Sotiropoulos

Round 2: They trade punches  and Sotiropoulos rocks Stevenson.  Joe recovers quickly but Sotiropoulos has  reach advantage and is picking Joe apart with strikes.  Stevenson scores an easy takedown.  Sotiropoulos uses an omoplata to sweep and ends up on top is side control.  Stevenson regains guard; they scramble up and Stevenson ends up in George’s guard.  Sotiropoulos goes for an armbar.  Stevenson counters with a heel hook attempt; Sotiropoulos patiently fights through it.  Sotiropoulos ends the round with a choke attempt.  Close, action-packed round.  Round 10-9 Sotiropoulos

Round 3: Stevenson comes out swinging but Sotiropoulos is again getting the best of standup exchanges.  Sotiropoulos takes Stevenson down as Stevenson locks in a guillotine.  Sotiropoulos escapes and Steven gets back to his feet.  Stevenson attempts a takedown but Sotiropoulos ends up on top in a scramble and Stevenson gets right back up.  Stevenson gets a takedown and passes into half guard; Sotiropoulos regains guard then stands up.  Stevenson with another takedown and works some hammerfists.  Sotiropoulos ties Joe up from his guard.  Another close round and a great fight.  Round 10-9 Stevenson

George Sotiropoulos wins a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three scorecards.

Aftermath: This was a huge step up in competition and a breakthrough performance for George Sotiropoulous.  He is now 5-0 in the UFC and only a couple of wins away from a title shot.  George should fight Tyson Griffin or Jim Miller next.

Stevenson was outgrappled in a close and exciting fight and remains near the middle of the UFC’s lightweight division.  I would like to see him take on Sean Sherk.

Stevenson and Sotiropoulous were awarded the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for the great grapple-fest.

Fight Grade: 5/5

Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader (205 lbs)

Round 1: They start out toe-to-toe with both fighters landing punches.  Bader gets the best of the few initial exchanges, and Jardine has a small cut on top of his head.  Bader slams Jardine down and attempts to work some ground-and-pound but Jardine stalls him out from his guard.  Bader can’t get much offense going and eventually the fight is stood up.  Bader again has a slight advantage as they trade punches to close the round.  Round 10-9 Bader

Round 2: Jardine defends an early takedown and attacks Bader with leg kicks.  Bader keeps shooting takedowns and Jardine sprawls.  They trade knees up close.  Bader gets a takedown and Jardine immediately gets back to his feet.  More leg kicks from Jardine.  Bader finally gets a take down with only a few seconds left in the round. Round 10-9 Jardine

Round 3: Uneventful exchange then Bader shoots and Jardine sprawls.  Bader is starting to look tired.  Jardine lands leg and body kicks.  Jardine charges in with a punch and is countered by a right hand that buckles his knees momentarily.  Bader launches a flying knee that lands to the chest, knocking Jardine back against the cage, and follows up with a left hook as Jardine collapses against the fence and the referee calls the fight.

Aftermath: A solid performance for the still undefeated Ryan Bader, who also took a big step up in competition at UFC 110.  His next fight should be against Thiago Silva.

Keith Jardine has now lost his last three fights, two of them by knockout.  His UFC career hangs in jeopardy, but if he gets another chance in the Octagon, Matt Hammil will make for an interesting opponent.  Alternately, he could take some time off to eventually fight the loser of the inevitable Bonnar – Soszynski rematch.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster (170 lbs)

Round 1: Lytle comes out swinging.  Foster ducks under his punches and takes Lytle to the ground with a big slam.  Lytle is right back to his feet.  Foster throws a series of kicks; Lytle counters with punches and Foster looks for another takedown.  Lytle grabs a hold of Foster’s leg in a scramble and rolls for a kneebar.  Foster taps out, and remains motionless on the canvas after the fight is stopped.  Looks like the submission hold did some damage.

Aftermath: Chris Lytle earns himself a ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus, and is now on a rare two-fight win streak.  Mike Swick would be an interesting matchup for Lytle.  Foster falls to 1-2 in the Octagon after an impressive TKO stoppage over Brock Larson in his previous fight.  He should next fight Brad Blackburn or Dustin Hazelett, though there’s no telling just how severe his knee injury is and how long it will take for Foster to recover.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping (185 lbs)

Round 1: Both fighters are tentative in early exchanges.  They trade low kicks then Bisping takes Silva down.  Silva stands up instantly.  Bisping lands a slapping high kick and follows up with another takedown.  Silva gets up again, eating punches as he does.   Light trading, Silva is lacking his usual aggression.  Bisping stuns Silva with a punch but Wanderlei recovers and flurries near the end of the round, forcing Bisping to back up and cover up against the cage.  Round 10-9 Bisping

Round 2: Another exchange of leg kicks.  Silva catches Bisping’s kick and sweeps his other leg for a takedown.  Bisping attempts an armbar from guard.  Silva escapes and Bisping gets back to his feet.  Silva scores with leg and body kicks.  Bisping shoots a double-leg takedown and succeeds.  Bisping briefly gains side control but Silva gets up.  Silva is starting to land more strikes and Bisping shoots another takedown.  Silva locks in a very tight guillotine as he goes down, but there are only seconds left in the round.  Bisping is visibly out of breath as the round ends and Silva is forced to let go of the submission.  Round 10-9 Silva

Round 3: More leg kicks from Silva.  Bisping answers with punches.  Bisping with a takedown attempt, blocked by Silva.  Bisping lands an accidental kick to Wanderlei’s groin, and the fight is paused to let Silva recover.  They go back to exchanging on the feet.  Another failed takedown attempt by Bisping.  Another break in action as Bisping accidentally thumbs Silva’s eye.  Silva catches a kick and trips Bisping to the ground.  Bisping gets back up and Silva picks up the pace of his attack.  Silva flurries and knocks Bisping down with a hook.  Silva is looking to finish the fight and Bisping appears nearly out, but he is saved by the bell.  Round 10-9 Silva

Wanderlei Silva wins a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three scorecards.

Aftermath: Wanderlei Silva makes a successful though  unspectacular debut at 185 lbs, after struggling at 205 and 195 in the recent years.  Though he was missing the all-out aggression that the fans have come to expect from Silva, he fought smart and the victory will extend his UFC career.  Silva’s next opponent will most likely be Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Michael Bisping suffers a setback with a close decision loss.  He will probably be given a mid-level ‘rebound’ opponent such as Dan Miller.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez (HW)

Round 1: The fighters circle and trade.  Velasquez has a significant speed advantage and is landing punches and leg kicks.  Nogueira is a step behind.  Velasquez goes to the body with a big punch and a knee.  Velasquez ducks under a punch and answers with a left-right-left combination that knocks Nogueira down.  Velasquez follows him to the ground and lands five more punches before the referee jumps in to stop the fight.

Aftermath: With an impressive TKO win over one of MMA’s most revered heavyweights, Cain Velasquez joins the ranks of UFC’s elite, injecting himself into the title picture along with Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, and Shane Carwin.    As Lesnar is still recovering from his illness and others are locked into scheduled matchups, the most logical next bout for Cain would be the winner of Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga.

For ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, the end of the road is near.  Though he is only 33 years old, all the battles of the past decade has taken their toll on the former Pride FC and (interim) UFC heavyweight champion.  While Nog still has the skill and experience to be able to beat many mid-level fighters, he no longer possesses the iron chin that was such a big part of his game, and will not fare well against top heavyweights with striking power.  If Minotauro chooses to continue fighting, he should take some time off and wait to see if his Pride rival Mirko ‘Cro-Cop ‘ Filipovic can get past Ben Rothwell.   Should Mirko emerge victorious, a rematch in the Octagon between the two aging fighters will make for an interesting bout.

Velasquez earned the ‘Knockout of the Night’ award for his performance.  Nogueira’s loss opens up an opportunity for his teammate Junior dos Santos to step into the title picture.

Fight Grade: 5/5

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar (205 lbs)

Round 1: Soszynski comes out firing on all cylinders, backing Bonnar up into the cage with a flurry of punches and knees.  Bonnar clinches to minimize damage.  An accidental eye poke by Bonnar halts the fight briefly.  They restart and Bonnar attempts a takedown.  Soszynski defends.  Bonnar catches a kick and gets the takedown but Soszynski gets right back up.  Soszynski with another flurry and Bonnar is bleeding.  Round 10-9 Soszynski

Round 2: Bonnar is the aggressor early in the second round, punching his way into a clinch and using elbows and dirty boxing to score points.   Soszynski holds him off with a combination.  Bonnar lands a spinning kick to the body.  Bonnar with a series of kicks then Soszynski throws a kick of his own but Bonnar catches it and takes Soszynski down.    Round 10-9 Bonnar

Round 3: A takedown attempt by Bonnar.  Soszynski defends.  They are clinched and Bonnar starts bleeding heavily.  The fight is stopped to check a cut on Bonnar’s forehead.  The cut is squirting a fountain of blood and the fight is stopped.  A replay shows that a head collision in clinch caused the cut.  Fight should be called a No Contest or go to the scorecards; however the referee gives Soszynski a TKO win.  Bad call, and Bonnar protests.

Aftermath: The questionable decision will most likely result in an immediate rematch as soon as Bonnar’s cut is properly healed.

Fight Grade: 4 3/5 1 point deduction for the ref’s decision

Though there were no title fights on the event, and only seven bouts were shown, UFC 110 delivered exciting action and the emergence of several contenders and prospects.  A good night of fights.

Event Grade: 4/5

Having previously fought at Lightweight, and even at Welterweight, Marriott has most recently settled down in the Featherweight division where he is ranked #23 by FightMatrix and has won 9 bouts in a row, all in the last 11 months.

Marriott has recently been signed by Bellator and will take part in their Featherweight tournament.

Fighter Focus is our way of aiming the spotlight onto rising fighters that are still in relative obscurity.

Middleweight
[#13 LHW] Wanderlei Silva vs. [#10] Michael Bisping

Lightweight
[#10] Joe Stevenson vs. [#63] George Sotiropoulos

Light Heavyweight
[#14] Keith Jardine vs. [#26] Ryan Bader

Heavyweight
[#18] Mirko Filipovic vs. [#169 LHW] Anthony Perosh

Light Heavyweight
[#36] Krzysztof Soszynski vs. [#72] Stephan Bonnar

Welterweight
[#31] Chris Lytle vs. [#32] Brian Foster

Middleweight
[*] Goran Reljic vs. [#76] CB Dollaway

Light Heavyweight
[#68] James Te Huna vs. [#110] Igor Pokrajac

Ranking Notes: Dark green font represents an approximate ranking. An asterisk represents a fighter who is ranked, but too low for an approximation. These two scenarios will clear up slightly as we move forward. “NR” means the fighter is not ranked, due to inactivity, or due to a rating that is at or below the default starter rating.

• Weight limits
• Pro/Am status
• Scorecards

When you add corrections to the list, this can become quite an endeavor!  Therefore, we are looking for a few good volunteers to help us in moving forward.  Can you help us?  Do you meet ALL of the following minimum requirements we are looking for?

• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel (and 2003/2007 installed on your PC).
• Great online researching ability.
• Good knowledge of MMA web sites and MMA history.
• Ability to handle basic conversions (kilograms to pounds).
• Three hours of time, per week.

In addition to helping us, this can serve as a great time-killer!

If you are interested, please reply to the “Research Project” global thread in our forum.