Heavyweight (265)
[#8] Alistair Overeem (44-17-0, -244) vs. [#10] Alexey Oleynik (59-11-1, +198)
Alistair Overeem is the All-Time #14 ranked Heavyweight and #44 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Alistair Overeem (1-2-0)
2018-11-24: W vs. [#38HW+] Sergei Pavlovich (12-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:21 of round 1
2018-06-09: L vs. [#7HW+] Curtis Blaydes (11-2-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 2:56 of round 3
2017-12-02: L vs. [#3HW+] Francis Ngannou (13-3-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:42 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Alexey Oleynik (2-1-0)
2018-09-15: W vs. [#15HW+] Mark Hunt (13-14-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:26 of round 1
2018-05-12: W vs. [#59HW+] Junior Albini (14-5-0) via Submission (Ezekiel Choke) in 1:45 of round 1
2017-11-04: L vs. [#7HW+] Curtis Blaydes (11-2-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 1:56 of round 2

Odds Favorite (Implied): Alistair Overeem – Win%: 67.88
Elo Favorite (Standard): Alistair Overeem (1922.87) [+106.87] – Win%: 61.97
Elo Favorite (Modified): Alistair Overeem (1933.03) [+84.88] – Win%: 59.19
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alistair Overeem 147, Alexey Oleynik 217
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 2 win(s) against common opposition.
.

Lightweight (155)
[#19] Islam Makhachev (16-1-0, -490) vs. [#104] Arman Tsarukyan (13-1-0, +373)

Last 3 Fights: Islam Makhachev (3-0-0)
2018-07-28: W vs. [#51LW] Kajan Johnson (23-13-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:43 of round 1
2018-01-20: W vs. [#69LW] Gleison Tibau (33-13-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:57 of round 1
2017-02-11: W vs. [#21LW] Nik Lentz (30-9-2) via UD (30-25, 30-27, 30-25)

Last 3 Fights: Arman Tsarukyan (3-0-0)
2018-08-22: W vs. [#774LW] Felipe Olivieri (15-7-0) via KO (Head kick) in 1:25 of round 3
2018-05-26: W vs. [#504LW] Junior Assuncao (16-7-0) via UD ()
2018-03-24: W vs. [#428LW] Haotian Wu (24-14-2) via TKO (Spinning Back Kick to the Body and Punches) in 0:31 of round 3

Odds Favorite (Implied): Islam Makhachev – Win%: 79.71
Elo Favorite (Standard): Islam Makhachev (1969.92) [+269.04] – Win%: 77.37
Elo Favorite (Modified): Islam Makhachev (1926.07) [+209.02] – Win%: 71.40
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Islam Makhachev 266, Arman Tsarukyan 241
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Heavyweight (265)
[#38] Sergei Pavlovich (12-1-0, -306) vs. [#182] Marcelo Golm (6-2-0, +242)

Last 3 Fights: Sergei Pavlovich (2-1-0)
2018-11-24: L vs. [#8HW+] Alistair Overeem (44-17-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:21 of round 1
2017-11-19: W vs. [#145HW+] Kirill Sidelnikov (11-6-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:45 of round 1
2017-06-02: W vs. [#60HW+] Mikhail Mokhnatkin (11-3-2) via UD ()

Last 3 Fights: Marcelo Golm (1-2-0)
2018-10-27: L vs. [#96HW+] Arjan Singh Bhullar (8-1-0) via UD (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
2018-02-03: L vs. [#48HW+] Timothy Johnson (12-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2017-10-28: W vs. [#262HW+] Christian Colombo (8-4-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:08 of round 1

Odds Favorite (Implied): Sergei Pavlovich – Win%: 72.04
Elo Favorite (Standard): Sergei Pavlovich (1703.30) [+432.44] – Win%: 87.82
Elo Favorite (Modified): Sergei Pavlovich (1739.34) [+414.34] – Win%: 85.98
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Sergei Pavlovich 147, Marcelo Golm 175
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

There ARE an increasing number of fighters lining up for a shot of the welterweight belt
Photo by  Andrius Petrucenia / CC BY 2.0

There are several weights in both the women’s and men’s divisions that can be described as being on fire at the moment. The one that has been turned on its head the most in recent weeks though is the men’s 170lb division. If you had asked fans and so called experts 12 months ago to sketch the likely top 10, very few, if any would have come up with anything resembling the current rankings.

The biggest Losers

Without doubt, the two fighters who have gone backwards the most in recent months are Darren Till and Stephen Wonderboy Thompson. Just 8 months ago, it looked like Till was going to be a genuine contender for the Welterweight belt and becoming the next star of the UFC. That is where the problem lay. The UFC and, crucially, WME-IMG and ESPN are desperate for a star name. Ronda Rousey was that name for a while, Conor McGregor stepped up at the perfect time to take on the mantle. The heads in their respective boardrooms are looking around desperately for the next person to step up. The mouthy Scouser looked like a perfect fit. Two back to back defeats have derailed his and their plans, however.

Lightweight Championship (155)
[#1FW/#2DD/#4P4P] Max Holloway (20-3-0, -220) vs. [#3/#10DD] Dustin Poirier (24-5-0, +177)
Max Holloway is the All-Time #27 ranked Absolute fighter.
Dustin Poirier is the All-Time #18 ranked Lightweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (3-0-0)
2018-12-08: W vs. [#3FW] Brian Ortega (14-1-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 4
2017-12-02: W vs. [#2FW/#8DD] Jose Aldo (28-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:51 of round 3
2017-06-03: W vs. [#2FW/#8DD] Jose Aldo (28-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:13 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Dustin Poirier (3-0-0)
2018-07-28: W vs. [#27WW] Eddie Alvarez (29-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:05 of round 2
2018-04-14: W vs. [#5LW] Justin Gaethje (20-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:33 of round 4
2017-11-11: W vs. [#5WW] Anthony Pettis (22-8-0) via Submission (Body Triangle) in 2:08 of round 3

Odds Favorite (Implied): Max Holloway – Win%: 65.56
Elo Favorite (Standard): Max Holloway (2365.53) [+141.35] – Win%: 65.61
Elo Favorite (Modified): Max Holloway (2317.61) [+172.34] – Win%: 68.01
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Max Holloway 126, Dustin Poirier 259
Previous Match-up Record: Dustin Poirier leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Max Holloway leads 3-2
.

Middleweight Championship (185)
[#4] Kelvin Gastelum (15-3-0, +142) vs. [#7] Israel Adesanya (16-0-0, -170)
Israel Adesanya is the All-Time #50 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Kelvin Gastelum (2-1-0)
2018-05-12: W vs. [#5MW] Ronaldo Souza (26-6-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2017-11-25: W vs. [*] Michael Bisping (30-9-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:30 of round 1
2017-07-22: L vs. [#8MW] Chris Weidman (14-4-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 3:45 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Israel Adesanya (3-0-0)
2019-02-09: W vs. [#15MW] Anderson Silva (34-9-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2018-11-03: W vs. [#12MW] Derek Brunson (18-7-0) via TKO (Knees and Punches) in 4:51 of round 1
2018-07-06: W vs. [#16MW] Brad Tavares (17-5-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

Odds Favorite (Implied): Israel Adesanya – Win%: 60.37
Elo Favorite (Standard): Kelvin Gastelum (2165.77) [+90.64] – Win%: 60.21
Elo Favorite (Modified): Kelvin Gastelum (2135.94) [+77.95] – Win%: 58.45
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Kelvin Gastelum 336, Israel Adesanya 63
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Light Heavyweight (205)
[#47] Eryk Anders (11-3-0, -194) vs. [#79] Khalil Rountree (7-4-0, +160)

Last 3 Fights: Eryk Anders (1-2-0)
2018-12-08: L vs. [#18MW] Elias Theodorou (16-2-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2018-09-22: L vs. [#7LHW] Thiago Santos (21-6-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 5:00 of round 3
2018-08-25: W vs. [#108MW] Tim Williams (15-5-0) via KO (Soccer Kick) in 4:42 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Khalil Rountree (1-2-0)
2018-11-17: L vs. [#20LHW] Johnny Walker (17-3-0) via KO (Elbow) in 1:57 of round 1
2018-07-07: W vs. [#114LHW] Gokhan Saki (1-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:36 of round 1
2017-12-30: L vs. [#33LHW] Michal Oleksiejczuk (15-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Odds Favorite (Implied): Eryk Anders – Win%: 63.17
Elo Favorite (Standard): Eryk Anders (1612.03) [+228.58] – Win%: 73.97
Elo Favorite (Modified): Eryk Anders (1708.15) [+271.94] – Win%: 76.68
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Eryk Anders 126, Khalil Rountree 147
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Since this has came up again recently, here’s a link back to our original post on this issue:

One Championship – Weight Division Confusion

Sabina Mazo is a Colombian fighter with a 6-0 record making her UFC debut vs. Maryna Moroz on April 30th, 2019. She has already fought the full 25 minutes twice in her career and her opponents have a combined record of 29-10. That is an unusually strong strength of competition for the still developing regional women’s MMA scene.

She first made headlines with back to back headkick knockouts:https://youtu.be/Vor6987oBO0 and has since become LFA Champion.

Quick stats:

On Sunday former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will fight outside the Octagon for the first time since 2010 as he makes his debut for ONE Championship. The card, dubbed “A New Era” will feature the first round of a flyweight tournament. Johnson is a heavy favorite in the field, and he is the only fighter in the bracket who is currently ranked inside the top 10. It will be interesting to see how ONE progresses as a promotion with a few high level signings and a new U.S. television deal. In the past, high profile fighters, such as Ben Askren, have struggled to maintain their Fight Matrix ranking due to lack of competition. How will it effect Johnson’s legacy? Given the lack of depth of the flyweight and bantamweight divisions outside of the UFC, it will be hard to see how ONE will provide strong opponents for Johnson without co-promoting with another promotion like Bellator or Rizin. Even those two companies had to join forces to make a super fight for champions Kyoji Horiguchi and Darrion Caldwell.

The following chart shows the career ranking points for all competitors in the upcoming ONE Championship flyweight tournament. An interactive version is available via Tableau Public.

Richard Mann is a regular contributor to @espnmma, @FightMetric, @RotoWireMMA and @InterMat. You can follow him on Twitter at @richardamann.