Event Previews – Page 41

Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 86 – Rothwell vs. dos Santos (04-10-2016)

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Jason

Heavyweight (265)
[#7] Junior dos Santos (17-4-0, -132) vs. [#8] Ben Rothwell (36-9-0, +109)
Junior dos Santos is the All-Time #5 ranked Heavyweight and #23 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Junior dos Santos (1-2-0)
2015-12-19: L vs. [#4HW+] Alistair Overeem (40-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:43 of round 2
2014-12-13: W vs. [#3HW+] Stipe Miocic (14-2-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2013-10-19: L vs. [#2HW+] Cain Velasquez (13-2-0) via TKO (Slam and Punch) in 3:09 of round 5

Last 3 Fights: Ben Rothwell (3-0-0)
2016-01-30: W vs. [#13HW+] Josh Barnett (34-8-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 3:48 of round 2
2015-06-06: W vs. [#26HW+] Matt Mitrione (9-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:54 of round 1
2014-09-05: W vs. [#4HW+] Alistair Overeem (40-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Junior dos Santos 113, Ben Rothwell 71
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Junior dos Santos leads 5-3
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Heavyweight (265)
[#21] Derrick Lewis (14-4-0, -142) vs. [#30] Gabriel Gonzaga (17-10-0, +119)

Last 3 Fights: Derrick Lewis (2-1-0)
2016-02-06: W vs. [#37HW+] Damian Grabowski (20-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 1
2015-10-03: W vs. [#44HW+] Viktor Pesta (10-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:15 of round 3
2015-06-06: L vs. [#35HW+] Shawn Jordan (18-7-0) via TKO (Hook Kick and Punches) in 0:48 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Gabriel Gonzaga (1-2-0)
2015-12-11: W vs. [#49HW+] Konstantin Erokhin (9-3-0) via UD (30-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-04-11: L vs. [#22HW+] Mirko Filipovic (31-11-2) via TKO (Elbows and Punches) in 3:30 of round 3
2014-12-13: L vs. [#26HW+] Matt Mitrione (9-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:59 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Derrick Lewis 64, Gabriel Gonzaga 121
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Gabriel Gonzaga leads 1-0
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Heavyweight (265)
[#81] Francis Ngannou (6-1-0, -130) vs. [#117] Curtis Blaydes (5-0-0, +108)

Last 3 Fights: Francis Ngannou (3-0-0)
2015-12-19: W vs. [#254HW+] Luis Henrique Barbosa de (8-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:53 of round 2
2015-05-28: W vs. [#179HW+] William Baldutti (7-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in ? of round 2
2014-09-20: W vs. [#252HW+] Luc Ngeleka (4-1-0) via Submission in ? of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Curtis Blaydes (3-0-0)
2016-02-19: W vs. [#270HW+] Luis Cortez (3-2-0) via in of round 3
2015-04-10: W vs. [#329HW+] Allen Crowder (5-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in ? of round 2
2014-11-15: W vs. [NA] Brad Faylor (5-4-0) via TKO in 0:45 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Francis Ngannou 113, Curtis Blaydes 51
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Junior dos Santos experiencing sharpest decline in UFC’s heavyweight division

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Richard Mann

Junior dos Santos returns to action this weekend in the main event of UFC Fight Night 86 against the surprisingly surging Ben Rothwell. After beginning his career with a 15-1 record and a UFC title, Dos Santos has lost three of his last five. Obviously the losses have hurt his ranking. However, the degree of his decline is staggering.

The following chart shows Dos Santos’ rankings points from the Quarterly Generated Historical Rankings for every quarter since his peak ranking from Oct. 1, 2012.

Link to interactive chart

As you can see, even though he currently sits at No. 7 in the heavyweight division, his decline in terms of ranking points is drastic. How does this decline compare to other UFC fighters in the division?

To measure Rankings Momentum, that is decline or improvement, let’s first chart quarterly rankings points from Oct. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2016 for all 16 fighters currently listed in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings, then perform a linear regression. This process will find the best fitting straight line also known as a regression line (illustrated above in orange).

Since the slope of this regression line will represent the rate of change in ranking points as time changes, fighters with positive numbers will be seen as improving while fighters with negative numbers will be on the decline. As you can see, Dos Santos comes in dead last in terms of Rankings Momentum among the 16 fighters currently in the UFC rankings.
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Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 85 – Hunt vs. Mir (03-20-2016)

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Jason

Heavyweight (265)
[#8] Mark Hunt (11-10-1, -170) vs. [#10] Frank Mir (18-10-0, +143)
Mark Hunt is the All-Time #20 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Frank Mir is the All-Time #12 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Mark Hunt (1-2-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#12HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via TKO (Punches) in 3:41 of round 1
2015-05-10: L vs. [#5HW+] Stipe Miocic (14-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 5
2014-11-15: L vs. [#1HW+/#6DD/#5P4P] Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 2:27 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Frank Mir (2-1-0)
2015-09-05: L vs. [#6HW+] Andrei Arlovski (25-11-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-07-15: W vs. [#39HW+] Todd Duffee (9-3-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:13 of round 1
2015-02-22: W vs. [#12HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via KO (Elbows) in 1:40 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Mark Hunt 126, Frank Mir 196
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 4 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#11] Hector Lombard (34-4-1, +112) vs. [#13] Neil Magny (17-4-0, -136)

Last 3 Fights: Hector Lombard (2-0-0, 1 NC)
2015-01-03: NC vs. [#33LW] Joshua Burkman (28-12-0)
2014-03-15: W vs. [#17WW] Jake Shields (31-8-1) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-10-19: W vs. [#16MW] Nate Marquardt (34-15-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:48 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Neil Magny (2-1-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#14WW] Kelvin Gastelum (11-2-0) via SD (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
2015-08-23: W vs. [#43WW] Erick Silva (18-7-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-08-01: L vs. [#8WW] Demian Maia (22-6-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:52 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Hector Lombard 441, Neil Magny 119
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Lightweight (155)
[#49] Johnny Case (22-4-0, -112) vs. [#110] Jake Matthews (9-1-0, -111)

Last 3 Fights: Johnny Case (3-0-0)
2015-11-07: W vs. [#136LW] Yan Cabral (12-2-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-06-13: W vs. [#205WW] Francisco Trevino (13-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-18: W vs. [*] Frankie Perez (10-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:54 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Jake Matthews (2-1-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#190LW] Akbarh Arreola (23-10-1) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2015-05-10: L vs. [#43LW] James Vick (8-0-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:53 of round 1
2014-11-07: W vs. [*] Vagner Rocha (11-4-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:52 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Johnny Case 133, Jake Matthews 126
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Fight Matrix Program: Invicta FC 16 (03-11-2016)

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Jason

Women Atomweight Championship (105)
[#1/#6DD/#5P4P] Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1-0) vs. [#7] Amber Brown (6-1-0)
Ayaka Hamasaki is the All-Time #17 ranked Women’s fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Ayaka Hamasaki (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#2AW] Herica Tiburcio (9-3-0) via SD (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
2014-12-30: W vs. [#3AW] Mei Yamaguchi (15-8-1) via UD ()
2014-08-09: W vs. [#8AW] Naho Sugiyama (11-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:01 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Amber Brown (3-0-0)
2016-01-16: W vs. [NA] Shino VanHoose (4-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 2:36 of round 1
2015-07-09: W vs. [#45AW] Catherine Costigan (5-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:34 of round 1
2014-11-01: W vs. [#44AW] Liz McCarthy (2-4-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ayaka Hamasaki 246, Amber Brown 55
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ayaka Hamasaki leads 1-0
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Women Flyweight Championship (125)
[#1] Vanessa Porto (18-6-0) vs. [#17BW] Jennifer Maia (12-4-1)

Last 3 Fights: Vanessa Porto (3-0-0)
2015-04-24: W vs. [#3FLY] Roxanne Modafferi (18-12-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-03-30: W vs. [NA] Ana Maria (5-5-0) via UD ()
2013-12-07: W vs. [#68BW] Zoila Frausto (13-5-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Jennifer Maia (3-0-0)
2015-12-13: W vs. [#36BW] Dayana Silva (6-3-0) via MD ()
2015-10-10: W vs. [#77BW] Marta Souza (3-8-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:51 of round 1
2015-06-13: W vs. [#60BW] Stephanie Bragayrac (7-3-0) via KO (Knee) in 2:07 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Vanessa Porto 322, Jennifer Maia 89
Previous Match-up Record: Vanessa Porto leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Vanessa Porto leads 2-1
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Women Strawweight (115)
[#29] Angela Hill (3-3-0) vs. [*] Stephanie Eggink (4-2-0)

Last 3 Fights: Angela Hill (1-2-0)
2016-01-16: W vs. [#77SW] Alida Gray (4-3-0) via KO (Knee to the Body) in 1:39 of round 1
2015-10-03: L vs. [#7SW] Rose Namajunas (4-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:47 of round 1
2015-06-13: L vs. [#8SW] Tecia Torres (7-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Stephanie Eggink (2-1-0)
2014-09-06: L vs. [*] Katja Kankaanpaa (10-3-1) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:03 of round 5
2013-09-06: W vs. [#91SW] Angela Magana (11-8-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 3:10 of round 2
2013-04-19: W vs. [#58SW] Brianna Van Buren (3-2-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Angela Hill 55, Stephanie Eggink 552
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Eight Top-Ten Fighters in Action on a Weekend Without a UFC

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Richard Mann

This weekend is one of the rare ones that does not feature a UFC event. However, there are still eight top-ten fighters in action across three different events: Invicta FC 16, World Series of Fighting 29 and Pancrase 276.

Invicta FC 16
#1 Atomweight Ayaka Hamasaki vs. #7 Atomweight Amber Brown
On Friday night, live on UFC Fight Pass, Hamasaki will defend her Invicta FC atomweight title against Brown. Hamasaki won the belt in her last outing with a split-decision victory over veteran Herica Tiburcio. She is currently riding a three-fight winning streak also including wins over Naho Sugiyama and Mei Yamaguchi under the Deep banner. Hamasaki’s lone career defeat came against Claudia Gadelha at Invicta FC 6.

Brown fights out of the Albuquerque-based FIT NHB team. She has won four straight bouts since suffering her only defeat against Emi Fujino at Pancrase 247. In her last fight, Brown submitted Shino VanHoose at Invicta FC 15.

#9 Strawweight DeAnna Bennett vs. #3 Flyweight Roxanne Modafferi
Bennett began her run in Invicta as a flyweight. However, she recently dropped down to 115 pounds. On the promotion’s last show, she challenged Livia Renata Souza for the promotion’s title but failed to make it out of the first round. The 31-year-old is 8-1 and holds victories over Katja Kankaanpää, Colleen Schneider and Julianna Peña.

Modafferi is a long time veteran of the sport who made her debut back in 2003. She challenged Sarah Kaufman for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title in 2010. Modafferi was also a competitor on the 18th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Since falling at the TUF 18 finale, she has cut back down to flyweight and once again experienced success. Modafferi has gone 3-1 since the change with her only defeat coming against Vanessa Porto last April
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UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on March 3, 2016 by McKinley Noble

UFC 196 may have lost its main event superfight between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos, but we’ve still got a pretty solid shindig on our hands this weekend. Aside from the quick entry of Nate Diaz, we’ve luckily managed to retain Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and a pretty stacked undercard that’s looking rife with potential action.

Hopefully, no one slips in the shower or tests positive, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. For now, let’s run down the main card talent, their most recent UFC salaries and Reebok payouts, and what it all means in the context of their upcoming bouts.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Conor McGregor [#1 FW]
$540,000 = $500,000** + $40,000* [UFC 194]

Nate Diaz [#9 LW]
$60,000 = $20,000/$20,000 + $20,000* [UFC on Fox 17]

Analysis: We’ve said it before, but perhaps no fighter’s tenure in the UFC matches up to their disclosed pay as poorly as Nate Diaz. As a seasoned “Top 10” ranked lightweight with some comparatively big name value, it’s frankly appalling that his public Zuffa salary is half of what someone like Sage Northcutt makes.

About the only silver lining for Diaz is that he finally hit 21 UFC bouts last time around, so he’ll now make $20,000 in Reebok pay as a bare minimum no matter who he fights. And regardless of whether he beats Conor McGregor, one would think that Diaz should be making at least six figures just to step in on such short notice against the sport’s biggest star.

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Fight Matrix Program: UFC 196 (03-05-2016)

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Jason

Welterweight (170)
[#1FW/#5DD/#8P4P] Conor McGregor (19-2-0, -418) vs. [#9LW] Nate Diaz (18-10-0, +332)

Last 3 Fights: Conor McGregor (3-0-0)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#3FW] Jose Aldo (25-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:13 of round 1
2015-07-11: W vs. [#6FW] Chad Mendes (17-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:57 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#36FW] Dennis Siver (22-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:54 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Nate Diaz (2-1-0)
2015-12-19: W vs. [#11LW] Michael Johnson (16-10-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-12-13: L vs. [#1LW/#2DD/#4P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (25-7-0) via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
2013-11-30: W vs. [#176LW] Gray Maynard (11-5-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:38 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Conor McGregor 84, Nate Diaz 77
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Women Bantamweight Championship (135)
[#1/#1DD/#1P4P] Holly Holm (10-0-0, -358) vs. [#4/#10DD/#8P4P] Miesha Tate (17-5-0, +282)
Holly Holm is the All-Time #15 ranked Women’s fighter.
Miesha Tate is the All-Time #9 ranked Women’s fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Holly Holm (3-0-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#2BW/#2DD/#4P4P] Ronda Rousey (12-1-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 0:59 of round 2
2015-07-15: W vs. [#22BW] Marion Reneau (6-3-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
2015-02-28: W vs. [#9BW] Raquel Pennington (6-5-0) via SD (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Last 3 Fights: Miesha Tate (3-0-0)
2015-07-25: W vs. [#13BW] Jessica Eye (11-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-31: W vs. [#12BW] Sara McMann (8-3-0) via MD (29-27, 29-28, 28-28)
2014-09-20: W vs. [NA] Rin Nakai (16-1-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Holly Holm 112, Miesha Tate 224
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Holly Holm leads 2-1
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#21] Ilir Latifi (11-4-0, -188) vs. [#33] Gian Villante (14-6-0, +161)

Last 3 Fights: Ilir Latifi (2-1-0)
2016-01-17: W vs. [#40LHW] Sean OConnell (17-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:30 of round 1
2015-07-18: W vs. [#99LHW] Hans Stringer (22-7-3) via KO (Punches) in 0:56 of round 1
2014-10-04: L vs. [#34LHW] Jan Blachowicz (18-5-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:58 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Gian Villante (2-1-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [*] Anthony Perosh (15-10-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:56 of round 1
2015-07-25: L vs. [#30LHW] Tom Lawlor (10-5-0) via TKO (Punch) in 0:27 of round 2
2015-04-18: W vs. [#19LHW] Corey Anderson (7-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:18 of round 3

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ilir Latifi 48, Gian Villante 112
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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UFC Fight Night 84: Silva vs. Bisping – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on February 26, 2016 by McKinley Noble

Amid all the crazy changes over UFC 196, it seems like UFC Fight Night 84 has been largely overshadowed this weekend. While that seems unfair, the card is still going to offer a pretty dynamite headliner as Michael Bisping gets his long-awaited match against former pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva.

And despite this event getting squirreled away on UFC Fight Pass, there’s actually a pretty decent main card after everything’s said and done. With that in mind, let’s bask in the calm before next week’s storm and take a look at the most recent fighter salaries and Reebok payouts for all the main card talent showing up in London tomorrow.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Anderson Silva [#15 MW]
$815,000 = $600,000/$200,000 [UFC 183]

Michael Bisping [#9 MW]
$425,000 = $275,000/$150,000 [TUF 14 Finale]

Analysis: “Anderson Silva money” has been a popular phrase for a while, and given the Brazilian’s history of disclosed pay, it’s not hard to see why. Silva has been consistently paid a base salary of $600,000 for a few years now, a relatively huge jump from his $200,000 mark — last seen at UFC 148 against Chael Sonnen.

For Bisping, the payment situation is much more curious, as he hasn’t had anything go public since beating up Jason Miller on a TUF Finale card in December 2011. Arguably the biggest draw the UFC has for England, you have to wonder if he’s making “Anderson Silva money” yet.

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Michael Bisping looks to end struggles against Top 15 competition at UFC Fight Night 84

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Richard Mann

Michael Bisping has had an impressive career in the UFC since winning the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” His quarterly ranking peaked at #5 in middleweight division in 2013. He is currently listed as #21 all-time in the weight class. However, he has struggled when facing higher level competition. On Saturday, at UFC Fight Night 84, he faces Anderson Silva. The former champion might be nearing the end of his career, but he is still one of the 15 best middleweights on the planet.

In his last 18 fights, Bisping has faced nine fighters ranked in the top 15 and another nine ranked below. Against competition ranked below #15, he went 9-0. Against fighters in the top 15, he went only 3-6.

Bisping vs. Sub 15

Opponent	Date	Contemporary Fight Matrix Ranking	W/L
Day	6/7/2008	41	W
Leben	10/18/2008	17	W
Kang	11/14/2009	30	W
Dan Miller	5/29/2010	33	W
Akiyama	10/16/2010	36	W
Rivera	2/27/2011	27	W
Mayhem	12/3/2011	42	W
Belcher	4/27/2013	17	W
Le	8/23/2014	17	W

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Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 84 – Silva/Bisping (02-27-2016)

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Jason

Middleweight (185)
[#9] Michael Bisping (27-7-0, +240) vs. [#15] Anderson Silva (33-6-0, -304)
Michael Bisping is the All-Time #21 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Anderson Silva is the All-Time #1 ranked Middleweight and #2 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Michael Bisping (2-1-0)
2015-07-18: W vs. [#11MW] Thales Leites (25-5-0) via SD (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
2015-04-25: W vs. [#22MW] C.B. Dollaway (15-8-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-11-07: L vs. [#1MW/#1DD/#3P4P] Luke Rockhold (15-2-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:57 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Anderson Silva (0-2-0, 1 NC)
2015-01-31: NC vs. [#68WW] Nick Diaz (26-9-0)
2013-12-28: L vs. [#2MW/#5DD] Chris Weidman (13-1-0) via TKO (Leg Injury) in 1:16 of round 2
2013-07-06: L vs. [#2MW/#5DD] Chris Weidman (13-1-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:18 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Michael Bisping 224, Anderson Silva 392
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Anderson Silva leads 7-3
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Middleweight (185)
[#7] Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2, -321) vs. [#11] Thales Leites (25-5-0, +252)
Gegard Mousasi is the All-Time #16 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Gegard Mousasi (2-1-0)
2015-09-26: L vs. [#10MW] Uriah Hall (12-6-0) via TKO (Flying Knee and Punches) in 0:25 of round 2
2015-05-16: W vs. [*] Costas Philippou (13-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-24: W vs. [#12MW] Dan Henderson (31-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:10 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Thales Leites (2-1-0)
2015-07-18: L vs. [#9MW] Michael Bisping (27-7-0) via SD (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
2015-01-31: W vs. [#44LHW] Tim Boetsch (18-10-0) via Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 3:45 of round 2
2014-08-23: W vs. [#20LHW] Francis Carmont (24-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:20 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Gegard Mousasi 154, Thales Leites 224
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#49] Tom Breese (9-0-0, -1005) vs. [#65] Keita Nakamura (31-6-2, +634)

Last 3 Fights: Tom Breese (3-0-0)
2015-10-24: W vs. [*] Cathal Pendred (17-4-1) via TKO (Body Kick and Punches) in 4:37 of round 1
2015-05-30: W vs. [#247WW] Luiz Jorge Dutra Jr. (12-4-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:58 of round 1
2014-11-15: W vs. [#282WW] Thibaud Larchet (9-2-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:57 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Keita Nakamura (3-0-0)
2015-09-26: W vs. [#143WW] Jingliang Li (10-4-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:17 of round 3
2015-07-20: W vs. [#226WW] Yuta Watanabe (19-6-4) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:00 of round 1
2015-02-28: W vs. [#455MW] Yoshiyuki Katahira (9-4-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:47 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tom Breese 126, Keita Nakamura 154
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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UFC Fight Night 83: Cowboy vs. Cowboy – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on February 19, 2016 by McKinley Noble

UFC Fight Night 83 is the first UFC card in a while to be completely ravaged by injuries and drug testing, and the subsequent result isn’t much to write home about. This Sunday night likely won’t have the most exciting results on paper, but what’s probably worse is how long it’ll take Fox Sports to get though all 13 bouts.

Thankfully, we’re only concerned about the upper half of this weekend’s bill, which still looks too long at six fights. But let’s do this damn thing anyway, as we break down all the previous UFC fighter salaries and recent Reebok payouts for each main carder.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Donald Cerrone [#2 LW]
$109,000 = $79,000** + $30,000* [UFC on Fox 17]

Alex Oliveira [#58 LW]
$24,000 = $12,000/$12,000 [UFC Fight Night 70]

Analysis: Donald Cerrone’s defeat to Rafael dos Anjos was a huge setback, but monetarily, it could’ve been worse. With his UFC/Reebok tenure already maxed out, he’s currently banking $100,000 per fight in just base pay alone (even as a non-contender), which will add up quickly as he maintains his rapid schedule.

In terms of rankings, payscale, and general name value, it doesn’t really make sense for Cerrone to even be fighting Alex Oliveira — but since both are moving up to welterweight, this is likely better than giving them a natural 170-pounder right off the bat. It’s also too bad USADA caught Tim Means with a positive drug test, as he would have been a far more interesting matchup.

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UFC 196: dos Anjos vs McGregor

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Oleg

On March 5th, Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Las Vegas with UFC 196: a card headlined by the newly crowned featherweight champion and arguably the sport’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, moving up in weight to challenge the reigning and defending lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. The co-main event features another title bout: Holly Holm, fresh off the unlikely victory over Ronda Rousey, will defend her bantamweight title against the long-time contender Miesha Tate. With such a strong main event and co-main I don’t expect much from the undercard, and while the line-up has not been officially finalized, the other matchups announced so far don’t have much in terms of highly ranked fighters or divisional implications.

While both title bouts are intriguing, for this column I will focus on the main event of Rafael dos Anjos (often abbreviated RDA, or ‘RDS’ if you ask Jon Jones) vs Conor McGregor. Conor opened as underdog to dos Anjos, but the lines have slowly shifted away from RDA, and now McGregor is coming into the fight as a slight favorite. Should the featherweight champion with no recent fights at 155 lbs really be favored over dos Anjos, or is RDA worth a small bet? I believe the opening lines – set by the bookmakers before they were shifted by the betting public – were closer to reflecting the reality of this matchup, which makes dos Anjos a good value.

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Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 82 – Cowboy/Cowboy (02-21-2016)

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Jason

Welterweight (170)
[#2LW] Donald Cerrone (28-7-0, -285) vs. [#58LW] Alex Oliveira (13-3-1, +226)

Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (2-1-0)
2015-12-19: L vs. [#1LW/#2DD/#4P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (25-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:06 of round 1
2015-05-23: W vs. [#71LW] John Makdessi (13-5-0) via TKO (Head Kick) in 4:44 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#11WW] Ben Henderson (23-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Alex Oliveira (3-0-0)
2015-11-07: W vs. [#103LW] Piotr Hallmann (15-5-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:51 of round 3
2015-06-27: W vs. [#805WW] Joe Merritt (6-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-05-30: W vs. [#139LW] K.J. Noons (13-9-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:51 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Donald Cerrone 64, Alex Oliveira 106
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Middleweight (185)
[#15] Derek Brunson (14-3-0, -360) vs. [#16] Roan Carneiro (20-9-0, +282)

Last 3 Fights: Derek Brunson (3-0-0)
2015-08-08: W vs. [#30MW] Sam Alvey (26-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1
2015-01-31: W vs. [#17LHW] Ed Herman (23-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:36 of round 1
2014-08-30: W vs. [#26WW] Lorenz Larkin (16-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Roan Carneiro (3-0-0)
2015-02-28: W vs. [*] Mark Munoz (14-6-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:40 of round 1
2014-10-03: W vs. [#129WW] Brock Larson (42-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-10-03: W vs. [*] Trey Houston (11-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:11 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Derek Brunson 197, Roan Carneiro 358
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Bantamweight (135)
[#39] Cody Garbrandt (7-0-0, -309) vs. [#215] Augusto Mendes (5-0-0, +241)

Last 3 Fights: Cody Garbrandt (3-0-0)
2015-07-11: W vs. [#200BW] Enrique Briones (16-5-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-03: W vs. [#91BW] Marcus Brimage (7-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:50 of round 3
2014-10-04: W vs. [#657BW] Charles Stanford (6-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:37 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Augusto Mendes (3-0-0)
2015-07-17: W vs. [NA] Donald Williams (3-7-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 1:20 of round 2
2015-02-13: W vs. [#639BW] Evan Martinez (4-1-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 3:26 of round 2
2014-11-14: W vs. [NA] Richard Delfin (1-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:49 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Cody Garbrandt 225, Augusto Mendes 219
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Fight Matrix Program: Bellator 149 – Gracie vs. Shamrock III (02-19-2016)

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jason

Heavyweight (999)
[*] Royce Gracie (14-2-3, -110) vs. [NA] Ken Shamrock (28-16-2, -113)
Royce Gracie is the All-Time #13 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Ken Shamrock is the All-Time #18 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Royce Gracie (1-1-1)
2007-06-02: W vs. [#999WW] Kazushi Sakuraba (26-17-1) via UD ()
2006-05-27: L vs. [*] Matt Hughes (45-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:39 of round 1
2005-12-31: D vs. [#143BW] Hideo Tokoro (33-28-2) via Draw in 10:00 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Ken Shamrock (1-2-0)
2015-06-19: L vs. [#254HW+] Kimbo Slice (5-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:22 of round 1
2010-11-25: L vs. [*] Mike Bourke (10-16-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:00 of round 1
2010-10-16: W vs. [#406HW+] Johnathan Ivey (32-54-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Royce Gracie 3184, Ken Shamrock 245
Previous Match-up Record: Royce Gracie leads 1-0-1
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 4 win(s) against common opposition.
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Heavyweight (265)
[#254] Kimbo Slice (5-2-0, -408) vs. [*] Dhafir Harris (2-0-0, +316)

Last 3 Fights: Kimbo Slice (2-1-0)
2015-06-19: W vs. [NA] Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) via TKO (Punches) in 2:22 of round 1
2010-05-08: L vs. [#25HW+] Matt Mitrione (9-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:24 of round 2
2009-12-05: W vs. [#123LHW] Houston Alexander (16-13-1) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Dhafir Harris (2-0-0)
2011-02-12: W vs. [NA] Tim Papp (1-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:50 of round 1
2010-03-05: W vs. [NA] Cedric James (0-6-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:34 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Kimbo Slice 245, Dhafir Harris 1833
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#15] Emanuel Newton (25-9-1, -131) vs. [#29] Linton Vassell (15-5-0, +108)

Last 3 Fights: Emanuel Newton (1-2-0)
2015-09-19: L vs. [#5LHW] Phil Davis (15-3-0) via Submission (Kimura) in 4:39 of round 1
2015-02-27: L vs. [#9LHW] Liam McGeary (11-0-0) via UD (48-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-10-24: W vs. [#29LHW] Linton Vassell (15-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:47 of round 5

Last 3 Fights: Linton Vassell (1-2-0)
2015-09-19: L vs. [#11HW+] Muhammed Lawal (19-4-0) via UD ()
2015-02-27: W vs. [#144HW+] Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (16-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:18 of round 2
2014-10-24: L vs. [#15LHW] Emanuel Newton (25-9-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:47 of round 5

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Emanuel Newton 153, Linton Vassell 153
Previous Match-up Record: Emanuel Newton leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Emanuel Newton leads 2-0
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UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson – Who’s Getting Paid?

Posted on February 4, 2016 by McKinley Noble

UFC Fight Night 82 definitely isn’t as attractive as the once-planned UFC 196 card, but it looks like the Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez rematch will have to wait. That’s more than fine, though, since the UFC did the right thing for once and moved the PPV to television.

That brings us to our new headliner, starring Stephen Thompson and former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks, supported by a pretty decent undercard of prospect action. There’s a lot to cover with this one, so let’s cut into our usual breakdown of previous UFC fighter salaries (plus most-recent Reebok payouts) for every main card combatant.

Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.

Johny Hendricks [#2 WW]
$150,000** [UFC 181]

Stephen Thompson [#17 WW]
$47,000 = $21,000/$21,000 +$5,000* [TUF 21 Finale]

Analysis: Fan opinion may have soured on Hendricks in recent years, but at least he’s getting paid comparatively well for his troubles. While there’s probably little chance of any title shot as long as Robbie Lawler sits atop the division’s peak, Hendricks will certainly net some big pay bumps if he continues to build on his 17 UFC and WEC bouts with another winning streak.

And although it’s a little old-hat to keep harping on this point, Stephen Thompson should definitely be looking at a pay raise win or lose. After all, despite a stellar 10-1 record with six UFC wins, he barely makes half of the salary that Sage Northcutt commands.

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