Light Heavyweight (205)
[#3] Anthony Johnson (20-5-0, -332) vs. [#4] Ryan Bader (20-4-0, +260)
Anthony Johnson is the All-Time #15 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Ryan Bader is the All-Time #19 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Anthony Johnson (2-1-0)
2015-09-05: W vs. [#14LHW] Jimi Manuwa (15-2-0) via KO (Punches) in :28 of round 2
2015-05-23: L vs. [#2LHW/#10DD/#7P4P] Daniel Cormier (17-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:39 of round 3
2015-01-24: W vs. [#6LHW] Alexander Gustafsson (16-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:15 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Ryan Bader (3-0-0)
2015-10-03: W vs. [#8LHW] Rashad Evans (21-4-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-24: W vs. [#5LHW] Phil Davis (15-3-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-08-16: W vs. [#13LHW] Ovince St. Preux (18-7-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anthony Johnson 147, Ryan Bader 119
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 2 win(s) against common opposition.
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Heavyweight (265)
[#9] Ben Rothwell (35-9-0, +113) vs. [#12] Josh Barnett (34-7-0, -135)
Josh Barnett is the All-Time #7 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Ben Rothwell (3-0-0)
2015-06-06: W vs. [#24HW+] Matt Mitrione (9-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:54 of round 1
2014-09-05: W vs. [#3HW+] Alistair Overeem (40-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1
2013-08-31: W vs. [#61HW+] Brandon Vera (14-7-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 1:54 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Josh Barnett (2-1-0)
2015-09-26: W vs. [#25HW+] Roy Nelson (20-12-0) via UD (50-45, 48-47, 48-47)
2013-12-28: L vs. [#8HW+] Travis Browne (18-3-1) via KO (Elbows) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-31: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via TKO (Knee) in 1:56 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ben Rothwell 238, Josh Barnett 126
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Josh Barnett leads 3-2
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Bantamweight (135)
[#12] Iuri Alcantara (32-6-0, +141) vs. [#16] Jimmie Rivera (18-1-0, -167)

Last 3 Fights: Iuri Alcantara (2-1-0)
2015-08-01: W vs. [#39BW] Leandro Issa (13-5-0) via UD (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-02-22: L vs. [#17BW] Frankie Saenz (11-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-09-13: W vs. [#51BW] Russell Doane (14-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Jimmie Rivera (3-0-0)
2015-11-07: W vs. [#27BW] Pedro Munhoz (12-2-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-07-18: W vs. [#91BW] Marcus Brimage (7-5-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:29 of round 1
2015-05-09: W vs. [#159BW] Carson Beebe (15-4-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:16 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Iuri Alcantara 182, Jimmie Rivera 84
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 Championship (135)
[#1/#10DD/#9P4P] T.J. Dillashaw (12-2-0, -138) vs. [*] Dominick Cruz (20-1-0, +115)
T.J. Dillashaw is the All-Time #4 ranked Bantamweight fighter.
Dominick Cruz is the All-Time #3 ranked Bantamweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: T.J. Dillashaw (3-0-0)
2015-07-25: W vs. [#3BW] Renan Barao (33-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 4
2014-08-30: W vs. [#79BW] Joe Soto (15-5-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:20 of round 5
2014-05-24: W vs. [#3BW] Renan Barao (33-3-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:26 of round 5

Last 3 Fights: Dominick Cruz (3-0-0)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#20BW] Takeya Mizugaki (21-9-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
2011-10-01: W vs. [#1FLY/#4DD/#2P4P] Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2011-07-02: W vs. [#2BW] Urijah Faber (33-8-0) via UD (50-45, 49-46, 48-47)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: T.J. Dillashaw 176, Dominick Cruz 477
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)
[#2] Anthony Pettis (18-3-0, -328) vs. [#6] Eddie Alvarez (26-4-0, +260)
Anthony Pettis is the All-Time #8 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Eddie Alvarez is the All-Time #9 ranked Lightweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Anthony Pettis (2-1-0)
2015-03-14: L vs. [#1LW/#2DD/#4P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (25-7-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2014-12-06: W vs. [#7LW] Gilbert Melendez (22-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:53 of round 2
2013-08-31: W vs. [#10WW] Ben Henderson (23-5-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:31 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Eddie Alvarez (2-1-0)
2015-06-13: W vs. [#7LW] Gilbert Melendez (22-5-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-09-27: L vs. [#3LW] Donald Cerrone (28-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-11-02: W vs. [#14LW] Michael Chandler (14-3-0) via SD (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anthony Pettis 309, Eddie Alvarez 218
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Anthony Pettis leads 2-1
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Heavyweight (265)
[#9] Travis Browne (17-3-1, -157) vs. [#19] Matt Mitrione (9-4-0, +132)

Last 3 Fights: Travis Browne (1-2-0)
2015-05-23: L vs. [#6HW+] Andrei Arlovski (25-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:41 of round 1
2014-12-06: W vs. [#30HW+] Brendan Schaub (10-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:50 of round 1
2014-04-19: L vs. [#1HW+/#7DD/#5P4P] Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) via UD (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

Last 3 Fights: Matt Mitrione (2-1-0)
2015-06-06: L vs. [#8HW+] Ben Rothwell (35-9-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:54 of round 1
2014-12-13: W vs. [#28HW+] Gabriel Gonzaga (17-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:59 of round 1
2014-09-05: W vs. [#35HW+] Derrick Lewis (13-4-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:41 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Travis Browne 239, Matt Mitrione 225
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Travis Browne leads 2-1
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On Jan. 16, the world’s number-one ranked women’s featherweight Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino defends her title against Daria Ibragimova at Invicta FC 15. Justino had been preparing for a drop down to the bantamweight division. However, Ronda Rousey’s devastating knockout loss to Holly Holm has convinced her to continue her featherweight campaign.

Ibragimova is Russian fighter who holds a professional record of 9-1. She is currently ranked 10th in the Fight Matrix rankings at women’s featherweight. Despite these accolades, her opponents’ combined record is 19-25. During her six-plus year career, she has faced only one fighter who currently has more than three wins, Cindy Dandois, and Ibragimova lost via first-round submission. The Invicta FC 15 main event is expected to be another washout for “Cyborg.”

Justino has a virtual stranglehold on the division. In her last three fights, she has defeated the second, eighth and seventh ranked fighters at 145 pounds.

Against Ibragimova, “Cyborg” has a 71 to 20 advantage in ranking points. That is a 255 percent ranking advantage. Let’s compare that advantage to the other female fighters currently ranked number one. The following table shows a breakdown of how each number-one ranked female fighter stacks up, in terms of ranking points percent advantage, in a hypothetical matchup against the 10th ranked fighter in that division.
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Welterweight Championship (170)
[#1/#9DD/#8P4P] Robbie Lawler (26-10-0, -110) vs. [#7] Carlos Condit (30-8-0, -112)
Robbie Lawler is the All-Time #4 ranked Welterweight and #25 ranked Absolute fighter.
Carlos Condit is the All-Time #5 ranked Welterweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Robbie Lawler (3-0-0)
2015-07-11: W vs. [#3WW] Rory MacDonald (18-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:00 of round 5
2014-12-06: W vs. [#2WW/#10P4P] Johny Hendricks (17-3-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-07-26: W vs. [#9WW] Matt Brown (20-13-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Carlos Condit (2-1-0)
2015-05-30: W vs. [#23WW] Thiago Alves (21-10-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2014-03-15: L vs. [#4WW] Tyron Woodley (15-3-0) via TKO (Leg Kick) in 2:00 of round 2
2013-08-28: W vs. [*] Martin Kampmann (20-7-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 0:54 of round 4

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robbie Lawler 175, Carlos Condit 217
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Robbie Lawler leads 5-4
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Heavyweight (265)
[#3] Andrei Arlovski (25-10-0, +186) vs. [#6] Stipe Miocic (13-2-0, -227)
Andrei Arlovski is the All-Time #8 ranked Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Andrei Arlovski (3-0-0)
2015-09-05: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-05-23: W vs. [#9HW+] Travis Browne (17-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:41 of round 1
2014-09-13: W vs. [#13HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:59 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Stipe Miocic (2-1-0)
2015-05-10: W vs. [#7HW+] Mark Hunt (11-10-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 5
2014-12-13: L vs. [#5HW+] Junior dos Santos (17-4-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#36LHW] Fabio Maldonado (22-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Andrei Arlovski 119, Stipe Miocic 237
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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Welterweight (170)
[#21] Lorenz Larkin (16-4-0, +208) vs. [#27] Albert Tumenov (16-2-0, -256)

Last 3 Fights: Lorenz Larkin (2-1-0)
2015-06-27: W vs. [#49WW] Santiago Ponzinibbio (21-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:07 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#40WW] John Howard (23-12-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 1
2014-08-30: L vs. [#15MW] Derek Brunson (14-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Albert Tumenov (3-0-0)
2015-10-03: W vs. [#82WW] Alan Jouban (12-4-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:55 of round 1
2015-01-24: W vs. [#45WW] Nicholas Musoke (13-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#166WW] Matt Dwyer (8-3-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 1:03 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Lorenz Larkin 189, Albert Tumenov 91
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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Heavyweight (265)
[*] Fedor Emelianenko (34-4-0, -1431) vs. [#182] Jaideep Singh (2-0-0, +832)
Fedor Emelianenko is the All-Time #1 ranked Heavyweight and #3 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Fedor Emelianenko (3-0-0)
2012-06-21: W vs. [*] Pedro Rizzo (20-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:24 of round 1
2011-12-31: W vs. [#39HW+] Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:29 of round 1
2011-11-20: W vs. [#491HW+] Jeff Monson (58-25-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Jaideep Singh (2-0-0)
2015-10-17: W vs. [#243HW+] Carlos Toyota (6-8-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2013-06-07: W vs. [NA] Alireza Tavak (0-2-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 4:24 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Fedor Emelianenko 1288, Jaideep Singh 75
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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Heavyweight (265)
[*] Peter Aerts (1-1-0) vs. [NA] Kaido Hoovelson (DEBUT)

Last 3 Fights: Peter Aerts (1-1-0)
2005-12-31: L vs. [#502HW+] Shungo Oyama (14-19-0) via Submission (Heel Hook) in 0:30 of round 1
2005-07-06: W vs. [NA] Yoichi Babaguchi (1-6-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:36 of round 1

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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Featherweight (146)
[#1454LW] Kron Gracie (1-0-0) vs. [NA] Asen Yamamoto (DEBUT)

Last 3 Fights: Kron Gracie (1-0-0)
2014-12-23: W vs. [#1388LW] Hyung Soo Kim (1-1-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:05 of round 1

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 (171)
[#19LW] Shinya Aoki (38-6-0, 169.7lb) vs. [*] Kazushi Sakuraba (26-16-1, 171.0lb)

Last 3 Fights: Shinya Aoki (3-0-0)
2015-05-22: W vs. [#62LW] Koji Ando (12-4-2) via UD ()
2014-12-31: W vs. [#397LW] Yuki Yamamoto (6-8-4) via Submission (Twister) in 1:21 of round 1
2014-08-29: W vs. [*] Kamal Shalorus (9-4-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:15 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Kazushi Sakuraba (0-3-0)
2011-09-24: L vs. [#122LW] Yan Cabral (12-2-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:42 of round 2
2010-12-31: L vs. [#138WW] Marius Zaromskis (20-9-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 2:16 of round 1
2010-09-25: L vs. [*] Jason Miller (23-9-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:09 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Shinya Aoki 221, Kazushi Sakuraba 1557
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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Heavyweight (220)
[#39] Satoshi Ishii (14-4-1, 219.0lb) vs. [#49LHW] Jiri Prochazka (14-2-1, 211.5lb)

Last 3 Fights: Satoshi Ishii (2-1-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#128HW+] William Penn (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:07 of round 1
2015-04-11: W vs. [#94HW+] Nick Rossborough (25-19-1) via Submission (Kimura) in 4:22 of round 1
2014-12-31: L vs. [#22HW+] Mirko Filipovic (31-11-2) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 5:00 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Jiri Prochazka (3-0-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#229LHW] Evgeni Kondratov (5-2-0) via in of round 1
2015-05-22: W vs. [#84LHW] Michal Fijalka (14-5-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
2015-03-27: W vs. [NA] Rokas Stambrauskas (7-5-0) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Satoshi Ishii 122, Jiri Prochazka 38
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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Heavyweight (220)
[#30LHW] Goran Reljic (15-5-0, 215.0lb) vs. [#112LHW] Vadim Nemkov (4-0-0, 219.5lb)

Last 3 Fights: Goran Reljic (2-1-0)
2015-10-31: L vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:55 of round 1
2015-05-23: W vs. [#23LHW] Attila Vegh (29-6-2) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2014-12-06: W vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via UD (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Vadim Nemkov (3-0-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#247LHW] Joaquim Ferreira (19-11-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:22 of round 1
2015-04-24: W vs. [NA] Isidor Bunea (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-05: W vs. [#270LHW] Michal Gutowski (8-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:32 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Goran Reljic 59, Vadim Nemkov 122
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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Rizin Fighting Federation has completed the field for their 100kg tournament. The tournament will start on the promotion’s first show on Dec. 29 and continue on the New Year’s Eve event. The field will feature representatives from Rizin’s partner promotions such as Bellator, BAMMA, Jungle Fight, Bushido Lithuania and KSW.

The history of MMA is full of impact tournaments such as the early UFC events and the Pride Grand Prix events. The sports seems to have grown out of tournaments for the most part, but they do still happen in the major leagues with limited regularity. At first glance, the Rizin tournament does not seem to stand up to some of the great heavyweight tournaments of the past. Does that hold up?

To compare the Rizin field to earlier tournaments, the contemporary ranking of each competitor in each heavyweight tournament under the Pride FC, Strikeforce and Bellator MMA since 2000 was reviewed. For the sake of this analysis, contemporary ranking means the Generated Historical Ranking from the quarter where the fight took place. For fighters that were not ranked at the time of the tournament, they are listed as 250th, which is the equivalent of last in the heavyweight division.

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They say all good things must come to an end.  And so as the UFC is wrapping up a what was a very successful year for the promotion with another stacked event on Fox/Fox Sports 1, I will be wrapping up 2015 with the last installment in the ‘Bang for Your Buck’ series.  It’s hard to believe that Zuffa is able to put on such a strong card just a week after a ridiculous weekend of three UFC events in three days.  Besides a lightweight title fight and a long awaited matchup between two hard hitting Top 10 heavyweights, the main card on Fox also features another solid lightweight bout, while an extended 3-hour block of prelims on FS1 has five fights that I am looking forward to.  There are also two women’s bouts on the card – one on Fox, one on the prelims – as well as three bouts on Fight Pass to start off the event, but none of those really pique my interest.

Main Card (Fox)

Main Event:  (C) [#1 LW] Rafael dos Anjos vs [#2 LW] Donald Cerrone for the UFC Lightweight Championship

Worth: $25

Why: This is an amazing matchup between two of the worlds most elite lightweights, both at the peak of their game.  After losing a decision to the Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2014, dos Anjos fought four times in the following year, and won all four: T/KO finishes of Ben Henderson and Jason High and thoroughly dominant decisions over Nate Diaz and then champion Antony Pettis.  Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in the meanwhile has won seven straight with four finishes in the course of two years.  Cerrone’s last loss came via a close decision to Dos Anjos, but with the way both fighters have performed since then, a rematch is definitely warranted.

Dos Anjos and Cowboy have had a lot of common opponents, which is understandable when both had 18 fights in the UFC.  What is more interesting that besides handing Cerrone his last loss, dos Anjos also beat the two men who defeated Cerrone prior: Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis.  While Cerrone is not the same fighter he was in the Diaz fight – or even in the first dos Anjos fight – I still believe Rafael will take the rematch and successfully defend his title for the first time.  Another interesting factoid about this fight is that Cowboy is the only lineal champion who is not also the UFC champion, so this fight will unify the last disputed lineage in all of men’s divisions, merging all lineal championships with UFC belts (with the questionable exemption of Jon Jones).

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