In almost all of our divisional rankings there is a clear #1, but not always a clear #2 or #3.  Consider these matches and give us your thoughts on how they will/would go down.

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Heavyweight (#2)

#2 Frank Mir vs. #3 Brock Lesnar

The sequel, which is already scheduled to happen.  The winner of this should become a clear #2 at Heavyweight, not only in our ratings, but in the minds of MMA fans.

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Light Heavyweight (#1)

#1 Rashad Evans vs. #2 Quinton Jackson

Although Machida/Evans should do a good job in determining a clear #1, Jackson/Evans is the optimal match-up.

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Middleweight (#2)

#2 Demian Maia vs. #3 Jorge Santiago

The undefeated Maia against Santiago, who is on a torrid run.  Two brazilians facing off to see who gets the next shot at their fellow countrymen.  Will probably never happen.

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Welterweight (#3)

#3 Jon Fitch vs. #4 Jake Shields

UFC’s perennial contender versus a Bully Beatdown alumni.

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Lightweight (#1 or #2)

Satoru Kitaoka, B.J. Penn, Kenny Florian

Lightweight is a mess.  We’ll get Penn/Florian later, but Kitaoka is at the top of our rankings right now.  Any matchups between these three would bring some clarity to the division.

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Featherweight (#3)

#3 Wagnney Fabiano vs. #4 Yuji Hoshino

With a pretty clear #1 and #2, a Fabiano/Hoshino victor would become at least #3, and possibly pass Faber for the #2 spot.

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Bantamweight (#2)

#2 Rani Yahya vs. #3 Brian Bowles

Brian Bowles is in line to get the next title shot, but the FightMatrix computer believes he has been passed up by Yahya.  Since losing to former top WEC Bantamweight Beebe, and the elite Yamamoto, Yahya has submitted two Top Bantamweights in the first round.

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Flyweight (#2)

#2 Yuki Shoujou vs. #3 Ryuichi Miki

Yamaguchi and Urushitani have been pushed to the side by up-and-comers Shoujou and Miki.    Shoujou lost to Yamaguchi, beat Urushitani, then lost in his title shot to Kojima.  Miki has not lost in over three years, but does not have a win against a top Flyweight opponent.

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Women (#1)

#1 Megumi Fujii vs. #2 Tara Larosa

Due to a lack of quality opposition, former #1 LaRosa has been passed by Fujii.  They are about 20 pounds apart, but we can dream about a catchweight bout between them.  Tsuji/Fujii may be more likely, and the winner of that would come out as a clear #1.

Notable Info

• Recent shows added to the database.
• Older female bouts have been added and corrected.  This caused moderate fluctuations in the women rankings.

Lightweights

4. Andre Winner beat 7. Santino Defranco

Welterweights

5. Damarques Johnson beat 11. Dean Amasinger

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This week, the focus is on Victor O’Donnell.

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Notable Info

• Ranked #37 at Welterweight, although he has often fought at Middleweight.
• Undefeated at 7-0 (Sherdog’s record is incomplete).
• Has finished all of his opponents by submission.
• Recently defeated UFC veteran, Forrest Petz in a match at 175 lbs.

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O’Donnell has done a decent job of amassing points outside of a major organization.  The win over Petz was a major boost to his rating (as was building upon Sherdog’s incomplete copy of his record).  I’ll double check his record, and his opponents’ records for completeness in the near future.  This may, or may not change his ranking.

EDIT: It looks like it will change his ranking.  He will fall several spots in the next update.  Aahh, the problems with MMA databases.

Notable Info

• Recent shows from GCM, XFC, UWC, Bellator, and others added to the database.
• Some older shows have been added to the database. This has caused some fluctuations.

It has become increasingly apparent that the MMA database providers have become more lazy in their efforts to update their databases with suitable accuracy and timeliness. If you determine from the rankings that we are missing some results, please let us know in the forum.

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10. Nicholas Osipczak beat 3. Mark Miller

An upset in this one… so the higher seed is now 11-5.

One of the benefits of having a computerized rating system with a mature and frequently updated database, is that it often brings unknown fighters to your attention.  I’d like to make a habit of this type of blog post, in which I mention a fighter in an obscure league who is doing well, that you may not have heard of.

This week, we have Richard Hale.

Notable Info

• 11 wins, 2 losses.
• Reigning and defending Rage in the Cage champion at Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight.
• Currently the FightMatrix #49 Heavyweight overall.
• 9th highest rated out of Heavyweights that have never fought in UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, or PRIDE.
• Only one of his wins has went the distance.
• Has avenged one of his two losses.

Due to the limited talent pool at RITC, especially in the LHW and HW divisions, he’s pretty much topped out his FightMatrix rating.

Notable Info

• Recent shows from UFC, Shooto, Bellator, Kingdom MMA,  and others added to the database.
• Some older shows have been added to the database.  This has caused some fluctuations.

Lightweights

1. Jason Dent beat UR. Rob Browning

Welterweights

9B. Frank Lester* beat UR. Kiel Reid

* – Added after the fact.  Assigned a “B” in order to signify their place in the ranking, without “throwing off” the initial 1-16 list.

So far, the higher seed is 11-4.  In one bout, both fighters were unranked.

UFC Middleweight Championship
[#1] Anderson Silva vs. [#11] Thales Leites

Light Heavyweight
[#9] Mauricio Rua vs. [#10] Chuck Liddell

Light Heavyweight
[#34] Krzysztof Soszynski vs. [#90] Brian Stann

Heavyweight
[#9] Cheick Kongo vs. [#35] Antoni Hardonk

Light Heavyweight
[#12] Luiz Cane vs. [#37] Steve Cantwell

Light Heavyweight
[#350] Eliot Marshall vs. [*] Vinny Magalhaes

Middleweight
[#30] Denis Kang vs. [#43] Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Middleweight
[#29] Jason MacDonald vs. [#62] Nate Quarry

Middleweight
[#34] David Loiseau vs. [#47] Ed Herman

Lightweight
[#59] Mark Bocek vs. [#92] David Bielkheden

Welterweight
[#28] TJ Grant vs. [#36] Ryo Chonan

Lightweight
[#53] Matt Wiman vs. [#60] Sam Stout

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.

Notable Info

• Recent shows from Beatdown, Shooto, Strike Force, and others added to the database.
• Some older shows from Asia have been added to the database.  This has caused some fluctuations.

Only one upset in Episode 2, and it was a minor one (#3 beat #2).



Lightweights

6. Richie Whitson beat 8. Paul Bird

7. Santino Defranco beat 9. Waylon Lowe

12. Cameron Dollar beat 15. Tom Hayden



Welterweights

3. Mark Miller beat 2. Kevin Knabjian

4. Jason Pierce beat 12. Ryan Biglar

5. Damarques Johnson beat 7. Ray Elbe



So far, the higher seed is 9-4.  In one bout, both fighters were unranked.

Since we posted the TUF 9 rankings, I figured it’d be interesting to follow the results… just to see how off (or on) we are. There have definitely been some “bracket busters” in the Welterweight division, but the Lightweights are performing as expected.

Lightweights

4. Andre Winner beat 13. Gary Kelly

2. Jeff Lawson beat 14. James Bryant

10. Martin Stapleton beat NR. Dan James

3. Ross Pearson beat 11. AJ Wenn

Welterweights

8. James Wilks beat 1. Che Mills

10. Nicholas Osipczak beat 6. Tommy Maguire

11. Dean Amasinger beat 9. Alex Reid

NR. David Falkner beat NR. James Bateman

All fighters are ranked using their FightMatrix rating points as of 4/6/09. Some of the bout histories for these obscure fighters are incomplete, especially those from the UK, but we decided to use the information that we have to provide a ranking of said fighters. There is some “grouping” of closely rated fighters, so we are presenting them in tiers.

Total Points

240 – 204

The Best of the Bunch

1. Jason Dent

2. Jeff Lawson

Worth Keeping an Eye On

3. Ross Pearson

4. Andre Winner

The Next Three

5. Josh Souder

6. Richie Whitson

7. Santino Defranco

On the Outside Looking In

8. Paul Bird

9. Waylon Lowe

10. Martin Stapleton

11. AJ Wenn

12. Cameron Dollar

Just Good Enough for a Rating

13. Gary Kelly

14. James Bryant

15. Tom Hayden

The Unranked

Dan James, Rob Browning*

* – Added after the fact, not included in main point total.

All fighters are ranked using their FightMatrix rating points as of 4/6/09. Some of the bout histories for these obscure fighters are incomplete, especially those from the UK, but we decided to use the information that we have to provide a ranking of said fighters. There is some “grouping” of closely rated fighters, so we are presenting them in tiers.

Total Points

235 – 172

The Best of the Bunch

1. Che Mills

2. Kevin Knabjian

3. Mark Miller

Worth Keeping an Eye On

4. Jason Pierce

5. Damarques Johnson

Rounding Out the Top 10

6. Tommy Maguire

7. Ray Elbe

8. James Wilks

9. Alex Reid

9B. Frank Lester*

10. Nicholas Osipczak

Here for the Ride

11. Dean Amasinger

12. Ryan Biglar

13. Christian Fulgium

The Unranked

Kiel Reid, David Falkner, James Bateman

* – Added after the fact, not included in main point total.