Michael Chandler’s Ranking History
At this Saturday’s Bellator 165 show, lightweight champion Michael Chandler puts his belt on the line against former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson. Chandler has been ranked as high as the #3 lightweight, but Henderson would still be one of the biggest wins on his resume.
Chandler first entered the quarterly generated historical rankings in July 2010 as the #352 welterweight. After making his Bellator debut later that year, he jumped up to #281 welterweight.
In 2011, Chandler dropped down a division and entered the season-four lightweight tournament. In the finals, he defeated Patricky Freire. His ranking moved all the way up to #25 lightweight. Later that year, he upset Eddie Alvarez and took the promotion’s lightweight title and began 2012 at the #5 lightweight.
After three-consecutive losses, including a pair to Will Brooks, Chandler found himself ranked as low as #15. It was the first time he was ranked outside the top ten since 2011. He has fought his way back to the Bellator lightweight title, but he is still outside the top ten. In the most recent Fight Matrix rankings release he is #12. The good news for him is that a win over Henderson would likely propel him back into the top ten.
Fight Matrix Program – UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor (11-12-2016)
Lightweight Championship (155)
[#1/#2DD/#8P4P] Eddie Alvarez (28-4-0, +129) vs. [#6WW] Conor McGregor (20-3-0, -153)
Eddie Alvarez is the All-Time #4 ranked Lightweight and #24 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Eddie Alvarez (3-0-0)
2016-07-07: W vs. [#3LW] Rafael dos Anjos (25-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:49 of round 1
2016-01-17: W vs. [#3FW] Anthony Pettis (19-5-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-06-13: W vs. [#27LW] Gilbert Melendez (22-6-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Conor McGregor (2-1-0)
2016-08-20: W vs. [#8WW] Nate Diaz (19-11-0) via MD (47-47, 48-47, 48-47)
2016-03-05: L vs. [#8WW] Nate Diaz (19-11-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:12 of round 2
2015-12-12: W vs. [#1FW/#6DD/#5P4P] Jose Aldo (26-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:13 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Eddie Alvarez 128, Conor McGregor 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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Welterweight Championship (170)
[#1] Tyron Woodley (16-3-0, +164) vs. [#3] Stephen Thompson (13-1-0, -197)
Tyron Woodley is the All-Time #10 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Stephen Thompson is the All-Time #23 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Tyron Woodley (3-0-0)
2016-07-30: W vs. [#2WW] Robbie Lawler (27-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:12 of round 1
2015-01-31: W vs. [#7WW] Kelvin Gastelum (12-2-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#18WW] Dong Hyun Kim (21-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Stephen Thompson (3-0-0)
2016-06-18: W vs. [#12WW] Rory MacDonald (18-4-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 48-47)
2016-02-06: W vs. [#14WW] Johny Hendricks (17-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:31 of round 1
2015-07-12: W vs. [#16WW] Jake Ellenberger (31-11-0) via KO (Spinning Hook Kick) in 4:29 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tyron Woodley 105, Stephen Thompson 147
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Stephen Thompson leads 1-0
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Women Strawweight Championship (115)
[#1/#1DD/#1P4P] Joanna Jedrzejczyk (12-0-0, -389) vs. [#6] Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-0-0, +305)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the All-Time #14 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (3-0-0)
2016-07-08: W vs. [#3SW/#10DD] Claudia Gadelha (13-2-0) via UD (48-45, 48-46, 48-46)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#9FLY] Valerie Letourneau (8-5-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
2015-06-20: W vs. [#29SW] Jessica Penne (12-4-0) via TKO (Punches and Knee) in 4:22 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Karolina Kowalkiewicz (3-0-0)
2016-07-30: W vs. [#8SW] Rose Namajunas (5-3-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2016-05-08: W vs. [#62SW] Heather Clark (7-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2015-12-19: W vs. [#25SW] Randa Markos (6-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Joanna Jedrzejczyk 127, Karolina Kowalkiewicz 105
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 – UFC Fight Night 88: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson (11-05-2016)
Lightweight (155)
[#2/#9DD] Rafael dos Anjos (25-8-0, -149) vs. [#5] Tony Ferguson (21-3-0, +125)
Rafael dos Anjos is the All-Time #6 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Rafael dos Anjos (2-1-0)
2016-07-07: L vs. [#1LW/#1DD/#8P4P] Eddie Alvarez (28-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:49 of round 1
2015-12-19: W vs. [#5WW] Donald Cerrone (31-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:06 of round 1
2015-03-14: W vs. [#3FW] Anthony Pettis (19-5-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Last 3 Fights: Tony Ferguson (3-0-0)
2016-07-13: W vs. [#237LW] Lando Vannata (8-1-0) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:22 of round 2
2015-12-11: W vs. [#3LW] Edson Barboza (18-4-0) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:54 of round 2
2015-07-15: W vs. [#20LW] Josh Thomson (22-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Rafael dos Anjos 121, Tony Ferguson 115
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Tony Ferguson leads 1-0
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Lightweight (155)
[#144FW] Martin Bravo (10-0-0, -111) vs. [#302] Claudio Puelles (7-1-0, -111)
Last 3 Fights: Martin Bravo (3-0-0)
2015-09-12: W vs. [#1578FW] Dallys Moraes Gama (5-3-0) via UD ()
2015-07-23: W vs. [#1145BW] Fernando Moya Li (3-4-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:52 of round 1
2015-06-27: W vs. [NA] David Suruy (1-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:05 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Claudio Puelles (2-1-0)
2015-04-28: W vs. [*] Alvaro Sugasti (3-2-0) via in of round 1
2014-10-25: W vs. [NA] Edimar Martins Rayol (0-4-0) via Submission in 2:36 of round 1
2014-07-30: L vs. [#228FW] David Cubas (17-5-3) via UD ()
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Martin Bravo 420, Claudio Puelles 557
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)
[#16] Marcin Held (22-4-0, -268) vs. [#38] Diego Sanchez (26-9-0, +217)
Last 3 Fights: Marcin Held (2-1-0)
2016-05-20: W vs. [#44LW] Dave Jansen (20-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-11-06: L vs. [#8LW] Will Brooks (18-2-0) via UD (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
2015-04-10: W vs. [#77LW] Alexander Sarnavskiy (34-5-0) via Submission (Kneebar) in 1:11 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Diego Sanchez (1-2-0)
2016-07-09: L vs. [#23LW] Joe Lauzon (26-12-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:26 of round 1
2016-03-05: W vs. [#21LW] Jim Miller (27-8-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-11-21: L vs. [#6FW] Ricardo Lamas (16-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Marcin Held 169, Diego Sanchez 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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Current MMA Rankings Updated (10-30-2016)
UPDATE: Rankings re-posted after bug discovered & fixed (Gadelha’s unexplained drop).
Looking Back at Shane Carwin’s Career
Rizin Fighting Federation has announced the signing of former UFC interim champion Shane Carwin. The 41-year-old fighter will return to action for the first time since 2011 in the second round of the Openweight Grand Prix on New Year’s Eve week. Carwin first earned a spot in the Quarterly Generated Historical Rankings 2006 and stayed there until his retirement. His peak ranking, #4 heavyweight, came in April 2010 after he defeated Frank Mir for the interim belt. Carwin was last ranked #6 heavyweight April 2011. Of the remaining fighters in the tournament, only Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva have higher peak rankings. However, Filipovic’s peak came in 2007 and Silva’s in 2005.
Rankings Impact: Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: 1st Round
This past weekend Rizin Fighting Federation hosted their fourth event. The card featured several ranked fighters, and the results have made an impact on the Fight Matrix rankings. The following is a breakdown of some of the changes in the rankings after the event.
Rankings Return
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic returned to the heavyweight rankings following his first round submission over Hyun Man Myung. He is now the #31 heavyweight. Myung was unranked headed into the event, but since “Cro Cop” had been dropped from the rankings due to inactivity a simple win was enough to put him back in the top 50.
Rankings Debut
Three fighters, Kron Gracie, Amir Aliakbari and Kanako Murata, made their rankings debut following the event.
Gracie defeated veteran Hideo Tokoro in the main event and now finds himself as the #293 featherweight.
Former two-time world champion Greco-Roman wrestler Amir Aliakbari easily dispatched the former #89 heavyweight Joao Almeida and makes his rankings debut at #116.
Finally, junior world champion wrestler Kanako Murata bested the former #7 atomweight Kyra Batara in order to debut at #39 strawweight.
Moving Up
On a weekend that included plenty of talk about the dearth of challengers for Cris “Cyborg” Justino‘s throne, there was another example in Japan. After going 3-0 against opponents with a combined 2-0 previous record, Gabi Garcia finds herself ranked #9 in the featherweight and over division. She jumped up five spots after defeating Destanie Yarbrough in the card’s opening bout.
Valentin Moldavsky defeated the former #54 heavyweight and moved up 129 spots in the rankings. He is now the #88 heavyweight.
Szymon Bajor went from #125 to #87 heavyweight following his victory over Teodoras Aukstuolis. The Lithuanian fighter had been ranked as the #105 heavyweight.
Dropped Out
Batara actually manged to drop from a top-10 spot to unranked. There are a few factors at play. First, her previous #7 ranking at atomweight was at least partially due to a lack of talent at 105 pounds. For this fight, she bumped up to strawweight and took the loss. So, not only did she lose, but she also reclassified at a much deeper weightclass. If she returns to Combate Americas and wins another atomweight fight, she will most likely return to the top 10.
Richard Mann currently runs the data-driven MMA blog StrikeScoreMMA.com