MMA – Page 50 – Fight Matrix

Legends of the Octagon: Francis Ngannou

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Heather

Born in 1986, Francis Ngannou grew up impoverished in Cameroon. At the age of ten, he began working in the sand mines. He did this type of work until he was 17. In search for a better quality of life, Ngannou moved to France at 26, with dreams of becoming a professional boxer.

While in France, Ngannou met coach Didier Carmont. Due to the potential that Carmont had anticipated, he allowed Francis to train at no cost in his gym. While training in boxing, he was introduced to MMA coach Fernand Lopez; thus beginning a career in MMA.

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Heather

Combat Sports & Martial Arts Writer| Partnership Marketing and Digital Strategy Lead (Combat Sports)
I have been an avid viewer of Boxing and MMA for decades. I have had an interest in MMA since 2001. I had a 25 year career in healthcare, and now I am pursuing my hobby. I enjoy writing about combat sports and martial arts for FightMatrix.

www.fightmatrix.com

Legends of the Octagon: Anderson Silva

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Heather

In the opinion of many fans, Anderson Silva is the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Whether you agree or not, he is certainly a legend of the Octagon. From a young age, he was a prodigy in martial arts. Here are some fun facts you may not know about ‘The Spider’:

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Heather

www.fightmatrix.com

The biggest scandals in UFC history

Posted on February 23, 2024 by A. J. Riot

When it comes to the world of mixed martial arts, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) holds a special place. This sporting organization has become the center of attention not only because of its exciting fights but also because of the many scandalous events that have occurred in its history. Together, let’s remember the most high-profile scandals that shook the UFC world.

The most memorable betting scandals from the world of UFC

The biggest betting scandals in UFC history are of great interest to mixed martial arts fans. Not only do they affect the results of fights, but they also cause a lot of confusion in the world of combat sports.

One such scandal occurred during the fight between Dae Hyun Bang and Leo Kuntz at UFC Fight Night 79 in 2015. Bang was the clear favorite for this fight but unexpectedly lost to his opponent. It was later discovered that several bets on Kuntz’s victory were placed using fake accounts, resulting in huge losses for bookmakers.

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What to Expect at UFC 299 and Who to Bet on?

Posted on February 22, 2024 by A. J. Riot

The Ultimate Fighting Championship 299: O’Malley versus Vera 2 is a scintillating promise that pits two fiercest titans against each other. Scheduled to be held at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, in March 2024, it also promises one of the biggest and most hopeful MMA events. With the stacked fight card, potential matchups may be jaw-dropping, where fans can brace themselves for adrenaline-packed action and memorable moments. Let’s delve deep into the world of UFC 299!

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New Feature: Past MMA Events

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Oleg

We’re bringing you another new feature here at FightMatrix: the ability to view the cards for past MMA events, including the fighters’ rankings at the time of the event.

As an example, here’s the historic UFC 200 fight card:

https://www.fightmatrix.com/event/UFC+200+-+Tate+vs.+Nunes/142856/

You can search past events here: https://www.fightmatrix.com/event-search/

Or browse all events by the year they took place or the promotion putting on the event:

https://www.fightmatrix.com/past-events-by-year/

https://www.fightmatrix.com/past-events-by-promotion/

Keep on browsing!

Top 5 Record-Breaking Win Streaks in UFC History

Posted on February 20, 2024 by A. J. Riot

The UFC has seen some truly incredible fighters over its storied 31-year history, but only the best of the best have been able to see periods of sustained dominance over an entire weight class. While there is plenty of nuance that goes into a long win streak in the UFC, namely the quality of opponents, at some point a run of victories becomes so long that we as viewers have no choice but to appreciate greatness. The UFC, with its 625 million fans, is a top-viewed combat sport. This popularity has brought in online sports betting brands, giving fans a fun way to be part of the action.

A quick note before we get started, six fighters are technically tied for 4th place. Demetrious Johnson, Max Holloway, Islam Makhachev, Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov all have recorded 13 fight win-streaks. Still, we’ve decided to highlight just the below that we think come with important caveats that put them above the rest.

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Bookmaker’s Favourite In UFC 299: O’Malley Vs. Vera Fight

Posted on February 20, 2024 by A. J. Riot

The MMA calendar for 2024 is already jam-packed full of exciting events in the coming months. One of the most anticipated right now is the O’Malley vs Vera, that is scheduled for the 9th of March 2024. who is everything you need to know about the events, and who is the bookie’s favourite to win.

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Celebrities who Love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Posted on February 16, 2024 by A. J. Riot

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a dynamic combat sport and martial art, which is also considered to be a good form of self-defense. It consists of submissions and grappling. Typically, it takes approximately eight years to be awarded a black belt in BJJ. To reach this achievement, one must be physically fit, have endurance, and be extremely dedicated to the sport. There are a number of celebrities who are well-trained and active participants in the sport. Among them are Guy Ritchie, Ed O’Neil, John Milius, Ashton Kutcher, Scarlett Johanneson, James Maynard Keenan, Jim Carey, and Keanu Reeves. Keep Reading

Youngest and Oldest UFC Champions

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Oleg

Recently, the following statistic has been popping up across MMA forums and message boards: “In all history of UFC, only twice has a fighter 35 or older won a title match at welterweight or below”. The two title wins by the 35+ year old at lighter weight classes both belong to Tyron Woodley, who defended his title against Damien Maia and Darren Till at 35 & 36 years old, respectively.

Many fans have been using this statistic to predict doom for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, in his UFC 298 title defense against Ilia Topuria. The 35-year-old Volkanovski is coming off a head kick knockout at the hands of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, adding fuel to the fire behind his detractors. Will father time once again remain undefeated, or will Volkanovski defy the MMA-Math and successfully defend his title, joining Woodley in the over-35 champion club? We will find out this coming weekend. In the meanwhile, here’s a compilation of the youngest and oldest UFC champions through history of the organization:

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Fighters’ Styles and Analysis: All You Need for Successful MMA Betting

Posted on February 13, 2024 by A. J. Riot

Mixed martial arts (MMA) betting is a less popular betting niche compared to football, cricket, and other sports that pull massive crowds. Nonetheless, it is a gold mine for a few punters who know their craft. Betting on MMA requires analysis and strategy. However, instead of analyzing teams or players, you only focus on two individuals. Understanding a fighter’s style is crucial to making decisions, as each fighter has unique skills and strategies that influence their performance. Although some individuals adapt to handle their opponent’s approach, the inability to do so will cause struggles. Hence, knowing how a fighter will fare comes in handy in making predictions. Interestingly, this is all you need for successful betting. Let us explain how it works.

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Fight Matrix Program – UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria (02-16-2024)

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Jason

Featherweight Championship (145)
[#1/#2DD/#5P4P] Alexander Volkanovski (26-3-0, -115) vs. [#4] Ilia Topuria (14-0-0, -106)
Alexander Volkanovski is the All-Time #2 ranked Featherweight and #7 ranked Absolute fighter.
Ilia Topuria is the All-Time #45 ranked Featherweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Alexander Volkanovski (1-2-0)
2023-10-21: L vs. [#1LW/#1DD/#1P4P] Islam Makhachev (25-1-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 3:06 of round 1
2023-07-08: W vs. [#3FW] Yair Rodriguez (19-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:19 of round 3
2023-02-11: L vs. [#1LW/#1DD/#1P4P] Islam Makhachev (25-1-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Ilia Topuria (3-0-0)
2023-06-24: W vs. [#6FW] Josh Emmett (19-4-0) via UD (49-45, 50-44, 50-42)
2022-12-10: W vs. [#14FW] Bryce Mitchell (16-2-0) via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) in 3:10 of round 2
2022-03-19: W vs. [#128LW] Jai Herbert (12-5-1) via KO (Punches) in 1:07 of round 2

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Alexander Volkanovski	-115		50.96%
Elo K170	Alexander Volkanovski	2321.36	+256.15	76.32%
Elo Modified	Alexander Volkanovski	2262.80	+222.64	72.61%
Glicko-1	Alexander Volkanovski	2350.37	+251.14	80.93%
WHR	Alexander Volkanovski	2221.72	+172.17	68.71%

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alexander Volkanovski 119, Ilia Topuria 238
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Middleweight (185)
[#7] Robert Whittaker (24-7-0, -217) vs. [*] Paulo Costa (14-2-0, +174)
Robert Whittaker is the All-Time #5 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Paulo Costa is the All-Time #26 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Robert Whittaker (1-2-0)
2023-07-08: L vs. [#2MW/#10DD] Dricus Du Plessis (21-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:23 of round 2
2022-09-03: W vs. [#8MW] Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) via UD ()
2022-02-12: L vs. [#1MW/#8DD] Israel Adesanya (24-3-0) via UD (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)

Last 3 Fights: Paulo Costa (1-2-0)
2022-08-20: W vs. [*] Luke Rockhold (16-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2021-10-23: L vs. [#8MW] Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) via UD (48-46, 48-46, 48-46)
2020-09-26: L vs. [#1MW/#8DD] Israel Adesanya (24-3-0) via TKO (Punches and Elbows) in 3:59 of round 2

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Robert Whittaker	-217		65.22%
Elo K170	Robert Whittaker	2141.38	+140.79	65.55%
Elo Modified	Robert Whittaker	2118.40	+114.65	62.29%
Glicko-1	Robert Whittaker	2177.03	+93.48	63.14%
WHR	Robert Whittaker	1951.77	+57.07	56.48%

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robert Whittaker 224, Paulo Costa 546
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Robert Whittaker leads 4-2
.

Welterweight (170)
[#11] Ian Garry (13-0-0, -231) vs. [#13] Geoff Neal (15-5-0, +184)

Last 3 Fights: Ian Garry (3-0-0)
2023-08-19: W vs. [#17WW] Neil Magny (29-11-0) via UD (30-26, 30-24, 30-26)
2023-05-13: W vs. [#38WW] Daniel Rodriguez (17-4-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:57 of round 1
2023-03-04: W vs. [#166WW] Kenan Song (20-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:22 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Geoff Neal (2-1-0)
2023-03-04: L vs. [#5WW] Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 4:17 of round 3
2022-08-06: W vs. [#9WW] Vicente Luque (22-9-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:01 of round 3
2021-12-11: W vs. [#32WW] Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-7-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Ian Garry	-231		66.46%
Elo K170	Geoff Neal	1980.69	+1.27	50.15%
Elo Modified	Ian Garry	1970.17	+39.99	54.37%
Glicko-1	Ian Garry	2004.00	+34.99	55.02%
WHR	Ian Garry	1918.30	+74.75	58.46%

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ian Garry 182, Geoff Neal 350
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ian Garry leads 1-0
.
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Previewing UFC 300

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Oleg

UFC 300 will take place in Las Vegas on April 13th, 2024. The date of this historic show is coming up fast, however the order of bouts on the card is also still unknown, so instead of strictly looking at the main card as I usually do in event previews, I will talk about the five fights announced so far that interest me the most:

[#3 LW] Justin Gaethje vs [#2 FW] Max Holloway

This is the highest-ranked men’s fight on the card so far. Even though it’s not for a title (and don’t tell me anything about ‘BMF’), this fight could very well be the headliner – and it actually might be, but more on this later. Here we have a former featherweight champion making his second attempt at moving up a division to take on a perennial lightweight contender. The odds favorite, Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje, has rebounded from his most recent title loss to Charles Oliveira with victories over Rafael Fiziev and a spectacular second round head kick knockout over Dusting Porrier. Though he has already fought for the title twice, Justin is still very close to title contention; however he instead chose to take a superfight with Max Holloway.

Holloway has once had a long reign as the king of the featherweight division, before the ascent of Alexander Volkanovski – to whom Holloway lost thrice. He still continues to take out all the top contenders in the 145-lbs division, but as long as Volkanovski remains champion, the probability of Max getting another title shot are very low. Why not try his luck in a different weight class? This won’t be Holloway’s first foray at 155 lbs; in fact he has started his career as a lightweight, and as recently as 2019 has faced Dustin Porrier for the interim lightweight title. MMA math and the odds say that Justin should walk away victorious from this bout; indeed this will be a tough hill to climb for the outsized and outpowered Holloway, whose best chance is to out-cardio Gaethje. I’m curious to see whether Justin’s considerable power will be enough to crack Holloway’s legendary chin and it appears there is no real trend for those placing a bet online as the odds are tight.

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What’s next for Sean Strickland after losing to Du Plessis?

Posted on February 12, 2024 by A. J. Riot

A fighter millions of UFC fans adore due to his comical value and frankness on a range of subjects, coupled with his all-action fighting style, Sean Strickland’s momentum at the top of the middleweight tree took a massive hit after his somewhat controversial loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. A devastating split-decision defeat in his first title defence, Strickland will undoubtedly take a short break away from the sport as he prepares for his next bout.

The fight with Du Plessis would certainly have taken a lot out of Strickland. The South African is a formidable opponent who handled Strickland pushing the pace throughout the contest, coming out on top in a back-and-forth feast that provided plenty of entertainment for fans. In fact, the fight is arguably the best battle we’ve seen in 2024 so far, with both fighters contributing to a brutal slugfest that MMA connoisseurs enjoyed.

Of course, Strickland’s diehard fans who enjoy his hilarious takes on podcasts and his usually fiery press conferences would’ve been shocked to see their man lose, particularly as many would’ve backed him in the betting stakes and shared their respective theories on why the former champion would have too much for Du Plessis. Strickland failed to deliver, though, and after just four months after it began, his period of dominance has already come to an end.

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UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis mocks Drake for his failed bid at UFC 297

Posted on February 2, 2024 by A. J. Riot

Despite his athletic accomplishments, Du Plessis has been gaining attention lately, not only for his fights in the octagon but also for his witty comments on social media. Recently, he expressed his outrage over popular rapper Drake losing a bet on his fight.

On his Twitter page, Du Plessis wrote that Drake lost the bet on his fight, and Dricus will now “fry” him like he “fried” Strickland in the octagon. The post immediately went viral and sparked tons of comments and reactions from fans of both athletes.

The story began when Drake made a huge bet of $700,000 on fighter Sean Strickland to defeat Du Plessis. This joking tradition has become well known among fans: every time Drake bets on a fighter, that athlete is virtually guaranteed to lose. Immediately after Drake makes a bet and it becomes public knowledge, many people also start betting on another fighter. There is also an inexplicable increase in casino activity in Canadian dollars if twinspinCA statistics are to be believed. Recall that Drake is a native of Canada. Many of his fellow citizens may decide to bet or spin slots in a similar fashion to their fellow countrymen.

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Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria Title Fight

Posted on January 30, 2024 by A. J. Riot

The MMA world is abuzz with anticipation for UFC 298, where featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski returns to defend his title in the 145-pound division. This fight, taking place on February 17, 2024, in Anaheim, California, is about defending the title and marks a significant chapter in MMA history.

Volkanovski, coming off a challenging stint against the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, where he took on the fight on short notice in October, is set to make his sixth title defense. His opponent, Ilia Topuria, comes into this bout with an unblemished record in the UFC, winning all six of his fights and securing three consecutive performance bonuses.

This will be Topuria’s first attempt at capturing UFC gold. The stakes are high for Volkanovski, who has faced setbacks in two of his last three bouts against Makhachev in his pursuit to become a two-division champion.

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