With the widely increasing influence and popularity of the UFC, professional fighting has become more widespread than ever. Aiming to replicate the success of the UFC, nowadays, numerous organizations promote Mixed Martial Arts (MMA for short) fights. One less well-known example of an MMA fight promotion company is the Invicta Fighting Championship. Unlike the UFC which features both male and female fights, the IFC only features female fights and since its establishment in 2012 has” been dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis”. However, just like the UFC, the IFC holds events that feature matches for title’s based on the fighter’s weight class. Invicta was brought to the mainstream thanks to a recent controversial match between Amy Montenegro and Celine Haga held in Invicta FC 21.
Fight Matrix Program – Bellator 170: Sonnen/Ortiz (01-21-2017)
Light Heavyweight (205)
[*] Tito Ortiz (19-12-1, +141) vs. [*] Chael Sonnen (28-14-1, -169)
Tito Ortiz is the All-Time #5 ranked Light Heavyweight and #26 ranked Absolute fighter.
Chael Sonnen is the All-Time #40 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Tito Ortiz (2-1-0)
2015-09-19: L vs. [#10LHW] Liam McGeary (11-1-0) via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) in 4:41 of round 1
2014-11-15: W vs. [*] Stephan Bonnar (15-9-0) via SD (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
2014-05-17: W vs. [#17MW] Alexander Shlemenko (54-9-0) via Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:27 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Chael Sonnen (1-2-0)
2013-11-16: L vs. [#16LHW] Rashad Evans (21-5-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:05 of round 1
2013-08-17: W vs. [#8LHW] Mauricio Rua (24-10-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:47 of round 1
2013-04-27: L vs. [#1LHW/#2DD/#1P4P] Jon Jones (22-1-0) via TKO (Elbows and Punches) in 4:33 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tito Ortiz 490, Chael Sonnen 1162
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Tito Ortiz leads 1-0
.
Welterweight (170)
[#58] Brennan Ward (14-4-0) vs. [#73] Paul Daley (38-14-2)
Paul Daley is the All-Time #47 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Brennan Ward (2-1-0)
2016-11-04: W vs. [#108WW] Saad Awad (19-9-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:26 of round 1
2016-04-22: L vs. [#132WW] Evangelista Santos (21-18-0) via Submission (Heel Hook) in 0:30 of round 1
2015-12-31: W vs. [#112WW] Ken Hasegawa (14-1-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:52 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Paul Daley (2-1-0)
2016-07-16: L vs. [#12WW] Douglas Lima (28-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2016-01-29: W vs. [#302WW] Andy Uhrich (11-6-0) via in of round 1
2015-07-17: W vs. [#386MW] Dennis Olson (14-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:12 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Brennan Ward 78, Paul Daley 189
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
.
Middleweight (185)
[#66] Hisaki Kato (7-2-0) vs. [*] Ralek Gracie (3-0-0)
Last 3 Fights: Hisaki Kato (2-1-0)
2016-10-21: W vs. [#189MW] A.J. Matthews (8-6-0) via in of round 1
2016-04-17: W vs. [#601WW] Yuta Watanabe (19-8-4) via TKO (Punches) in 1:04 of round 1
2015-11-20: L vs. [#44MW] Melvin Manhoef (30-13-1) via KO (Punch) in 3:43 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Ralek Gracie (3-0-0)
2010-05-29: W vs. [#1059WW] Kazushi Sakuraba (26-17-1) via UD ()
2008-06-15: W vs. [*] Alavutdin Gadjiev (18-13-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:02 of round 1
2007-07-16: W vs. [*] Katsuyori Shibata (4-11-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:05 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Hisaki Kato 92, Ralek Gracie 2429
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading
Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Monday, November 3rd 2025: Rizin FF - Landmark Vol. 12 | |||
 [#1 W105] Seika Izawa | [#4 W105] Saori Oshima | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 7/27/2025 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#24 W105] Yu Jin Shin Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 9/15/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#7 W105] Moeri Suda Last 5: W W L L W | ||
| Friday, October 3rd 2025: Professional Fighters League PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series 3: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes 2 | |||
 [#4 LHW] Corey Anderson |  [#10 LHW] Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 7/19/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#13 HW] Denis Goltsov Last 5: NC L W W W | Last Fight Date: 11/29/2024 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#21 MW] Impa Kasanganay Last 5: W W W W W | ||
| Friday, October 3rd 2025: Professional Fighters League PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series 3: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes 2 | |||
 [#9 LW] Usman Nurmagomedov (-164) |  [#14 LW] Paul Hughes (+128) | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 1/25/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#14 LW] Paul Hughes Last 5: W W NC W W | Last Fight Date: 5/10/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#51 LW] Bruno Miranda Last 5: W W W L W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#1 LW] | Islam Makhachev | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | |
| [NR] | Matt Brown | [#3 FW] |  Diego Lopes | |
| [#4 LW] | Charles Oliveira | [NR] | Chris Lytle | |
| [NR] |  Conor McGregor | [NR] | Raja Jackson | |
| [#1 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev | [#19 FW] | Jean Silva |
Tim Kennedy Ranking History
On Tuesday, Tim Kennedy announced his retirement from MMA with a lengthy Facebook post. Kennedy first entered the Fight Matrix rankings in 2003 as the #42 middleweight. The following chart shows his Quarterly Generated Historical Ranking for his career.
Significant dates:
Defeated Michael Bisping on April 16, 2014
Defeated Robbie Lawler on July 30, 2011
Strikeforce debut on June 19, 2009
IFL debut on Feb. 23, 2007
Fight Matrix Program – UFC Fight Night 103: Rodriguez/Penn (01-14-2017)
Featherweight (145)
[#35] Yair Rodriguez (9-1-0, -477) vs. [*] B.J. Penn (16-10-2, +357)
B.J. Penn is the All-Time #7 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Yair Rodriguez (3-0-0)
2016-08-06: W vs. [#79FW] Alex Caceres (12-9-0) via SD (46-49, 48-47, 48-47)
2016-04-23: W vs. [#29FW] Andre Fili (16-4-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 2:15 of round 2
2015-10-03: W vs. [#105FW] Dan Hooker (13-7-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Last 3 Fights: B.J. Penn (0-3-0)
2014-07-06: L vs. [#3FW] Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:16 of round 3
2012-12-08: L vs. [#11WW] Rory MacDonald (18-4-0) via UD (30-26, 30-27, 30-26)
2011-10-29: L vs. [*] Nick Diaz (26-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Yair Rodriguez 162, B.J. Penn 924
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Lightweight (155)
[#23] Marcin Held (22-5-0, +113) vs. [#25] Joe Lauzon (26-12-0, -137)
Last 3 Fights: Marcin Held (1-2-0)
2016-11-05: L vs. [#20LW] Diego Sanchez (27-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2016-05-20: W vs. [#46LW] Dave Jansen (20-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-11-06: L vs. [#12LW] Will Brooks (18-2-0) via UD (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
Last 3 Fights: Joe Lauzon (1-2-0)
2016-08-27: L vs. [#17LW] Jim Miller (28-8-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2016-07-09: W vs. [#20LW] Diego Sanchez (27-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:26 of round 1
2015-12-11: L vs. [#15LW] Evan Dunham (18-6-0) via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Marcin Held 71, Joe Lauzon 141
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Joe Lauzon leads 1-0
.
Welterweight (170)
[#41] Ben Saunders (20-7-2, -115) vs. [#87] Court McGee (18-5-0, -108)
Last 3 Fights: Ben Saunders (2-1-0)
2016-09-09: W vs. [#123WW] Jacob Volkmann (19-7-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 0:17 of round 1
2016-01-17: L vs. [#24WW] Patrick Cote (23-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:14 of round 2
2015-07-25: W vs. [#53WW] Kenny Robertson (15-5-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Court McGee (2-1-0)
2016-08-06: W vs. [#132WW] Dominique Steele (14-8-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2016-04-16: L vs. [#32WW] Santiago Ponzinibbio (23-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:15 of round 1
2015-12-12: W vs. [#123MW] Marcio Alexandre Jr. (14-3-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ben Saunders 128, Court McGee 162
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading
Current MMA Rankings Updated (01-08-2017)
Notable Info
- Logic change to more appropriately handle elite fighters coming back from extended and/or multiple neighboring periods of inactivity.
- Community adjustment made for Japanese Men’s population. For more info, see this post.
2016 Awards: Men’s Fighters of the Year
As a recap, most “Fighter of the Year” awards on other sites are really “Breakout Fighter of the Year” awards in that fighters who win, were usually not top fighters in the beginning of the year, but became so by the end of the year.
A fighter like this can and has won our FotY awards, but our award is more about maintaining a high standing during the award year by performing well a sufficient number of times and against a sufficient quality of opponents. It is more comparable to a season MVP in major team sports, not a playoffs/surprise MVP.
Winner: Stipe Miocic
Another fairly tight call, Miocic takes it with a 3-0 year, all being decisive victories with a title win and title defense.
Runner-Up: Michael Bisping
You couldn’t have went wrong putting Bisping at #1, who also went 3-0 with a title win and title defense. The difference being that two of his victories were extremely close against two legends of the sport at the very end of their respective careers.
3rd Place: Demetrious Johnson
DJ gets third place for the second straight year. I’m sure many would expect to see Conor here, but DJ is just one of a few fighters who had two decisive title wins in the year without a loss.
2016 Awards: Women’s Fighters of the Year
As a recap, most “Fighter of the Year” awards on other sites are really “Breakout Fighter of the Year” awards in that fighters who win, were usually not top fighters in the beginning of the year, but became so by the end of the year.
A fighter like this can and has won our FotY awards, but our award is more about maintaining a high standing during the award year by performing well a sufficient number of times and against a sufficient quality of opponents. It is more comparable to a season MVP in major team sports, not a playoffs/surprise MVP.
Winner: Amanda Nunes
Nunes broke all kinds of barriers in 2016… the sexual preference, the woman to retire Tate and possibly Rousey, but to win and defend the title in the same year is “fighter of the year” material.
Runner-Up: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Joanna repeats again at the #2 spot. Like Cyborg, her robotic dominance can sometimes be lost behind the front page, but only fighting twice in a year is a small piece in that unfortunate reality.
3rd Place: Cristiane Justino
A relatively dull year (again), but status quo for her (again). With the 145 division opening up, there’s a chance for her to really start to show her worth, but the recently failed drug test casts a dark cloud over all of that.
2016 Awards: Rookies of the Year
Men: Jose Torres
It is very slim pickings on the men’s side of the award, but Jose Torres made the Top 100 and fought for Titan FC.
Honorable Mentions: Adilson Ramos
Women: Gabi Garcia
She’s a fighter without a division, but one that ran up a 4-0 record. The competition was extremely lackluster, but the early career prospect building system just isn’t there for MMA and especially not for the women.
Honorable Mention: Syuri Kondo, Amber Leibrock
2016 Awards: Most Improved Fighter
Most Improved Fighter of the Year: Emil Weber Meek
Meek pulled off a dominant victory over Rousimar Palhares in the upset of the year and followed it up with a victory of Jordan Mein in the UFC. After averaging a rank of approximately #450 in 2015, he is now a borderline Top 10 fighter in the division with a UFC contract.
2016 Awards: Upsets of the Year
Note: We have two ways that we derive biggest “upsets” based on points difference between winner and loser.
“Most Noteworthy” (X minus Y)
“Most Lopsided” (X divided by Y)
Most Noteworthy: Stipe Miocic KO(1) Fabricio Werdum
Werdum had a massive point advantage over Miocic prior to the fight, but in this case, it meant nothing.
Most Lopsided: Emil Weber Meek KO(1) Rousimar Palhares
This fight is more truer to the definition of an actual “upset” than the one above, but this is why we slice this award in two different ways.
2016 Awards: Most Noteworthy Match of the Year
Most Noteworthy Match of the Year:
Michael Bisping KO(1) Luke Rockhold
The “most noteworthy” match of the year isn’t about box office or the popular scene, instead it is a pretty basic calculation — a sum of quality if you will. Luke Rockhold finds himself in the most noteworthy match for the second straight year, but this time on the losing end. This is also the 4th straight winner in the Middleweight division, which speaks largely of its depth at the elite level.
2016 Awards: Comeback Fighter of the Year
As a refresher, our “Comeback” award is about coming back from inactivity or major injury (that we know about) and in doing so, really impressing. You can see more details at the bottom of the post about specific qualifiers.
Comeback Fighter of the Year: Dominick Cruz
Yet another ACL tear cost Cruz over 15 months away from the sport, but he returned to take the championship by defeating Dillashaw in January. Although Cruz lost the title to Garbrandt at the very end of 2016, it’s hard to argue a better candidate for this award.
Honorable Mention: Khabib Nurmagomedov