Notable Info
- Bantamweight rankings expanded to Top 400.
Notable Info
This weekend, former two-division Shooto world champion and current flyweight King of Pancrase Mamoru Yamaguchi returns to action at Pancrase 289. The 40-year-old fighter will defend his title against Senzo Ikeda, and the card will air live on UFC Fight Pass.
Yamaguchi, currently ranked #26 in the flyweight division, might not be the most recognizable name to average MMA fans. However, you can’t tell the story of the MMA’s flyweight division without including him. In 2000, he became the first Shooto featherweight (132 pounds) champion with a victory over Jin Akimoto. Three years later, he took the first Shooto bantamweight (123 pounds) championship after defeating Yasuhiro Urushitani. Urushitani went on to participate in the tournament to determine the first UFC flyweight champion.
The following chart shows the percentage of Yamaguchi’s ranking points compared to the number-one ranked fighter in his division for each quarter of his career.
The higher the percentage, the closer to the number one ranking for Yamaguchi. This is a similar calculation used to determine the “Fight Matrix Most Lopsided Upset of the Year” award.
As you can see, Yamaguchi was not only a pioneer of the flyweight division but also a perennial contender until the UFC adopted the division in 2012. At his advanced age, it is impressive that he is still ranked near the flyweight top 25. His current run as King of Pancrase is a dignified culmination of a historic career, which, unfortunately, is rarely seen in the sport.
Richard Mann runs the data-driven combat sports blog StrikeScoreMMA.com You can follow him on Twitter @RichardAMann
| Saturday, July 18th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Austin: Van Steenis vs. Eblen 2 | |||
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| Last Fight Date: 3/20/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#16 MW] Fabian Edwards Last 5: L W W W W | Last Fight Date: 3/28/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#51 MW] Bryan Battle Last 5: W W W L W | ||
| Saturday, June 27th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev | |||
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| Last Fight Date: 8/15/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#16 W125] Jena Bishop Last 5: W L W W W | Last Fight Date: 4/11/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#62 W125] Shanna Young Last 5: W L W L W | ||
| Sunday, May 31st 2026: Shooto Professional Shooto 2026 Vol. 4 | |||
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| Last Fight Date: 11/16/2025 [Shooto] Last Opponent: [#243 FLW] Jo Arai Last 5: W W W W L | Last Fight Date: 1/18/2026 [Shooto] Last Opponent: [#38 SW] Ken Asahina Last 5: W W W W W | ||

| [#175 FW] | George Mangos |   | [#78 FW] | Juan Archuleta |
| [#186 MW] | Christian Eckerlin |   | [#1 MW] | Sean Strickland |
| [NR] | Conor McGregor |   | [NR] | Matt Marriot |
| [NR] | Suzu Ooi |   | [#34 FW] | Doo Ho Choi |
| [NR] | Rustam Odinaev |   | [#29 LW] | Salahdine Parnasse |

Who is a harder puncher: Floyd Mayweather, Jr or Conor McGregor? Objectively, there’s no good way to tell unless we measure their punching power output in a scientific setting – or have first-hand testimony from someone who has been punched by both. Everything else is pure speculation… and who’s better to speculate on all things combat sports than MMA’s favorite loud mouth Chael Sonnen? Watch his take on who punches harder:
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In June 2017 the boxing community was stunned when Anthony Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko in an epic 11th-round stoppage at Wembley stadium. For years the imperious Ukrainian had dominated the division with apparent ease, swatting aside all challengers to the throne.
Despite losing his crown in front of 90,000 at Wembley, Wladimir will always remain a legend of the sport. In a career boasting 369 rounds and 69 fights, the Ukrainian triumphed in 64 of those fights, winning 53 by knockout. In this article we look back at some of ‘Dr Steelhammer’s’ most memorable fights.

Source: World Boxing Association
Klitschko’s Top 4 Fights
Olympic Super-Heavyweight
August 1996, Atlanta
Opponent: Paea Wolfgramm
Wladimir announced himself on the world stage at the Olympic Games in 1996, defeating his Tongan opponent with consummate ease. Klitschko had overcome the gold medal favourite Aleksei Lezin previously and was a heavy favourite to win the final. He didn’t disappoint and sealed the gold medal that told the world he had arrived.
Dr Steelhammer sealed all-round nice guy status 5 years ago when he sold his gold medal for $1 million, donating all the funds to the ‘Klitschko Foundation’ a charity designed to help underprivileged children in his native Ukraine.

It’s been a manic few days for Anthony Joshua in the press, and not all of it has been related to his own boxing career. The recent Twitter spat between fellow British pugilist Amir Khan and his now estranged wife named ‘AJ’ as a potential party to their very public breakup, while the retirement of former undisputed heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko also brought Joshua to the forefront, given that their rematch was on the cards.
The Watford Olympian brushed off accusations from Khan and, with a return bout against the Ukrainian now definitely not happening, talk of Joshua’s next tilt has been ramped up.

The lead-up to the upcoming boxing contest between Floyd Mayweather, Jr and two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has been full of rumors and controversy. From accusations of racism stemming from Conor’s antics during the press tour, to the rumored payday for the fighters, to the fiasco that was McGregor’s short-lived training camp with Paul Malignaggi… Here, Conor sits down for a interview with MMA pundit Ariel Helwani, to discuss these issues and more.
For many a boxing expert the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor is a joke. McGregor has never had a professional boxing fight in his life and yet he is challenging arguably the greatest of all time in the sport. As of today the Notorious Irishman is 4/1 to win the bout for anyone interested in placing a bet on the Mayweather v McGregor fight. This article looks at events that bookmakers believe are more and less likely to happen than a big upset in Las Vegas this month.
Alien existence to be proven in 2017 is 3/1
The bookmakers believe there is more chance we’ll see alien existence proven before the end of 2017 than Conor McGregor winning the fight of the year! This just shows the mammoth task that stands in front of the UFC Lightweight champion, and whether it is possible remains to be seen. McGregor has some guts going into the ring with arguably the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time with no professional boxing experience under his own belt. It will take an out of this world performance from McGregor to walk out victorious.

Source: http://nypost.com/2017/04/25/aliens-may-have-existed-in-our-solar-system-long-before-us/
On August 26, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, retired undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather will be opening the lion’s den to simultaneous two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor for a licensed boxing match. It comes as no surprise that Mayweather is heavily favored to win, and yet McGregor has made some rather lavish promises. During the international promotional tour for the fight, Conor McGregor claimed that he will knock out Floyd Mayweather in the fourth round, as reported by the Evening Standard. So, let’s examine the actual likelihood of the Irish mixed martial arts star living up to this claim.
Knockout very unlikely, let alone in the fourth

When it comes to the pure discipline of boxing, there is very little that the fighters can do to vary their game, thus what can be expected from the opposition can only stretch so far. Conor McGregor is coming from mixed martial arts, where almost anything goes, so fighters need to both utilize the available disciplines as well as be aware of those that could be used to defeat them. Floyd Mayweather has forged his 49-0 record on avoiding all that can be thrown at him in the boxing ring, so it seems unlikely that McGregor, who has never engaged in a professional boxing match, would be able to produce anything that could catch out the American.
The odds are most certainly stacked against McGregor for him just to get a knockout, regardless of what round. A lot of it is founded on Mayweather deemed to have been knocked down once in his 49-fight career, which was in 2001 against Carlos Hernandez, per Metro. In fact, with McGregor to knock out Mayweather at 8/1 as of August 2, things deemed more likely to happen by a Betway Insider study include: another planet like Earth being in existence; your job being replaced by a robot; or that we actually live in a simulation. So, as you can see, the odds are most certainly stacked against the Irishman to achieve a knockout. But should they be?
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Notable Info
Say Goodbye to Wladimir Klitschko.
The best boxing Heavyweight in an era where people loved to hate Heavyweights, has retired from the game. Gone are the days where there were numerous all-time greats competing simultaneously in the Heavyweight division and as a result, Klitschko’s impressive career has been overlooked.
The first half of his career was filled with achievements, but segmented by disappointments. A confidence building win over Sam Peter in 2005 changed all that. Even though he hit the canvas three times, he was able to decision Peter and go undefeated until 2017, where he lost against Anthony Joshua, a man who may lead Heavyweights for the next several years.
Fights to Watch:
Final Record: 64-5-0
BoxRec All-Time Ranking: #6 HW | #16 P4P
Most fans know Floyd Mayweather Jr as ‘Money’ Mayweather: a brash and arrogant superstar athlete who likes to flaunt his undefeated record and his immense earnings. Here’s a short video showing Floyd’s humble roots, a side that many MMA fans may not be familiar with. Keep Reading
UFC 214 was undoubtedly the most stacked MMA card of the year so far. After a lackluster first half of 2017, UFC could use an event where everything came together, all fighters showed up to their scheduled bouts, and delivered enterntaining action. The MMA gods were on our side – while it was’t perfect, UFC 214 turned out to be pretty damned good. The televised prelims were all exciting fights, capped off by Ricardo Lamas destroying Jason Knight in what was in my opinion the best performance of Lamas’ career. Here are my thoughts on the Pay-Per-View bouts.
Volkan Oezdemir vs Jimi Manuwa
This fight didn’t last long, after the fighters clinched up Volkan rocked Manuwa with some dirty boxing, forcing Jimi to back off. Volkan landed another hard shot, tossed his opponent to the ground and finished the fight with a few follow-up strikes that were probably unnecessary and left Manuwa grappling with the referee. Another quick knockout for Volkan, who is now 3-0 in the UFC with back-to-back first round knockouts over very game opponents. Way to make a name for yourself! Oezdemir called for a title shot, which he is not likely to get at this point in time. More on that later.
Flyweight (125)
[#5] Brandon Moreno (14-3-0, -145) vs. [#11] Sergio Pettis (15-2-0, +124)
Brandon Moreno is the All-Time #28 ranked Flyweight fighter.
Sergio Pettis is the All-Time #38 ranked Flyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Brandon Moreno (3-0-0)
2017-04-22: W vs. [#15FLY] Dustin Ortiz (16-7-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:06 of round 2
2016-12-03: W vs. [#38FLY] Ryan Benoit (9-5-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2016-10-01: W vs. [#22FLY] Louis Smolka (11-4-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 2:23 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Sergio Pettis (3-0-0)
2017-01-15: W vs. [#27FLY] John Moraga (17-6-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2016-04-23: W vs. [*] Chris Kelades (9-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-10-03: W vs. [*] Chris Cariaso (17-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Brandon Moreno 105, Sergio Pettis 202
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Brandon Moreno leads 1-0
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Women Strawweight (115)
[#13] Randa Markos (7-4-0, +126) vs. [#30] Alexa Grasso (9-1-0, -152)
Last 3 Fights: Randa Markos (2-1-0)
2017-02-19: W vs. [#6SW] Carla Esparza (12-4-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2016-08-20: L vs. [#11SW] Cortney Casey (7-4-0) via in 4:34 of round 1
2016-06-18: W vs. [#73SW] Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Alexa Grasso (2-1-0)
2017-02-04: L vs. [#12SW] Felice Herrig (13-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2016-11-05: W vs. [#80SW] Heather Clark (7-6-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2016-07-29: W vs. [#24SW] Jodie Esquibel (6-2-0) via UD (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Randa Markos 167, Alexa Grasso 182
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 (170)
[#36] Niko Price (10-0-0, +144) vs. [#37] Alan Jouban (15-5-0, -172)
Last 3 Fights: Niko Price (3-0-0)
2017-02-04: W vs. [#66WW] Alex Morono (13-4-0) via KO (Punch) in 5:00 of round 2
2016-12-30: W vs. [#415WW] Brandon Thatch (11-5-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 4:30 of round 1
2016-08-12: W vs. [#1019WW] Willie Hosch (5-4-0) via UD ()
Last 3 Fights: Alan Jouban (2-1-0)
2017-03-18: L vs. [#21WW] Gunnar Nelson (16-3-1) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:46 of round 2
2016-12-17: W vs. [#23WW] Mike Perry (10-1-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2016-07-07: W vs. [#42WW] Belal Muhammad (12-2-0) via UD (28-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Niko Price 182, Alan Jouban 140
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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