Bang for Your Buck: UFC Fight Night 61
So you thought last week’s Fight Night 60 was a weak card? Coming up this Sunday live from Brazil, is another abomination of an UFC card, also known as Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs Mir. I really don’t remember what the original line-up for this event was supposed to look like before the injuries got throught with it… and I can’t even be bothered to look it up. Whatever it was, the final line-up only has two fights that I am even remotely interested in.
Main Event: [#6 HW] Antonio Silva vs [#55 HW] Frank Mir
Worth: $5
Why: This fight is kind of like a horrific car crash. You know you should just keep driving and keep your eyes on the road, but you can’t help rubber-necking to catch a glimpse of the carnage. Mir is a shot fighter, who hasn’t fought in over a year and hasn’t won a fight in 3 years. Not only did he lose his last four fights, he presented zero threat to any of those opponents. There was a point in time when I would have been excited to see Frank getting his face bashed in, but at this point I am more concerned about his health. Mir’s pre-fight statements that his future in the sport depends not on whether he wins or loses this fight but rather on his overall performance does not inspire any confidence either – it’s as if he is already resigned to lose. His opponent ‘Bigfoot’ Silva has been hot-or-cold through most of his career, and may also be a bit chinny; but while Mir has decent KO power, his robotic striking is unlikely to present a serious threat to Silva. Frank’s only hope to finish up his career on a win is if Bigfoot decides to test his grappling mettle and takes the fight it to the ground. More likely, this will end with fifth consecutive loss and forced retirement for Mir.
Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Saturday, March 14th 2026: Pancrase - 361 | |||
 [#4 SW] Yuta Miyazawa | [#9 SW] Kanji Funada | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 11/09/2025 [Pancrase] Last Opponent: [#33 SW] Tateo Iino Last 5: W W L W W | Last Fight Date: 4/27/2025 [Pancrase] Last Opponent: [#52 SW] Takafumi Ato Last 5: W W W W W | ||
| Friday, March 6th 2026: RIZIN 52 | |||
| [#5 W105] Saori Oshima | [#11 W105] Keito Oyama | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 11/02/2025 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#1 W105] Seika Izawa Last 5: W L L W L | Last Fight Date: 11/02/2025 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [NR] Bo Mi Lee Last 5: L W W W W | ||
| Sunday, March 8th 2026: Deep Osaka Impact 2026 1st Round | |||
| [#7 W105] Moeri Suda | [#10 W105] Namiko Kawabata | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 9/15/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#5 W105] Saori Oshima Last 5: W W W W L | Last Fight Date: 5/25/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#36 W105] Honoka Shigeta Last 5: L L L W W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#5 LW] |  Justin Gaethje | [#11 LW] |  Paddy Pimblett | |
| [#1 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | [#2 LW] |  Arman Tsarukyan | |
| [#1 WW] |  Islam Makhachev | [NR] |  Conor McGregor | |
| [#1 FW] |  Alexander Volkanovski | [#7 LW] |  Benoit St. Denis | |
| [NR] | Khabib Nurmagomedov | [#1 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev |
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night – Bigfoot vs. Mir (02-22-2015)
Heavyweight (265)
[#6] Antonio Silva (18-6-1, -216) vs. [#55] Frank Mir (16-9-0, +167)
Antonio Silva is the All-Time #20 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Frank Mir is the All-Time #11 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Antonio Silva (0-2-1)
2014-09-13: L vs. [#3HW+] Andrei Arlovski (23-10-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:59 of round 1
2013-12-07: D vs. [#5HW+] Mark Hunt (10-9-1) via Draw (Majority) in 5:00 of round 5
2013-05-25: L vs. [*] Cain Velasquez (13-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:21 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Frank Mir (0-3-0)
2014-02-01: L vs. [#8HW+] Alistair Overeem (38-14-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-08-31: L vs. [#11HW+] Josh Barnett (33-7-0) via TKO (Knee) in 1:56 of round 1
2013-04-20: L vs. [#3LHW] Daniel Cormier (15-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Antonio Silva 162, Frank Mir 386
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Antonio Silva leads 1-0
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Lightweight (155)
[#9] Edson Barboza (15-2-0) vs. [#13] Michael Johnson (15-8-0)
Last 3 Fights: Edson Barboza (2-1-0)
2014-11-22: W vs. [#16LW] Bobby Green (23-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-07-16: W vs. [#46LW] Evan Dunham (15-6-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 3:06 of round 1
2014-04-19: L vs. [#2LW/#9DD/#9P4P] Donald Cerrone (27-6-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:15 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Michael Johnson (3-0-0)
2014-03-08: W vs. [#29LW] Melvin Guillard (32-14-2) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2013-12-28: W vs. [#21LW] Gleison Tibau (32-10-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:32 of round 2
2013-08-17: W vs. [#27LW] Joe Lauzon (24-10-0) via UD (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Edson Barboza 92, Michael Johnson 351
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#117] William Macario (7-2-0) vs. [#271] Matt Dwyer (7-2-0)
Last 3 Fights: William Macario (1-2-0)
2014-10-25: L vs. [#26WW] Neil Magny (14-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:40 of round 3
2013-12-28: W vs. [#218WW] Bobby Voelker (25-12-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-06-08: L vs. [#45LW] Leonardo Santos (13-3-1) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 4:43 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Matt Dwyer (2-1-0)
2014-10-04: L vs. [#30WW] Albert Tumenov (15-2-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 1:03 of round 1
2014-05-23: W vs. [#312MW] DaMarques Johnson (16-14-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:39 of round 2
2014-01-18: W vs. [#617MW] Shonie Carter (51-30-7) via TKO (Retirement) in 5:00 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: William Macario 120, Matt Dwyer 141
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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All-Time Rankings: The Black Holes at #3 – Part 2: Middleweights
Middleweight
1 – Anderson Silva (23-5-0, 11*, 26)
2 – Chris Weidman (12-0-0, 3*, 6)
I know what you’re thinking… it is not a sure thing and perhaps way too premature to put Weidman at #2. Our All-Time Rankings suggest otherwise and even if you disagree, Weidman is the only fighter in the vicinity with a claim that is on the ascent.
Our #3 and #4 are tied. Nate Marquardt (25-8-2, 0*, 3) saw early and lengthy success, while Rich Franklin (6-3-0, 3*, 4) saw larger success later but spent much, much less time there. Dan Henderson (7-5-0, 1*, 2) is another popular choice, but he’s on a similar wavelength as Franklin. Some great performances, but not a lengthy tenure. Like Franklin, Henderson couldn’t quite decide on a division.
Fight Matrix #3 (tie) – Nate Marquardt, Rich Franklin
[poll id=”21″]
Record/Status Legend
(W-L, A*, B)
W-L = Division Record
A = Major Title/Tourney Wins in Division
B = Quarterly #1 Rankings in Division
Bang for Your Buck: UFC Fight Night 60
After a fairly strong start of 2015, UFC has hit another slog. Though the first two Pay-Per-View events of the year were entertaining and brought strong ratings, the aftermath of the fights was overshadowed by the high-profile drug test failures in the main events of UFC 182 and 183. Meanwhile the “injury bug” has been taking some PED’s of it’s own, and pretty much decimated the next 3 upcoming cards, leaving us without much to look forward to in the month of February. Sure, there is a fight card every weekend for the rest of the month, but all three cards leave a lot to be desired. Let’s start with the upcoming UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs Thatch, broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Main Event: [#4 LW] Ben Henderson vs [NR] Brandon Thatch
Worth: $10
Why: Sometimes there is a bit of silver lining in all the line-up changes due to injuries, and we actually end up with a more interesting fight as a result. I believe this is the case here. Originally, Brandon Thatch was supposed to face Stephen Thompson on this card, as the co-main event to Matt Brown vs Tarec Saffiedine. After Saffiedine withdrew from the fight with an injury, Thompson vs Thatch was promoted to main event – until Thompson also dropped off the card. Fortunately, Ben Henderson was looking to make a quick turn-around and rebound from his two loss streak, and offered to move up to welterweight on short notice.
I find this fight to be slightly more interesting than either of the previously scheduled main events for this card, mainly because it’s a very unpredictable match-up of styles instead of striker-vs-striker. There are many other questions to be answered here: how will Henderson look as a welterweight, and how will he deal with the size disadvantage? Will Thatch be affected by the long layoff? Is he ready to take on an elite wrestler in his first five-round bout? I’m looking forward to finding out the answers on Saturday.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night: Henderson/Thatch (02-14-2015)
Welterweight (170)
[#4LW] Ben Henderson (21-5-0) vs. [*] Brandon Thatch (11-1-0)
Ben Henderson is the All-Time #23 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Ben Henderson (1-2-0)
2015-01-18: L vs. [#2LW/#9DD/#9P4P] Donald Cerrone (27-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-08-23: L vs. [#3LW] Rafael dos Anjos (23-7-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:31 of round 1
2014-06-07: W vs. [#25LW] Rustam Khabilov (17-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:16 of round 4
Last 3 Fights: Brandon Thatch (3-0-0)
2013-11-09: W vs. [#143WW] Paulo Thiago (15-8-0) via KO (Knee to the Body) in 2:10 of round 1
2013-08-28: W vs. [#270LW] Justin Edwards (8-4-0) via TKO (Knees and Punches) in 1:23 of round 1
2013-03-22: W vs. [#198WW] Mike Rhodes (5-4-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:22 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ben Henderson 27, Brandon Thatch 462
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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Featherweight (145)
[#15] Max Holloway (11-3-0) vs. [#29] Cole Miller (21-8-0)
Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (3-0-0)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#66FW] Akira Corassani (12-6-0) via KO (Punches) in 3:11 of round 1
2014-08-23: W vs. [#37FW] Clay Collard (14-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:47 of round 3
2014-04-26: W vs. [#55FW] Andre Fili (14-2-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 3:39 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Cole Miller (2-1-0)
2014-01-15: W vs. [#49FW] Sam Sicilia (14-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:54 of round 2
2013-10-26: W vs. [#229FW] Andy Ogle (9-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-08-17: L vs. [#10BW] Manny Gamburyan (14-8-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Max Holloway 133, Cole Miller 395
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#28] Neil Magny (13-3-0) vs. [#103] Kiichi Kunimoto (18-5-2)
Last 3 Fights: Neil Magny (3-0-0)
2014-10-25: W vs. [#117WW] William Macario (7-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:40 of round 3
2014-08-23: W vs. [#99WW] Alex Garcia (12-2-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2014-06-28: W vs. [#291WW] Rodrigo Goiana de Lima (8-2-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:32 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Kiichi Kunimoto (3-0-0)
2014-09-20: W vs. [#316WW] Richard Walsh (8-2-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-06-14: W vs. [#93MW] Daniel Sarafian (9-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:52 of round 1
2014-01-04: W vs. [#529WW] Luiz Jorge Dutra Jr. (11-3-1) via DQ (Elbows to Back of Head) in 2:57 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Neil Magny 112, Kiichi Kunimoto 147
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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All-Time Rankings: The Black Holes at #3 – Part 1: Heavyweights
A short time ago, Sherdog put an article out debating the Top Lightweights of All-Time and today, put another article out debating the same for Welterweights.
Granted, this is an interesting debate now that we’re getting close to two decades where weight classes actually started being acknowledged, but in plenty of divisions, the top fighter is obvious. Furthermore, in many and perhaps more cases, the top 2 is obvious even if the 1-2 order is arguable. In my opinion, the #3 position is completely up for grabs in every division. In a sport where rankings mean so much, it seems unusual for this rift so close to the top. Certainly, arguments like this have to start somewhere, but #3 is where the questions start to arise.
Heavyweight
#1 – Fedor Emelianenko (34-4, 5*, 29)
#2 – Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-9-1, 3*, 8)
Here at #3, we’ve got several possibilities. Certainly, Cain Velasquez (13-1, 4*, 8) is a great choice, but his constant inactivity may yield to another current top fighter, Junior dos Santos (17-3, 2*, 7). Though Velasquez has the 2-1 lead in their series, dos Santos remains a little more active and somehow, Velasquez has fought only two different fighters in his past five fights. This kind of repetition isn’t great for a career retrospective.
If you want to go back in time, you’ve got Josh Barnett (33-7, 1*, 0) and Randy Couture (13-7, 7*, 0) who are also reasonable choices.
Fight Matrix #3 – Cain Velasquez
[poll id=”20″]
(X-Y, A*, B)
X-Y = Division Record
A = Major Title/Tourney Wins in Division
B = Quarterly #1 Rankings in Division
The Weight Missing Fiasco
Apart from the huge deal surrounding the failed drug tests, there’s another, much smaller issue in UFC 183, the weight missing by two of the fighters, and quite big names at that, Kelvin Gastelum and John Lineker.
For a long time I’ve wondered why fighters are fighting at a lower weight than the one that they walk around with, and how did it come to be.
The answer to the first question, of course, is that everybody has better chances when fighting smaller guys, and so, everybody tries to pass as small as they can themselves. The reason they can do this is because they have 24 hours before the fight starts to rehydrate and recuperate from the weakened state they are in at the time of the weigh ins.
I don’t know why fighters are weighed in more than 24 hours before the fight, though. I guess that in the beginning (of Boxing) it had something to do with the option of finding a replacement for the fighter or for canceling the show before the crowd got there. But nowadays neither of these is the case. Fights are still made even if one or both fighters do miss weight.
So why is it still going on? Is it a health issue? These days, fighters lose so much weight for fights that their body is very weak at the time of the weigh ins. If they would try to fight at this weakened state it would probably prove to be very dangerous for them. Looking at it this way, it might make sense not to let them fight right after a weigh in, when they are particularly weak.
But I don’t believe that this is right way of looking at it. Fighters lose all this weight and fight at weight classes smaller than their regular weight because they know they have those 24 hours to recuperate. The situation now is the dangerous one, since fighters are dehydrating themselves to extreme levels, sometimes to the point where their bodies just shut down. We see it time and time again, and there is no reason to think we’ll ever stop seeing that. Fighters will always try to fight in as small a weight class as possible and will always continue to hurt themselves in the process of trying to make that weight, counting on the 24 hour period after the weigh in for recuperation.
If, on the other hand, weigh ins would be held minutes (yes, minutes) before a fight, so fighters would have no time to recuperate from a weight loss, fighters would know that they can’t fight at a weight class lighter than their natural weight since if they do they will be weak during the fight, which is the most important time to be as strong as possible. fighters would, then, try to keep the weight pretty even, at the weight they would fight in, throughout the entire training camp because they wouldn’t want to need to lose almost any weight right before the fight which would make them weak.
This way fighters would fight at a weight much closer to their walk-around weight and there would, practically, be no health dangers surrounding the weight cut, and, of course much less weight misses.
PEDs & MMA (and sports in general)
I thought I’d take the latest drug test failures as an excuse for taking a foray into the subjective side of MMA mixed with some opinion and philosophy, something we don’t commonly do here.
When I think of PEDs in sports, the first thing that comes to mind (chronologically) is a group gathering I had with some friends circa-2001. Realize, this was before “the cream” and “the clear”, before BALCO made the headlines and before Lance Armstrong taught us that cycling is a “dirty” sport. At this point, we had just gotten past the discovery of those pills with the really long name that Mark McGwire had in his locker. As we watched whatever sport we were watching, I turn to the room and say something to the effect of: “I bet most of these guys are juicing.” After saying this, I almost got laughed out of the room. OK, it wasn’t that bad, it was more like, “Yeah right, you just wish you were that big.”
Bang for Your Buck: UFC 183
UFC 183: The return of Anderson Silva! Does anything else need to be said about this card? Frankly I would buy this Pay-Per-View for the main event alone. However I will stick to one of the ground rules I laid out when starting the ‘Bang for Your Buck‘ series: $25 is the ceiling for any single fight. Also, 183 features a very solid under-card. So is it worth $60? Let’s find out:
Main Event: [#6 MW] Anderson Silva vs [NR] Nick Diaz
Worth: $20
Why: Besides sticking to my ceiling of $25 per fight, I’ll also try to be objective and say that no matter how excited I am for Anderson’s return, this fight doesn’t quite measure up to Jones vs Cormier – the last and only fight so far that I valuated at the max price. Silva is 39, has not fought in over a year, has not won in two, and is returning after a crippling injury. These are the main reasons this fight is interesting: anything less than a spectacular finish for Silva would mean that one of the greatest fighters ever might as well call it a career.
Silva’s opponent Nick Diaz is almost a decade younger – and age is just about the only thing on his side in this bout. He has not fought in almost two years, has not won in over three, and is a primarily a welterweight who infrequently dabbles in 155 & 185 bouts. Stylistically, Nick’s plodding forward, volume striking style is perfect fodder fro Silva’s counter-striking. However Silva’s age, recent injury, and recent performances are begging the question: is Anderson Silva getting too old for this shit? If he somehow manages to lose to Nick Diaz, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC 183 (01-31-2015)
Middleweight (185)
[#6] Anderson Silva (33-6-0, -462) vs. [*] Nick Diaz (26-9-0, +355)
Anderson Silva is the All-Time #1 ranked Middleweight and #2 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Anderson Silva (1-2-0)
2013-12-28: L vs. [#1MW/#1DD/#3P4P] Chris Weidman (12-0-0) via TKO (Leg Injury) in 1:16 of round 2
2013-07-06: L vs. [#1MW/#1DD/#3P4P] Chris Weidman (12-0-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:18 of round 2
2012-10-13: W vs. [#58LHW] Stephan Bonnar (15-9-0) via TKO (Knee to the Body and Punches) in 4:40 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Nick Diaz (1-2-0)
2013-03-16: L vs. [*] Georges St. Pierre (25-2-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2012-02-04: L vs. [#7WW] Carlos Condit (29-8-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2011-10-29: W vs. [*] B.J. Penn (16-10-2) via UD (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anderson Silva 399, Nick Diaz 686
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#4] Tyron Woodley (14-3-0, -104) vs. [#12] Kelvin Gastelum (10-0-0, -120)
Tyron Woodley is the All-Time #22 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Tyron Woodley (2-1-0)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#14WW] Dong Hyun Kim (19-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
2014-06-14: L vs. [#2WW/#10P4P] Rory MacDonald (18-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-03-15: W vs. [#7WW] Carlos Condit (29-8-0) via TKO (Leg Kick) in 2:00 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Kelvin Gastelum (3-0-0)
2014-11-15: W vs. [#19WW] Jake Ellenberger (29-9-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:46 of round 1
2014-06-28: W vs. [#40WW] Nicholas Musoke (13-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-03-15: W vs. [#16WW] Rick Story (18-8-0) via SD (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tyron Woodley 161, Kelvin Gastelum 77
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)
[#19] Joe Lauzon (24-9-0, +160) vs. [#21] Al Iaquinta (11-3-1, -191)
Last 3 Fights: Joe Lauzon (2-1-0)
2014-09-05: W vs. [#41LW] Michael Chiesa (11-2-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 2:14 of round 2
2013-12-14: W vs. [*] Mac Danzig (21-12-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-08-17: L vs. [#13LW] Michael Johnson (15-8-0) via UD (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Al Iaquinta (2-1-0)
2014-11-07: W vs. [#34LW] Ross Pearson (16-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:39 of round 2
2014-09-05: W vs. [#100LW] Rodrigo Damm (12-9-0) via TKO (Punches and Elbows) in 2:41 of round 3
2014-05-24: L vs. [#36LW] Mitch Clarke (11-2-0) via Technical Submission (Brabo Choke) in 0:57 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Joe Lauzon 148, Al Iaquinta 85
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Joe Lauzon leads 1-0
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Current MMA Rankings Updated (01-29-2015)
Notable Info
- Bug fixed in Pound-for-Pound rankings (new subjective style, not Division Dominance)