Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Monday, May 4th 2026: DEEP 131 Impact | |||
 [#2 SW] Sora Sugiyama | [#14 SW] Sukai China | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 12/14/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#7 SW] Haruo Ochi Last 5: - - W W W | Last Fight Date: 3/08/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [NR] Musashi Musashi Last 5: W W W W W | ||
| Saturday, May 9th 2026: Combate Global 99 Mexico vs. USA 2 | |||
 [#9 W105] Janet Garcia |  [#13 W105] Melissa Gomez | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 2/26/2026 [Combate Global] Last Opponent: [NR] Flor Hernandez Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 11/30/2025 [Open Fight Latam] Last Opponent: [NR] Nicole Artaza Last 5: W W L W W | ||
| Saturday, June 27th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev | |||
| [#6 FW] A.J. McKee |  [#19 FW] Salamat Isbulaev | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 3/20/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#28 FW] Adam Borics Last 5: W W L W W | Last Fight Date: 2/07/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#25 FW] Jesus Pinedo Last 5: W W W W W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#18 W125] |  Lucia Szabova | [#1 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev | |
| [#3 WW] |  Jack Della Maddalena | [#1 WW] |  Islam Makhachev | |
| [#3 LW] |  Arman Tsarukyan | [#12 FLW] | Steve Erceg | |
| [#7 WW] |  Carlos Prates | [#13 FW] | Youssef Zalal | |
| [#3 W135] |  Joselyne Edwards | [#3 FW] | Aljamain Sterling |
Venator FC’s Rousimar Palhares holds highest ranking outside of UFC and Bellator
Earlier this week, news broke that Rousimar Palhares had signed with Venator FC. Per the announcement, he will make his promotional debut on May 21. Lost in the ostentatiousness of Venator president Frank Merenda is a reminder that one of the world’s best welterweights is practically banished from the highest levels of the sport due to his inability or refusal to release submissions in a timely manner.
In this day and age, it is rare for a fighter as accomplished as Palhares to remain outside the UFC or Bellator. In fact, only one other fighter not signed to the big two, One bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes, currently ranks as high. The following table shows the highest ranked fighters per weight outside the UFC and Bellator.
| Division | Rank | Fighter | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 15 | Vitaly Minakov | EFN |
| Light Heavyweight | 12 | Dave Branch | WSOF |
| Middleweight | 13 | Mamed Khalidov | KSW |
| Welterweight | 5 | Rousimar Palhares | Venator |
| Lightweight | 8 | Justin Gaethje | WSOF |
| Featherweight | 18 | Ivan Buchinger | M-1 |
| Bantamweight | 5 | Bibiano Fernandes | One |
| Flyweight | 12 | Tim Elliott | Titan FC |
Interestingly enough, Palhares’ #5 ranking ties him with the highest ranked fighters in Bellator. Currently Phil Davis, Will Brooks and Daniel Straus are all also ranked #5 in their respective divisions.
Unlike someone like Wanderlei Silva who is currently serving an athletic commission suspension, Palhares finds himself suspended while he seems to be entering his prime. On top of that, welterweight is one of the few divisions with a relatively deep talent pool outside the UFC with fighters such as Douglas Lima, Ben Askren and Ben Henderson. Considering the unavailability of high level competition, his ranking will likely decline.
Of course, if you believe the accusations against Palhares, he does not really have anyone to blame other than himself.
Richard Mann currently runs the data-driven MMA blog StrikeScoreMMA.com
A note about Conor McGregor’s Featherweight Ranking
If you don’t know by now, McGregor is now ranked #2 in the current Featherweight rankings.
This is mainly due to the fact, that our rankings are division-adjusted and not division-specific.
Diaz/McGregor taking place at Welterweight is considered but ultimately, the outcome of the fight takes precedence over which division it took place in.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 85 – Hunt vs. Mir (03-20-2016)
Heavyweight (265)
[#8] Mark Hunt (11-10-1, -170) vs. [#10] Frank Mir (18-10-0, +143)
Mark Hunt is the All-Time #20 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Frank Mir is the All-Time #12 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Mark Hunt (1-2-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#12HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via TKO (Punches) in 3:41 of round 1
2015-05-10: L vs. [#5HW+] Stipe Miocic (14-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 5
2014-11-15: L vs. [#1HW+/#6DD/#5P4P] Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 2:27 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Frank Mir (2-1-0)
2015-09-05: L vs. [#6HW+] Andrei Arlovski (25-11-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-07-15: W vs. [#39HW+] Todd Duffee (9-3-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:13 of round 1
2015-02-22: W vs. [#12HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via KO (Elbows) in 1:40 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Mark Hunt 126, Frank Mir 196
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 4 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#11] Hector Lombard (34-4-1, +112) vs. [#13] Neil Magny (17-4-0, -136)
Last 3 Fights: Hector Lombard (2-0-0, 1 NC)
2015-01-03: NC vs. [#33LW] Joshua Burkman (28-12-0)
2014-03-15: W vs. [#17WW] Jake Shields (31-8-1) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-10-19: W vs. [#16MW] Nate Marquardt (34-15-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:48 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Neil Magny (2-1-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#14WW] Kelvin Gastelum (11-2-0) via SD (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
2015-08-23: W vs. [#43WW] Erick Silva (18-7-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-08-01: L vs. [#8WW] Demian Maia (22-6-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:52 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Hector Lombard 441, Neil Magny 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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Lightweight (155)
[#49] Johnny Case (22-4-0, -112) vs. [#110] Jake Matthews (9-1-0, -111)
Last 3 Fights: Johnny Case (3-0-0)
2015-11-07: W vs. [#136LW] Yan Cabral (12-2-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-06-13: W vs. [#205WW] Francisco Trevino (13-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-18: W vs. [*] Frankie Perez (10-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:54 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Jake Matthews (2-1-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#190LW] Akbarh Arreola (23-10-1) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2015-05-10: L vs. [#43LW] James Vick (8-0-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:53 of round 1
2014-11-07: W vs. [*] Vagner Rocha (11-4-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:52 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Johnny Case 133, Jake Matthews 126
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: Invicta FC 16 (03-11-2016)
Women Atomweight Championship (105)
[#1/#6DD/#5P4P] Ayaka Hamasaki (12-1-0) vs. [#7] Amber Brown (6-1-0)
Ayaka Hamasaki is the All-Time #17 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Ayaka Hamasaki (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#2AW] Herica Tiburcio (9-3-0) via SD (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
2014-12-30: W vs. [#3AW] Mei Yamaguchi (15-8-1) via UD ()
2014-08-09: W vs. [#8AW] Naho Sugiyama (11-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:01 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Amber Brown (3-0-0)
2016-01-16: W vs. [NA] Shino VanHoose (4-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 2:36 of round 1
2015-07-09: W vs. [#45AW] Catherine Costigan (5-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:34 of round 1
2014-11-01: W vs. [#44AW] Liz McCarthy (2-4-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ayaka Hamasaki 246, Amber Brown 55
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ayaka Hamasaki leads 1-0
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Women Flyweight Championship (125)
[#1] Vanessa Porto (18-6-0) vs. [#17BW] Jennifer Maia (12-4-1)
Last 3 Fights: Vanessa Porto (3-0-0)
2015-04-24: W vs. [#3FLY] Roxanne Modafferi (18-12-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-03-30: W vs. [NA] Ana Maria (5-5-0) via UD ()
2013-12-07: W vs. [#68BW] Zoila Frausto (13-5-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Jennifer Maia (3-0-0)
2015-12-13: W vs. [#36BW] Dayana Silva (6-3-0) via MD ()
2015-10-10: W vs. [#77BW] Marta Souza (3-8-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:51 of round 1
2015-06-13: W vs. [#60BW] Stephanie Bragayrac (7-3-0) via KO (Knee) in 2:07 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Vanessa Porto 322, Jennifer Maia 89
Previous Match-up Record: Vanessa Porto leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Vanessa Porto leads 2-1
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Women Strawweight (115)
[#29] Angela Hill (3-3-0) vs. [*] Stephanie Eggink (4-2-0)
Last 3 Fights: Angela Hill (1-2-0)
2016-01-16: W vs. [#77SW] Alida Gray (4-3-0) via KO (Knee to the Body) in 1:39 of round 1
2015-10-03: L vs. [#7SW] Rose Namajunas (4-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:47 of round 1
2015-06-13: L vs. [#8SW] Tecia Torres (7-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Stephanie Eggink (2-1-0)
2014-09-06: L vs. [*] Katja Kankaanpaa (10-3-1) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:03 of round 5
2013-09-06: W vs. [#91SW] Angela Magana (11-8-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 3:10 of round 2
2013-04-19: W vs. [#58SW] Brianna Van Buren (3-2-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Angela Hill 55, Stephanie Eggink 552
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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Can you bet on WWE online?
This question interests many fans of professional wrestling. Millions of people are watching WWE and never miss a Raw. Thousands of them dream of attending a live event, and each of them is a fan of a particular WWE star. Of course, men adore watching the Divas division. What can be more fascinating than scantily dressed ladies fighting? Many male wrestlers also have tremendous TV and movie careers and are popular as well. Although the match results seem pretty predictable, the popularity of the events is growing drastically. Over the past few years, WWE attracted as many gamblers as the info best Australian online casino sites. People are ready to give their money away placing insane bets on their favorite wrestlers.
Today anyone can bet on WWE online. Sounds crazy, but online sportsbooks offer WWE betting as a promotional technique. Reward programs and deposit bonuses do not bring as much result as this loophole. You are actually invited to win money from the sportsbooks for free. They give you a fast and easy way to get payout. What is the aim? To make you place a deposit and start betting on every other kind of sport they offer. This mechanism lets you win some cash and then lose twice as much, revealing your hidden passion for gambling. If you play only on WWE – it is quite a catch. But you will not make yourself a fortune here, as the sum you can win with it is limited. And the odds are enormously huge. For example, you have to place $500 to win $50.
It is hard to believe this type of betting has an increasing number of players. The main reason of its popularity is that this activity is completely unique and seems exotic. The sport was not available for gambling for a very long time. Many are aghast that fans would wager on a form of entertainment that has predetermined outcomes, however that is one of the reasons many people place these types of bets.
Eight Top-Ten Fighters in Action on a Weekend Without a UFC
This weekend is one of the rare ones that does not feature a UFC event. However, there are still eight top-ten fighters in action across three different events: Invicta FC 16, World Series of Fighting 29 and Pancrase 276.
Invicta FC 16
#1 Atomweight Ayaka Hamasaki vs. #7 Atomweight Amber Brown
On Friday night, live on UFC Fight Pass, Hamasaki will defend her Invicta FC atomweight title against Brown. Hamasaki won the belt in her last outing with a split-decision victory over veteran Herica Tiburcio. She is currently riding a three-fight winning streak also including wins over Naho Sugiyama and Mei Yamaguchi under the Deep banner. Hamasaki’s lone career defeat came against Claudia Gadelha at Invicta FC 6.
Brown fights out of the Albuquerque-based FIT NHB team. She has won four straight bouts since suffering her only defeat against Emi Fujino at Pancrase 247. In her last fight, Brown submitted Shino VanHoose at Invicta FC 15.
#9 Strawweight DeAnna Bennett vs. #3 Flyweight Roxanne Modafferi
Bennett began her run in Invicta as a flyweight. However, she recently dropped down to 115 pounds. On the promotion’s last show, she challenged Livia Renata Souza for the promotion’s title but failed to make it out of the first round. The 31-year-old is 8-1 and holds victories over Katja Kankaanpää, Colleen Schneider and Julianna Peña.
Modafferi is a long time veteran of the sport who made her debut back in 2003. She challenged Sarah Kaufman for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title in 2010. Modafferi was also a competitor on the 18th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Since falling at the TUF 18 finale, she has cut back down to flyweight and once again experienced success. Modafferi has gone 3-1 since the change with her only defeat coming against Vanessa Porto last April
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Nate Diaz Breaks UFC Bonus Record
With his submission win over the featherweight champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Nate Diaz didn’t just score a stunning upset over the UFC’s biggest star. He also earned his biggest ever payday as a fighter, with $500,000 base pay and most likely some percentage of Pay-Per-View sales on top of that. He also snagged an extra $100,000 in the form of ‘Fight of the Night‘ and ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses. This puts Nate’s total ‘of the Night’ bonus count at 14, the most in UFC history, passing by Anderson Silva and Joe Lauzon who are tied for the second place with 13 total bonuses. Nate’s ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus count now totals 7, putting him in a two-way tie for #1 with Frankie Edgar in that category.
UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz – Who’s Getting Paid?
UFC 196 may have lost its main event superfight between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos, but we’ve still got a pretty solid shindig on our hands this weekend. Aside from the quick entry of Nate Diaz, we’ve luckily managed to retain Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and a pretty stacked undercard that’s looking rife with potential action.
Hopefully, no one slips in the shower or tests positive, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. For now, let’s run down the main card talent, their most recent UFC salaries and Reebok payouts, and what it all means in the context of their upcoming bouts.
Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.
Conor McGregor [#1 FW]
$540,000 = $500,000** + $40,000* [UFC 194]
Nate Diaz [#9 LW]
$60,000 = $20,000/$20,000 + $20,000* [UFC on Fox 17]
Analysis: We’ve said it before, but perhaps no fighter’s tenure in the UFC matches up to their disclosed pay as poorly as Nate Diaz. As a seasoned “Top 10” ranked lightweight with some comparatively big name value, it’s frankly appalling that his public Zuffa salary is half of what someone like Sage Northcutt makes.
About the only silver lining for Diaz is that he finally hit 21 UFC bouts last time around, so he’ll now make $20,000 in Reebok pay as a bare minimum no matter who he fights. And regardless of whether he beats Conor McGregor, one would think that Diaz should be making at least six figures just to step in on such short notice against the sport’s biggest star.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC 196 (03-05-2016)
Welterweight (170)
[#1FW/#5DD/#8P4P] Conor McGregor (19-2-0, -418) vs. [#9LW] Nate Diaz (18-10-0, +332)
Last 3 Fights: Conor McGregor (3-0-0)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#3FW] Jose Aldo (25-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:13 of round 1
2015-07-11: W vs. [#6FW] Chad Mendes (17-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:57 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#36FW] Dennis Siver (22-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:54 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Nate Diaz (2-1-0)
2015-12-19: W vs. [#11LW] Michael Johnson (16-10-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-12-13: L vs. [#1LW/#2DD/#4P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (25-7-0) via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
2013-11-30: W vs. [#176LW] Gray Maynard (11-5-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:38 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Conor McGregor 84, Nate Diaz 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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Women Bantamweight Championship (135)
[#1/#1DD/#1P4P] Holly Holm (10-0-0, -358) vs. [#4/#10DD/#8P4P] Miesha Tate (17-5-0, +282)
Holly Holm is the All-Time #15 ranked Women’s fighter.
Miesha Tate is the All-Time #9 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Holly Holm (3-0-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [#2BW/#2DD/#4P4P] Ronda Rousey (12-1-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 0:59 of round 2
2015-07-15: W vs. [#22BW] Marion Reneau (6-3-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
2015-02-28: W vs. [#9BW] Raquel Pennington (6-5-0) via SD (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Last 3 Fights: Miesha Tate (3-0-0)
2015-07-25: W vs. [#13BW] Jessica Eye (11-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-31: W vs. [#12BW] Sara McMann (8-3-0) via MD (29-27, 29-28, 28-28)
2014-09-20: W vs. [NA] Rin Nakai (16-1-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Holly Holm 112, Miesha Tate 224
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Holly Holm leads 2-1
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#21] Ilir Latifi (11-4-0, -188) vs. [#33] Gian Villante (14-6-0, +161)
Last 3 Fights: Ilir Latifi (2-1-0)
2016-01-17: W vs. [#40LHW] Sean OConnell (17-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:30 of round 1
2015-07-18: W vs. [#99LHW] Hans Stringer (22-7-3) via KO (Punches) in 0:56 of round 1
2014-10-04: L vs. [#34LHW] Jan Blachowicz (18-5-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:58 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Gian Villante (2-1-0)
2015-11-14: W vs. [*] Anthony Perosh (15-10-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:56 of round 1
2015-07-25: L vs. [#30LHW] Tom Lawlor (10-5-0) via TKO (Punch) in 0:27 of round 2
2015-04-18: W vs. [#19LHW] Corey Anderson (7-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:18 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ilir Latifi 48, Gian Villante 112
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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