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.
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.
| Saturday, August 22nd 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Tampa: Cyborg vs. Vieira | |||
 [#1 W145] Cristiane Justino | [#4 W135] Ketlen Vieira | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#2 W145] Sara Collins Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 5/16/2026 [UFC] Last Opponent: [#10 W135] Jacqueline Cavalcanti Last 5: W L W L W | ||
| Saturday, July 18th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 15 in HIROSHIMA | |||
 [#3 W105] Si Woo Park |  [#7 W105] Moeri Suda | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 11/23/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#34 W105] Saki Kitamura Last 5: W W W L W | Last Fight Date: 3/07/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#16 W105] Namiko Kawabata Last 5: W W W L W | ||
| Saturday, July 18th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 15 in HIROSHIMA | |||
| [#5 W105] Saori Oshima | [#13 W105] Ye Ji Lee | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 3/07/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#11 W105] Keito Oyama Last 5: L L W L W | Last Fight Date: 5/24/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#32 W105] Eru Takebayashi Last 5: W L W L W | ||
| [#75 BW] |  Aleksandre Topuria | [#2 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev | |
| [#5 LW] |  Max Holloway | [NR] |  Conor McGregor | |
| [#1 WW] |  Islam Makhachev | [#1 LW] | Justin Gaethje | |
| [#25 MW] | Sharabutdin Magomedov | [NR] | Dustin Poirier | |
| [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | [#10 W135] | Jacqueline Cavalcanti |
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.
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
Women Bantamweight (135)
[#1/#2DD/#3P4P] Amanda Nunes (13-4-0, +116) vs. [#2/#5DD/#5P4P] Ronda Rousey (12-1-0, -139)
Amanda Nunes is the All-Time #14 ranked Women’s fighter.
Ronda Rousey is the All-Time #1 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Amanda Nunes (3-0-0)
2016-07-09: W vs. [*] Miesha Tate (18-7-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:16 of round 1
2016-03-05: W vs. [#4BW/#7DD/#9P4P] Valentina Shevchenko (13-2-0) via UD (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)
2015-08-08: W vs. [#6BW] Sara McMann (10-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:53 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Ronda Rousey (2-1-0)
2015-11-14: L vs. [#5BW/#10DD] Holly Holm (10-2-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 0:59 of round 2
2015-08-01: W vs. [#13BW] Bethe Correia (10-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:34 of round 1
2015-02-28: W vs. [#12BW] Cat Zingano (9-2-0) via Submission (Straight Armbar) in 0:14 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Amanda Nunes 174, Ronda Rousey 412
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ronda Rousey leads 8-4
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Bantamweight (135)
[#1/#4P4P] Dominick Cruz (22-1-0, -213) vs. [#9] Cody Garbrandt (10-0-0, +174)
Dominick Cruz is the All-Time #1 ranked Bantamweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Dominick Cruz (3-0-0)
2016-06-04: W vs. [*] Urijah Faber (34-10-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2016-01-17: W vs. [#2BW/#9P4P] T.J. Dillashaw (13-3-0) via SD (46-49, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#38BW] Takeya Mizugaki (21-11-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Cody Garbrandt (3-0-0)
2016-08-20: W vs. [#38BW] Takeya Mizugaki (21-11-2) via TKO (Punches) in 0:48 of round 1
2016-05-29: W vs. [#24BW] Thomas Almeida (21-1-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:53 of round 1
2016-02-21: W vs. [#261BW] Augusto Mendes (5-1-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:18 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dominick Cruz 209, Cody Garbrandt 132
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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Bantamweight (135)
[#2/#9P4P] T.J. Dillashaw (13-3-0, -247) vs. [#5] John Lineker (29-7-0, +199)
T.J. Dillashaw is the All-Time #4 ranked Bantamweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: T.J. Dillashaw (2-1-0)
2016-07-09: W vs. [#21BW] Raphael Assuncao (23-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2016-01-17: L vs. [#1BW/#4P4P] Dominick Cruz (22-1-0) via SD (46-49, 48-47, 49-46)
2015-07-25: W vs. [#16FW] Renan Barao (34-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 4
Last 3 Fights: John Lineker (3-0-0)
2016-10-01: W vs. [#10BW] John Dodson (18-8-0) via SD (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
2016-07-13: W vs. [#31BW] Michael McDonald (17-4-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:43 of round 1
2016-05-14: W vs. [#30BW] Rob Font (13-2-0) via UD (30-26, 29-28, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: T.J. Dillashaw 174, John Lineker 90
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: John Lineker leads 1-0
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Notable Info
Just like every other sport, there are a lot of overrated and underrated fighters in MMA. Since there are so many weight classes in MMA, it can be hard to accurately asses the skills of every professional fighter. This leads to some fighters getting more respect than they deserve while other fighters never get the credit they have earned. These are the fighters that are in my opinion the most overrated and underrated in mixed martial arts right now.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
It may be hard to imagine an undefeated fighter as underrated, but Khabib Nurmagomedov has been overlooked on a regular basis during his time in the UFC. Despite easily beating every top contender in the UFC’s lightweight division, Nurmagomedov has never been given a title shot. He has proven that he can beat any professional mixed martial artist, but Nurmagomedov is still only at number 12 on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. His spot in the rankings is continually too low because he does not own a title, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the fighting ability of Khabib Nurmagomedov. The disrespect he gets in the sport is on display every time he is forced to fight on the undercard of a major UFC pay-per-view despite being one of the best in the world.
Stephen Thompson
In addition to only being defeated one time in his first 15 professional MMA fights, Stephen Thompson has had no problem defeating some of the top contenders in the UFC’s welterweight division. Thompson finally got the title shot he deserved at UFC 205, and he ended up fighting to a draw with champion Tyron Woodley. The 8th best fighter in the UFC was unable to defeat Stephen Thompson, but he is still nowhere to be found on the company’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Women Strawweight (116)
[#17] Paige VanZant (7-2-0, 116.0lb, -115) vs. [*] Michelle Waterson (13-4-0, 115.0lb, -107)
Last 3 Fights: Paige VanZant (2-1-0)
2016-08-27: W vs. [#38SW] Bec Rawlings (7-5-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 0:17 of round 2
2015-12-10: L vs. [#8SW] Rose Namajunas (5-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:25 of round 5
2015-09-05: W vs. [*] Alex Chambers (5-3-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:01 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Michelle Waterson (2-1-0)
2015-07-12: W vs. [*] Angela Magana (11-8-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:38 of round 3
2014-12-05: L vs. [#2AW/#10P4P] Herica Tiburcio (10-4-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:04 of round 3
2014-09-06: W vs. [*] Yasuko Tamada (15-10-3) via in of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Paige VanZant 112, Michelle Waterson 524
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 (171)
[#156LW] Sage Northcutt (8-1-0, 170.0lb, +124) vs. [#1186] Mickey Gall (3-0-0, 171.0lb, -147)
Last 3 Fights: Sage Northcutt (2-1-0)
2016-07-09: W vs. [#359LW] Enrique Marin (9-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2016-01-30: L vs. [#37WW] Bryan Barberena (12-3-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 3:06 of round 2
2015-12-10: W vs. [#348LW] Cody Pfister (12-6-1) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:41 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Mickey Gall (3-0-0)
2016-09-10: W vs. [NA] Phil Brooks (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:14 of round 1
2016-02-06: W vs. [NA] Mike Jackson (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:45 of round 1
2015-11-21: W vs. [NA] Ron Templeton (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:53 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Sage Northcutt 161, Mickey Gall 98
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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Bantamweight (136)
[#8] Urijah Faber (33-10-0, 136.0lb, -363) vs. [#52] Brad Pickett (25-12-0, 136.0lb, +283)
Urijah Faber is the All-Time #5 ranked Bantamweight and #12 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Urijah Faber (1-2-0)
2016-09-10: L vs. [#3BW] Jimmie Rivera (20-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2016-06-04: L vs. [#1BW/#4P4P] Dominick Cruz (22-1-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#33BW] Frankie Saenz (11-4-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Brad Pickett (1-2-0)
2016-10-08: L vs. [#15BW] Iuri Alcantara (33-7-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 1:59 of round 1
2016-02-27: W vs. [#53BW] Francisco Rivera (11-7-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-07-11: L vs. [#25BW] Thomas Almeida (21-1-0) via KO (Knee) in 0:29 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Urijah Faber 98, Brad Pickett 70
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Urijah Faber leads 8-3
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In case you’ve been living in a hole, we have All-Time Rankings available.
Most of the lists can fluctuate wildly while fighters’ careers are still active, but there haven’t been many active fighters entering the “Absolute” Top 25 in quite some time. However, this may change in the very near future.
Soon to Come?
#26 – Demetrious Johnson
Johnson would’ve been on the list quite some time ago, IF he competed in a division with a larger population. Although the division is growing quickly, its past and even its current, still lag behind other divisions in the sport.
Tapology ranks Johnson at #11 All-Time, while ScoreCardMMA has him at #14.
Featherweight Championship (145)
[#3] Anthony Pettis (19-5-0, +148) vs. [#4] Max Holloway (16-3-0, -177)
Max Holloway is the All-Time #15 ranked Featherweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Anthony Pettis (1-2-0)
2016-08-27: W vs. [#21LW] Charles Oliveira (21-7-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:49 of round 3
2016-04-23: L vs. [#5LW] Edson Barboza (18-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2016-01-17: L vs. [#2LW/#9DD] Eddie Alvarez (28-5-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (3-0-0)
2016-06-04: W vs. [#5FW] Ricardo Lamas (17-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#8FW] Jeremy Stephens (25-13-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-08-23: W vs. [#21LW] Charles Oliveira (21-7-0) via TKO (Esophagus Injury) in 1:39 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anthony Pettis 105, Max Holloway 189
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 2 win(s) against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#5] Donald Cerrone (31-7-0, -268) vs. [#23] Matt Brown (20-15-0, +217)
Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (3-0-0)
2016-08-20: W vs. [#21WW] Rick Story (19-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:02 of round 2
2016-06-18: W vs. [#25WW] Patrick Cote (23-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:35 of round 3
2016-02-21: W vs. [#26WW] Alex Oliveira (15-4-1) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 2:33 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Matt Brown (1-2-0)
2016-07-30: L vs. [#22WW] Jake Ellenberger (31-12-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:46 of round 1
2016-05-14: L vs. [#4WW] Demian Maia (24-6-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:31 of round 3
2015-07-11: W vs. [#24WW] Tim Means (26-7-1) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:44 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Donald Cerrone 112, Matt Brown 133
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)
[#9] Cub Swanson (23-7-0, +192) vs. [#15] Doo Ho Choi (14-1-0, -236)
Cub Swanson is the All-Time #13 ranked Featherweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Cub Swanson (2-1-0)
2016-08-06: W vs. [#26FW] Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-10-2) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2016-04-16: W vs. [#38FW] Hacran Dias (23-5-1) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-04-18: L vs. [#4FW] Max Holloway (16-3-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 3:58 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Doo Ho Choi (3-0-0)
2016-07-08: W vs. [#24FW] Thiago Tavares (20-7-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:42 of round 1
2015-11-28: W vs. [#114FW] Sam Sicilia (15-7-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:33 of round 1
2014-11-22: W vs. [*] Juan Manuel Puig (11-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:18 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Cub Swanson 126, Doo Ho Choi 155
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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Heavyweight (265)
[#14] Derrick Lewis (16-4-0, -182) vs. [#42] Shamil Abdurakhimov (17-4-0, +153)
Last 3 Fights: Derrick Lewis (3-0-0)
2016-07-07: W vs. [#15HW+] Roy Nelson (22-13-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2016-04-10: W vs. [#35HW+] Gabriel Gonzaga (17-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:48 of round 1
2016-02-06: W vs. [#67HW+] Damian Grabowski (20-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Shamil Abdurakhimov (2-1-0)
2016-10-01: W vs. [#57HW+] Walt Harris (8-5-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2016-02-21: W vs. [#44HW+] Anthony Hamilton (15-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2015-04-04: L vs. [#26HW+] Timothy Johnson (10-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:57 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Derrick Lewis 155, Shamil Abdurakhimov 69
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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Heavyweight (265)
[#44] Anthony Hamilton (15-5-0, +364) vs. [#51] Francis Ngannou (8-1-0, -516)
Last 3 Fights: Anthony Hamilton (2-1-0)
2016-07-30: W vs. [#67HW+] Damian Grabowski (20-4-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:14 of round 1
2016-02-21: L vs. [#42HW+] Shamil Abdurakhimov (17-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2015-04-11: W vs. [#39HW+] Daniel Omielanczuk (19-6-1) via UD (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Francis Ngannou (3-0-0)
2016-07-23: W vs. [#186HW+] Bojan Mihajlovic (10-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:34 of round 1
2016-04-10: W vs. [#86HW+] Curtis Blaydes (6-1-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2015-12-19: W vs. [#103HW+] Luis Henrique Barbosa de (10-2-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:53 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anthony Hamilton 132, Francis Ngannou 139
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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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#40] Gian Villante (14-7-0, -192) vs. [#48] Saparbek Safarov (8-0-0, +158)
Last 3 Fights: Gian Villante (1-2-0)
2016-03-05: L vs. [#19LHW] Ilir Latifi (12-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-11-14: W vs. [*] Anthony Perosh (15-10-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:56 of round 1
2015-07-25: L vs. [#39LHW] Tom Lawlor (10-6-0) via TKO (Punch) in 0:27 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Saparbek Safarov (3-0-0)
2016-04-09: W vs. [#84LHW] Rodney Wallace (25-12-1) via in of round 2
2014-09-07: W vs. [#261LHW] Giga Kukhalashvili (5-3-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 2:13 of round 1
2012-12-22: W vs. [#381LHW] Valdas Pocevicius (34-33-4) via TKO (Punches) in 0:00 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Gian Villante 279, Saparbek Safarov 244
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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