Notable Info
- Mid-year nationality adjustment made for Japanese population.
The search for an MMA star in China
This weekend two high level promotions will put on shows in China. Road FC 32 takes place Saturday in Hunan, while on the same day One Championship hosts “Dynasty of Champions 6” in Anhui.
Several combat sports promotions have tried to make a big push into the county with limited success. Even the UFC tried with their regular trojan horse that is “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show and also promoted three events in Macau. The effort appears to have stalled with the release of the UFC’s Managing Director of Asia, Mark Fischer
Of course, one of the biggest issues with international expansion is finding a homegrown star who can both connect with fans and stay relevant in the non-predetermined world of MMA. Currently there are only 14 Chinese fighters in the Fight Matrix rankings, so finding that star will be difficult. Road FC and One Championship have taken different approaches to this task.
The undercard of Road FC includes a pair of UFC veterans with Chinese heritage, Jumabieke Tuerxun and Albert Cheng. The two combined to go 0-4 in the UFC. In the main event Aori Gele, a 320-pound Chinese Sanda fighter with a 1-2 MMA record, faces Bob Sapp.
During their trips to China, One Championship has appeared to focus on developing local talent. The cards often include tournaments of fighters with only a few professional fights. Assuming the plan is that the cream will eventually rise to the top, fans and promoters better be prepared to wait. Of the nine Chinese fighters on the card only two have more than one professional win.
List of Chinese Fighters in Fight Matrix Rankings
| Fighter | Weight Class | Rank | Last Fought For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weili Zhang | W-Strawweight | 39 | Top Fighting Championship |
| Zhifa Shang | Flyweight | 137 | Unknown |
| Jingliang Li | Welterweight | 148 | UFC |
| Guangyou Ning | Bantamweight | 158 | UFC |
| Heili Alateng | Bantamweight | 189 | Road FC |
| Handong Kong | Light Heavyweight | 202 | Art of War |
| Zilong Zhao | Light Heavyweight | 212 | Road FC |
| Kenan Song | Middleweight | 215 | Superstar Fight |
| Lipeng Zhang | Welterweight | 277 | Kunlun Fight |
| Xian Ji | Bantamweight | 295 | Wu Lin Feng |
| Rijirigala Amu | Featherweight | 306 | Art of War |
| Chengjie Wu | Featherweight | 352 | M-1 |
| Wenbo Liu | Middleweight | 365 | Wu Lin Feng |
| Liucai Cui | Featherweight | 437 | WBK |
Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| 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 | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#77 BW] |  Aleksandre Topuria | [#2 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev | |
| [#5 LW] |  Max Holloway | [NR] |  Conor McGregor | |
| [#1 WW] |  Islam Makhachev | [#25 MW] | Sharabutdin Magomedov | |
| [#1 LW] | Justin Gaethje | [NR] | Dustin Poirier | |
| [#41 LHW] | Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria |
Biggest Risers in Current MMA Rankings Update (06-26-2016)
Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Heavyweight
Jeff Hughes #85 (117)
Hughes, a product of Evolve MMA, moved up 117 spots after receiving credit for his March 19 victory over John Hawk. His professional record now stands at 3-0.
Light Heavyweight
Jordan Johnson #125 (101)
Johnson defeat Shaun Asher on the undercard of Resurrection Fighting Alliance 39. The teammate of Benson Henderson and Efrain Escudero at the MMA Lab has now won five fights in a row to start his career with four coming via submission.
Middleweight
Andrew Kapel #190 (74)
Last April, Kapel defeated Nick Kraus at Hoosier Fight Club 28. After receiving credit for the win, he moved up 74 spots. Since 2009, Kapel is 7-2 with his only losses coming against Strikeforce veteran Marcus Sursa and UFC fighter Anthony Smith.
Keep Reading
Fight Matrix Program: Bellator 157 (06-24-2016)
Heavyweight (215)
[#11LHW] Quinton Jackson (36-11-0) vs. [#59] Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1)
Quinton Jackson is the All-Time #21 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Quinton Jackson (3-0-0)
2015-04-25: W vs. [#97HW+] Fabio Maldonado (22-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-05-17: W vs. [#12LHW] Muhammed Lawal (19-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-02-28: W vs. [#148HW+] Christian MPumbu (19-8-1) via KO (Punches) in 4:34 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Satoshi Ishii (2-1-0)
2015-12-28: L vs. [#32HW+] Jiri Prochazka (17-3-1) via KO (Head Kick and Knees) in 1:36 of round 1
2015-08-29: W vs. [#137HW+] William Penn (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:07 of round 1
2015-04-11: W vs. [#121HW+] Nick Rossborough (25-19-1) via Submission (Kimura) in 4:22 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Quinton Jackson 426, Satoshi Ishii 179
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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Lightweight (155)
[#17] Michael Chandler (14-3-0) vs. [#28] Patricky Freire (16-7-0)
Michael Chandler is the All-Time #21 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Michael Chandler (2-1-0)
2015-11-06: W vs. [#62LW] David Rickels (17-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:05 of round 2
2015-06-19: W vs. [#52LW] Derek Campos (16-6-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:17 of round 1
2014-11-15: L vs. [#4LW] Will Brooks (17-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:48 of round 4
Last 3 Fights: Patricky Freire (2-1-0)
2016-04-16: W vs. [#194LW] Edimilson Souza (15-5-0) via UD ()
2016-01-29: W vs. [#145LW] Ryan Couture (10-4-0) via in of round 1
2015-12-04: L vs. [#48LW] Derek Anderson (13-2-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Michael Chandler 231, Patricky Freire 69
Previous Match-up Record: Michael Chandler leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Michael Chandler leads 6-2
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Heavyweight (265)
[#26] Matt Mitrione (9-5-0) vs. [#89] Carl Seumanutafa (10-6-0)
Last 3 Fights: Matt Mitrione (1-2-0)
2016-01-17: L vs. [#8HW+] Travis Browne (18-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:09 of round 3
2015-06-06: L vs. [#9HW+] Ben Rothwell (36-10-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 1:54 of round 1
2014-12-13: W vs. [#31HW+] Gabriel Gonzaga (17-11-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:59 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Carl Seumanutafa (2-1-0)
2016-01-29: W vs. [#81HW+] Javy Ayala (9-5-0) via in of round 2
2015-10-03: L vs. [#190HW+] D.J. Linderman (19-11-0) via UD ()
2014-11-15: W vs. [#115HW+] Josh Appelt (12-5-0) via UD ()
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Matt Mitrione 159, Carl Seumanutafa 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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Biggest Risers in Current MMA Rankings Update (06-19-2016)
Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Heavyweight
Kazbek Saidaliev #45 (96)
After receiving credit for his victory over UFC veteran Goran Reljic at Akhmat MMA 23, Saidaliev moved up 96 spots in the heavyweight rankings. The Russian fighter now holds a 7-1 record with three knockouts.
Light Heavyweight
Magomed Ankalayev #87 (44)
Ankalayev improved his record to 6-0 with a win over Artur Astakhov at Akhmat MMA 23. In his previous outing, he scored a 15-second finish over M-1 veteran Lloyd Marshbanks.
Middleweight
Zauri Maisuradze #170 (92)
Maisuradze defeated Sadibou Sy at Scandinavian Fight Nights back on June 4. He jumped up 92 spots in the rankings with the victory applied. The Georgian fighter has picked up back-to-back wins since falling to UFC veteran Igor Pokrajac last year.
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Biggest Risers in Current MMA Rankings Update (06-12-2016)
Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Heavyweight
Jared Vanderaa #143 (35)
At BAMMA USA 20, Vanderaa scored a first-round knockout over Strikeforce and Bellator MMA veteran Mychal Clark. After beginning his professional career last June, the Team Quest product has already built a 4-0 record with all victories coming via stoppage. The entire event can be viewed, behind a paywall, at FloCombat.com.
Light Heavyweight
Armando Sixel #144 (64)
In the most recent rankings update, Sixel moved up 64 spots. In his last fight, he scored a first-round armbar submission over Daniel Brito at Jungle Fight 83. The Brazilian holds a 9-5 record and has picked up a pair of wins since falling to UFC heavyweight Luis Henrique Barbosa de Oliveira in 2014.
Middleweight
Vlad Popovskiy #271 (128)
After receiving credit for his May 27 victory over Maxim Sergeev, Popovskiy moved into the top 300 at middleweight. The 24-year-old Moldovan fighter is 11 and has 10 first-round finishes.
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Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 89 – MacDonald vs. Thompson (06-18-2016)
Welterweight (170)
[#2] Stephen Thompson (12-1-0, -116) vs. [#6] Rory MacDonald (18-3-0, -108)
Rory MacDonald is the All-Time #13 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Stephen Thompson (3-0-0)
2016-02-06: W vs. [#5WW] Johny Hendricks (17-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:31 of round 1
2015-07-12: W vs. [#31WW] Jake Ellenberger (30-11-0) via KO (Spinning Hook Kick) in 4:29 of round 1
2014-09-27: W vs. [#21WW] Patrick Cote (23-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Rory MacDonald (2-1-0)
2015-07-11: L vs. [#1WW/#8DD/#5P4P] Robbie Lawler (27-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:00 of round 5
2014-10-04: W vs. [#24WW] Tarec Saffiedine (16-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:28 of round 3
2014-06-14: W vs. [*] Tyron Woodley (15-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Stephen Thompson 133, Rory MacDonald 343
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)
[#11] Donald Cerrone (29-7-0, -170) vs. [#21] Patrick Cote (23-9-0, +143)
Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (2-1-0)
2016-02-21: W vs. [#67WW] Alex Oliveira (13-4-1) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 2:33 of round 1
2015-12-19: L vs. [#1LW/#2DD/#3P4P] Rafael dos Anjos (25-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:06 of round 1
2015-05-23: W vs. [#69LW] John Makdessi (13-5-0) via TKO (Head Kick) in 4:44 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Patrick Cote (3-0-0)
2016-01-17: W vs. [#49WW] Ben Saunders (19-7-2) via TKO (Punches) in 1:14 of round 2
2015-08-23: W vs. [#51LW] Joshua Burkman (28-13-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:26 of round 3
2015-04-25: W vs. [#122MW] Joe Riggs (41-17-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Donald Cerrone 118, Patrick Cote 153
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)
[#41] Sean OConnell (17-7-0) vs. [#76] Steve Bosse (11-2-0)
Last 3 Fights: Sean OConnell (2-1-0)
2016-01-17: L vs. [#18LHW] Ilir Latifi (12-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:30 of round 1
2015-05-10: W vs. [*] Anthony Perosh (15-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:56 of round 1
2015-01-18: W vs. [#132HW+] Matt Van Buren (7-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:11 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Steve Bosse (2-1-0)
2016-03-19: W vs. [*] James Te Huna (16-9-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:52 of round 1
2015-06-27: L vs. [#17MW] Thiago Santos (13-3-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 0:29 of round 1
2013-05-11: W vs. [*] Caleb Grummet (5-7-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Sean OConnell 153, Steve Bosse 91
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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Biggest Risers in Current MMA Rankings Updated (06-05-2016)
Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Welterweight
Andreas Stahl #145 (278)
Stahl returned to action for the first time since a pair of losses to Gilbert Burns and Santiago Ponzinibbio chased him from the UFC. This past weekend, he scored a third-round knockout over Lewis Long at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 76. The much needed victory bumped him up 278 spots in the rankings. However, he is still currently ranked below his quarterly peak of #125. Stahl’s fight and the rest of the event is available on UFC Fight Pass.
Heavyweight
Zaur Gadzhibabayev #154 (70)
The Azerbaijani heavyweight moved up 70 spots in the rankings after defeating Lazar Todev at M-1 Challenge 67. The victory improved his professional MMA record to 5-1. Gadzhibabayev has won three fights in a row since falling for the first time to Zaurbek Bashaev last year. The entire event is available via YouTube
Light Heavyweight
Luis Henrique da Silva #40 (19)
On the undercard of UFC 199, Da Silva scored an upset over fellow prospect Jonathan Wilson. With the victory, he moves up 19 spots and into the top 50. The 26-year-old Brazilian is now 11-0 with 11 knockout finishes.
Keep Reading
Fight Matrix Program: UFC 199 (06-04-2016)
Middleweight (185)
[#1/#1DD/#4P4P] Luke Rockhold (15-2-0, -993) vs. [#8] Michael Bisping (28-7-0, +656)
Luke Rockhold is the All-Time #3 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Michael Bisping is the All-Time #19 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Luke Rockhold (3-0-0)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#2MW/#5DD/#10P4P] Chris Weidman (13-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:12 of round 4
2015-04-18: W vs. [#7MW] Lyoto Machida (22-7-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:31 of round 2
2014-11-07: W vs. [#8MW] Michael Bisping (28-7-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:57 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Michael Bisping (3-0-0)
2016-02-27: W vs. [#16MW] Anderson Silva (33-7-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
2015-07-18: W vs. [#15MW] Thales Leites (25-6-0) via SD (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)
2015-04-25: W vs. [#26MW] C.B. Dollaway (15-8-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Luke Rockhold 175, Michael Bisping 98
Previous Match-up Record: Luke Rockhold leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Luke Rockhold leads 1-0
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Bantamweight Championship (135)
[#1/#8P4P] Dominick Cruz (21-1-0, -616) vs. [#3] Urijah Faber (33-8-0, +437)
Dominick Cruz is the All-Time #1 ranked Bantamweight fighter.
Urijah Faber is the All-Time #5 ranked Bantamweight and #10 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Dominick Cruz (3-0-0)
2016-01-17: W vs. [#2BW/#9P4P] T.J. Dillashaw (12-3-0) via SD (46-49, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#22BW] Takeya Mizugaki (21-9-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:01 of round 1
2011-10-01: W vs. [#1FLY/#3DD/#2P4P] Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
Last 3 Fights: Urijah Faber (2-1-0)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#16BW] Frankie Saenz (11-3-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
2015-05-16: L vs. [#1FW/#7DD] Frankie Edgar (20-4-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2014-12-06: W vs. [#40BW] Francisco Rivera (11-6-0) via Submission (Bulldog Choke) in 1:34 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dominick Cruz 139, Urijah Faber 175
Previous Match-up Record: Even: 1-1-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 4 win(s) against common opposition.
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Featherweight (145)
[#4] Max Holloway (15-3-0) vs. [#9] Ricardo Lamas (16-4-0)
Max Holloway is the All-Time #24 ranked Featherweight fighter.
Ricardo Lamas is the All-Time #12 ranked Featherweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (3-0-0)
2015-12-12: W vs. [#10FW] Jeremy Stephens (25-12-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-08-23: W vs. [#8FW] Charles Oliveira (21-5-0) via TKO (Esophagus Injury) in 1:39 of round 1
2015-04-18: W vs. [#13FW] Cub Swanson (22-7-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 3:58 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Ricardo Lamas (2-1-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#27LW] Diego Sanchez (26-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-04-04: L vs. [#7FW] Chad Mendes (17-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:45 of round 1
2014-11-15: W vs. [#18FW] Dennis Bermudez (15-5-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 3:18 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Max Holloway 175, Ricardo Lamas 196
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ricardo Lamas leads 2-1
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Biggest Risers in Current MMA Rankings Update (05-30-2016)
Fight Matrix updates the Current MMA Rankings once a week. As the deepest and most inclusive ranking system in the sport, fights all over the globe can have a major impact on the rankings. Let’s take a look at the biggest risers in the divisional rankings. The number in parenthesis is the number of spots that the fighter moved up from the last issued rankings. For the purpose of this article, fighters who were unranked in the previous ranking iteration are excluded.
Heavyweight
Marcin Rozalski #115 (80)
With a victory over strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski in the co-main event of KSW 35, Rozalski moves up 80 spots in the rankings. After winning his first three fights under the KSW banner, Rozalski had dropped back-to-back fights to Peter Graham and James McSweeney before triumphing over Pudzianowski.
Light Heavyweight
Sergey Kalinin #165 (63)
Kalinin jumped up 63 spots after besting Pavel Katrunov at Eurasian Fight Nights 48. With the win, Kalinin improved his career record to 3-2. The bout and the entire event is available on UFC Fight Pass.
Middleweight
Khalid Murtazaliev #161 (160)
Murtazaliev is another fighter moving up in the rankings following a victory at EFN 48. The Russian fighter scored a first-round knockout over Edilson Franca at the event and bumped up 160 spots.
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