Fight Matrix Program: DEEP (12-31-2014)
Lightweight (155)
[#82] Satoru Kitaoka (34-13-9) vs. [#89] Yoshiyuki Yoshida (17-6-0)
Last 3 Fights: Satoru Kitaoka (2-1-0)
2014-10-05: W vs. [#381LW] Richie Whitson (12-6-0) via UD ()
2014-04-29: W vs. [#228LW] Naoto Miyazaki (11-3-3) via UD ()
2013-12-31: L vs. [#74LW] Ramazan Esenbaev (7-1-1) via KO (Punches) in 0:19 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Yoshiyuki Yoshida (3-0-0)
2014-03-22: W vs. [#173LW] Shigetoshi Iwase (14-16-4) via UD ()
2013-11-24: W vs. [#810LW] Won Sik Park (10-5-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:46 of round 2
2012-10-13: W vs. [#305LW] Niko Puhakka (28-17-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:00 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Satoru Kitaoka 87, Yoshiyuki Yoshida 284
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Yoshiyuki Yoshida leads 1-0
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Bantamweight (135)
[#67] Takafumi Otsuka (18-12-1) vs. [#105] Shintaro Ishiwatari (18-6-4)
Last 3 Fights: Takafumi Otsuka (3-0-0)
2014-10-26: W vs. [#310BW] Toshinori Tsunemura (7-4-4) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:46 of round 3
2014-04-29: W vs. [#95BW] Kenji Osawa (20-11-2) via UD ()
2013-11-24: W vs. [#112BW] Toshiaki Kitada (17-7-4) via UD ()
Last 3 Fights: Shintaro Ishiwatari (2-1-0)
2014-11-02: L vs. [#56BW] Jonathan Brookins (15-7-0) via UD ()
2014-05-11: W vs. [#472BW] Trevor Ward (4-1-0) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
2014-02-02: W vs. [#136BW] Yo Saito (15-10-3) via UD ()
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Takafumi Otsuka 66, Shintaro Ishiwatari 59
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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Featherweight (145)
[#38] Isao Kobayashi (16-1-4) vs. [#85] Kazunori Yokota (21-5-3)
Last 3 Fights: Isao Kobayashi (3-0-0)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#351FW] Takeshi Inoue (21-10-0) via UD ()
2014-03-30: W vs. [#133LW] Kuniyoshi Hironaka (23-9-0) via TKO (Punch and Soccer Kick) in 3:58 of round 3
2013-09-29: W vs. [#498LW] Yoshiaki Takahashi (10-5-2) via MD (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Last 3 Fights: Kazunori Yokota (3-0-0)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#413FW] Yusuke Kagiyama (16-10-2) via Submission (Kimura) in 2:38 of round 1
2014-04-29: W vs. [#345FW] Katsunori Tsuda (8-3-1) via UD ()
2013-11-24: W vs. [#1602FW] Doo Ri Song (1-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:00 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Isao Kobayashi 88, Kazunori Yokota 130
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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Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Monday, May 4th 2026: Deep 131 Impact: 25th Anniversary | |||
 [#2 SW] Sora Sugiyama | [#14 SW] Sukai China | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 12/14/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#6 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 | ||
| Friday, March 20th 2026: PFL Madrid: Van Steenis vs. Edwards 2 | |||
 [#8 MW] Costello Van Steenis (-132) |  [#12 MW] Fabian Edwards (+107) | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 7/19/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#13 MW] Johnny Eblen Last 5: W L W W W | Last Fight Date: 8/21/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#27 MW] Dalton Rosta Last 5: W L W W W | ||
| Sunday, April 12th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 13 in FUKUOKA | |||
 [#24 W115] Natalia Kuziutina | [#7 W105] Ayaka Hamasaki | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 8/16/2025 [Ural Fighting Championship] Last Opponent: [#75 W115] Rose Conceicao Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 11/23/2025 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#14 W105] Ye Ji Lee Last 5: W L W L W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#255 WW] |  Rustambek Nurzhanov | [#841 LW] | Daniel Holt | |
| [#80 FW] |  Marwan Rahiki | [#1 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | |
| [#26 LHW] |  Ion Cutelaba | [#40 LHW] |  Oumar Sy | |
| [#361 HW] |  Tony Lopez | [#90 HW] |  Jovan Leka | |
| [#2 LW] |  Charles Oliveira | [#1 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev |
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 6 (Final)
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1 | #25 – #15
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2 | #14 – #10
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3 | #9 – #5
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4 | #4 – #3
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 5 | #2
If you missed the first parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#1…
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 5
#25 – #15: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#14 – #10: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#9 – #5: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
#4 – #3: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4
If you missed the first parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#2…
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4
#25 – #15: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#14 – #10: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#9 – #5: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
If you missed the first parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#4 – Chad Mendes (Rep Avg: #121.3 | Fight Matrix: #48)
Mendes is taking the Jon Fitch road, but at 145. Practically glued to the Top 5, tons of top-quality fights and wins while fighting for the UFC, but just can’t get over the hump to win the gold. Having him outside of the Top 100 is absolutely ridiculous.
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
#25 – #15: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#14 – #10: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
If you missed the first parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#9 – #5
#9 – Mamoru Yamaguchi (Rep Avg: #120 | Fight Matrix: #70)
Small man bias in full effect here — Yamaguchi is a part of the three-headed Japanese dragon that has ruled the All-Time MMA Rankings at Flyweight, here on Fight Matrix. For us, DJ is set to high jump over this tandem in the near future, but he apparently already had sometime ago for mostly everyone else. The “pick and choose” process is very strange when it comes to acknowledging MMA success in the early years.
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#25 – #15: The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
If you missed the first part, you can visit it w/ the link above. It has all of the details about how this list came to be.
As I complete the list, I can’t help but think of how great this series could have been and how sad it is that reasonable lists like this are practically non-existent. If you come across any, please let me know.
#14 – #10
#14 – Miguel Torres (Rep Avg: #65 | Fight Matrix: #39)
Torres is still our Top Bantamweight of All-Time. With Barao recently losing and Cruz taking all the time off, Torres should hold this position for a little longer.
The Most Underrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
For those of you who do not know, in addition to our Current MMA Rankings, we also feature an All-Time MMA Rankings that is updated every month (usually on the 2nd).
In an effort to mix it up heading into the new year, I’ve decided to compare our All-Time Absolute list to an average of a few other lists that I’ve found on the Internet, in order to bring attention to fighters who I believe are the most underrated in the history of MMA.
I feel an analysis of underrated fighters is more objective than an analysis of overrated fighters, as many fighters are given lofty positions in subjective lists due to an over-friendliness bestowed upon pioneer fighters, especially those who were under-sized. As you probably know, our lists are based on actual results and it goes without saying that being the #1 Welterweight in 2014 means much more than being the #1 Welterweight in 2004 (for example).
Not surprisingly, it was tough to find (seemingly) reputable lists:
Crowd-sourcing Representative: Tapology Top 100 (2014-12-18)
“Peak” Mathematical Representative: MMA-ELO Top 25 (2014-11-01)
“Cumulative” Mathematical Representative: Sports-Ratings Top 250 (2014-03-31)
I would have loved to have added an “Expert” representative, but I could not find one readily available.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night – Machida vs. Dollaway (12-20-2014)
Middleweight (185)
[#2/#9DD] Lyoto Machida (21-5-0, -636) vs. [#12] C.B. Dollaway (15-5-0, +453)
Lyoto Machida is the All-Time #13 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Lyoto Machida (2-1-0)
2014-07-05: L vs. [#1MW/#1DD/#4P4P] Chris Weidman (12-0-0) via UD (49-45, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-02-15: W vs. [#8MW] Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2013-10-26: W vs. [#15MW] Mark Munoz (13-5-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 3:10 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: C.B. Dollaway (2-1-0)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#21MW] Francis Carmont (22-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-03-23: W vs. [#48MW] Cezar Ferreira (8-3-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:39 of round 1
2013-10-19: L vs. [#16MW] Tim Boetsch (18-7-0) via SD (30-26, 27-29, 30-26)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Lyoto Machida 168, C.B. Dollaway 203
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Lyoto Machida leads 1-0
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Bantamweight (135)
[#2] Renan Barao (32-2-0, -715) vs. [#18] Mitch Gagnon (12-2-0, +484)
Renan Barao is the All-Time #3 ranked Bantamweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Renan Barao (2-1-0)
2014-05-24: L vs. [#1BW] T.J. Dillashaw (11-2-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:26 of round 5
2014-02-01: W vs. [#3BW] Urijah Faber (32-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:42 of round 1
2013-09-21: W vs. [#22BW] Eddie Wineland (21-10-1) via TKO (Spinning Back Kick and Punches) in 0:35 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Mitch Gagnon (3-0-0)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#210BW] Roman Salazar (9-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:06 of round 1
2014-04-16: W vs. [#159BW] Tim Gorman (8-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-09-21: W vs. [#105BW] Dustin Kimura (11-3-0) via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:05 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Renan Barao 210, Mitch Gagnon 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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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#45HW+] Antonio Carlos Jr. (4-0-0, +133) vs. [#106] Patrick Cummins (6-1-0, -157)
Last 3 Fights: Antonio Carlos Jr. (3-0-0)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#138HW+] Vitor Miranda (9-4-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-10-26: W vs. [NA] Edinaldo Novaes (1-6-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:16 of round 1
2013-09-14: W vs. [NA] Geronimo Oliveira (0-2-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 1:41 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Patrick Cummins (2-1-0)
2014-07-26: W vs. [#221LHW] Kyle Kingsbury (11-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-25, 30-24)
2014-06-07: W vs. [#41MW] Roger Narvaez (7-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:28 of round 2
2014-02-22: L vs. [#2LHW/#10P4P] Daniel Cormier (15-0-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:19 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Antonio Carlos Jr. 203, Patrick Cummins 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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Fight Matrix Program: UFC on Fox 13 (12-13-2014)
Heavyweight (243)
[#3] Junior dos Santos (16-3-0, 242.0lb, -404) vs. [#9] Stipe Miocic (12-1-0, 243.0lb, +318)
Junior dos Santos is the All-Time #4 ranked Heavyweight and #20 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Junior dos Santos (1-2-0)
2013-10-19: L vs. [#1HW+/#2DD/#3P4P] Cain Velasquez (13-1-0) via TKO (Slam and Punch) in 3:09 of round 5
2013-05-25: W vs. [#6HW+] Mark Hunt (10-9-1) via KO (Spinning Hook Kick) in 4:18 of round 3
2012-12-29: L vs. [#1HW+/#2DD/#3P4P] Cain Velasquez (13-1-0) via UD (50-45, 50-44, 50-43)
Last 3 Fights: Stipe Miocic (3-0-0)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#29LHW] Fabio Maldonado (22-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 1
2014-01-25: W vs. [#18HW+] Gabriel Gonzaga (16-8-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-06-15: W vs. [#13HW+] Roy Nelson (20-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Junior dos Santos 420, Stipe Miocic 196
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Junior dos Santos leads 3-2
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Lightweight (160)
[#2] Rafael dos Anjos (22-7-0, 156.0lb, -279) vs. [#10] Nate Diaz (17-9-0, 160.6lb, +225)
Rafael dos Anjos is the All-Time #18 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Nate Diaz is the All-Time #25 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Rafael dos Anjos (2-1-0)
2014-08-23: W vs. [#4LW] Ben Henderson (21-4-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:31 of round 1
2014-06-07: W vs. [#69LW] Jason High (18-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:36 of round 2
2014-04-19: L vs. [#5LW] Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Nate Diaz (1-2-0)
2013-11-30: W vs. [#43LW] Gray Maynard (11-4-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:38 of round 1
2013-04-20: L vs. [#12LW] Josh Thomson (20-7-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 3:44 of round 2
2012-12-08: L vs. [#4LW] Ben Henderson (21-4-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-43)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Rafael dos Anjos 112, Nate Diaz 378
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Rafael dos Anjos leads 2-1
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Heavyweight (254)
[#10] Alistair Overeem (37-14-0, 253.0lb, -237) vs. [*] Stefan Struve (25-6-0, 254.0lb, +194)
Alistair Overeem is the All-Time #13 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Alistair Overeem (1-2-0)
2014-09-05: L vs. [#8HW+] Ben Rothwell (34-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:19 of round 1
2014-02-01: W vs. [#42HW+] Frank Mir (16-9-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-08-17: L vs. [#5HW+] Travis Browne (17-2-1) via KO (Front Kick and Punches) in 4:08 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Stefan Struve (2-1-0)
2013-03-03: L vs. [#6HW+] Mark Hunt (10-9-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:44 of round 3
2012-09-29: W vs. [#9HW+] Stipe Miocic (12-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:50 of round 2
2012-05-26: W vs. [#51HW+] Lavar Johnson (18-10-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:05 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alistair Overeem 99, Stefan Struve 650
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Alistair Overeem leads 2-1
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Fight Matrix Program: TUF 20 Finale (12-12-2014)
Women Strawweight Championship (115)
[#4/#9P4P] Carla Esparza (9-2-0, +137) vs. [#6] Rose Namajunas (2-1-0, -168)
Last 3 Fights: Carla Esparza (3-0-0)
2013-01-05: W vs. [#88SW] Bec Rawlings (5-3-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2012-10-06: W vs. [#28SW] Lynn Alvarez (6-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:53 of round 1
2012-07-28: W vs. [#26SW] Sarah Schneider (7-6-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:28 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Rose Namajunas (2-1-0)
2013-07-13: L vs. [#16SW] Tecia Torres (4-0-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2013-04-05: W vs. [NA] Kathina Catron (4-5-0) via Submission (Flying Armbar) in 0:12 of round 1
2013-01-05: W vs. [#35SW] Emily Kagan (3-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:44 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Carla Esparza 706, Rose Namajunas 517
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)
[#14] Jeremy Stephens (23-10-0, -115) vs. [#20] Charles Oliveira (18-4-0, -110)
Last 3 Fights: Jeremy Stephens (2-1-0)
2014-06-28: L vs. [#6FW] Cub Swanson (21-6-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
2014-01-25: W vs. [#18FW] Darren Elkins (18-4-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-11-09: W vs. [#32FW] Rony Mariano Bezerra (14-5-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 0:40 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Charles Oliveira (2-1-0)
2014-06-28: W vs. [#50FW] Hatsu Hioki (27-8-2) via Submission (Anaconda Choke) in 4:32 of round 2
2014-02-15: W vs. [#182FW] Andy Ogle (9-5-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 2:40 of round 3
2013-07-06: L vs. [#2FW/#7DD] Frankie Edgar (18-4-1) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jeremy Stephens 167, Charles Oliveira 167
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)
[#61WW] K.J. Noons (13-7-0, +150) vs. [#58] Daron Cruickshank (16-5-0, -181)
Last 3 Fights: K.J. Noons (2-1-0)
2014-04-16: W vs. [#111LW] Sam Stout (20-10-1) via KO (Punches) in 0:30 of round 1
2013-10-19: W vs. [#327LW] George Sotiropoulos (14-7-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-05-25: L vs. [#3LW] Donald Cerrone (25-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Last 3 Fights: Daron Cruickshank (2-1-0)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#128LW] Anthony Njokuani (15-9-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-07-26: L vs. [#14LW] Jorge Masvidal (28-8-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
2014-05-10: W vs. [#115LW] Erik Koch (14-4-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 3:21 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: K.J. Noons 240, Daron Cruickshank 69
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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Current MMA Rankings Updated (12-11-2014)
Notable Info
- Special mid-week update in anticipation of TUF 20 card.