Bang for Your Buck: UFC Fight Night 75
UFC Fight Night 75 will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and is the finale for the ‘Road to UFC: Japan’ series, which is a re-branded version of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. As one might expect, the card is loaded with local talent, and would make for a good Fight Pass event; however September has been a slow month compared to UFC’s hectic summer pace, with Fight Night 75 being the only event this month besides the UFC 191 PPV. So we end up with a passable main card on Fox Sports 1, and a very weak preliminary card on Fox Sports 2. There was a lone early prelim fight slated for Fight Pass, but with a last-minute cancellation of the scheduled fight between Matt Hobar and Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto, the top-billed FS2 prelim was moved to FS1 and the Fight Pass bout bumped up to FS2. Which leaves us with nothing of note on the prelims, so I will just go over the main card.
Main Event: [#15 HW] Roy Nelson vs [NR] Josh Barnett
Worth: $10
Why: This is sort of an odd match-up. It’s as if the UFC doesn’t really know what to do with either of these heavyweights at the moment, so let’s make them coaches on ‘Road to UFC: Japan’, and have them fight each other in the main event of the finale. Beyond that the fight makes little sense, and there is not much on the line here, besides maybe the winner holding on to the remaining bit of relevancy. Roy Nelson is on a two fight skid, and only won one out of his last five bouts, but even with a loss he is likely to get at least one more fight in UFC. His opponent Josh Barnett has not fought in nearly two years, and is 1-1 in his recent UFC stint, with both fights ending by TKO in the first round and not really showing how much Barnett has left in the tank.
We all know exactly what Roy Nelson will do in every fight, so to me the most interesting thing about this one is what strategy will Barnett use against him. Submissions are Barnett’s bread and butter, however Nelson has a very competent ground game. Even though he completely abandoned it in favor of winging overhand rights and uppercuts, he has gone the distance with Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum – two of the most dangerous submission experts at HW – and was never in any trouble on the ground despite losing both fights. So it’s not likely that Barnett will be able to submit Nelson; a knockout is also unlikely as Roy has a solid chin and Josh is not known for his KO power. The best strategy for Barnett would be to use his ugly yet effective striking to outpoint Nelson, as so many of his opponents have done before. However, Barnett claims that he wants a finish and not a win on points, and going blow-for-blow with Nelson is generally not a good idea. My pick here is Barnett by decision – unless he gets caught with a big shot early, or is very out of shape due to ring rust. What I don’t expect is a particularly exciting fight (barring that possibility of an early KO by Nelson).
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 | |
| [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 | [#26 MW] | Brunno Ferreira |
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 75 – Barnett/Nelson (09-26-2015)
Heavyweight (265)
[#15] Roy Nelson (20-11-0, +189) vs. [*] Josh Barnett (33-7-0, -231)
Josh Barnett is the All-Time #7 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Roy Nelson (1-2-0)
2015-03-14: L vs. [#8HW+] Alistair Overeem (39-14-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-09-20: L vs. [#9HW+] Mark Hunt (10-10-1) via KO (Punch) in 3:00 of round 2
2014-04-11: W vs. [*] Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-10-1) via KO (Punch) in 3:37 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Josh Barnett (2-1-0)
2013-12-28: L vs. [#7HW+] Travis Browne (17-3-1) via KO (Elbows) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-31: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via TKO (Knee) in 1:56 of round 1
2013-01-12: W vs. [*] Nandor Guelmino (11-5-1) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:11 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Roy Nelson 196, Josh Barnett 637
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Josh Barnett leads 4-2
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Middleweight (185)
[#5] Gegard Mousasi (37-5-2) vs. [#32] Uriah Hall (11-5-0)
Gegard Mousasi is the All-Time #16 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Gegard Mousasi (2-1-0)
2015-05-16: W vs. [*] Costas Philippou (13-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2015-01-24: W vs. [#9MW] Dan Henderson (31-13-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:10 of round 1
2014-09-05: L vs. [#4MW] Ronaldo Souza (22-3-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:30 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Uriah Hall (2-1-0)
2015-08-08: W vs. [#281MW] Oluwale Bamgbose (5-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:32 of round 1
2015-05-23: L vs. [#23MW] Rafael Natal (20-6-1) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2015-01-18: W vs. [#152MW] Ron Stallings (13-7-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 3:37 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Gegard Mousasi 133, Uriah Hall 49
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Gegard Mousasi leads 1-0
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Flyweight (125)
[#8] Kyoji Horiguchi (15-2-0) vs. [#17] Chico Camus (15-6-0)
Last 3 Fights: Kyoji Horiguchi (2-1-0)
2015-04-25: L vs. [#1FLY/#3DD/#3P4P] Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:59 of round 5
2015-01-03: W vs. [#47FLY] Louis Gaudinot (7-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2014-09-20: W vs. [#131FLY] Jon delos Reyes (8-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:48 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Chico Camus (1-2-0)
2015-06-13: L vs. [#5FLY] Henry Cejudo (9-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2014-11-22: W vs. [#58BW] Brad Pickett (24-11-0) via SD (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
2014-05-24: L vs. [*] Chris Holdsworth (6-0-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Kyoji Horiguchi 154, Chico Camus 105
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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Keep Reading
Fight Matrix Program: Bellator 142 (09-19-2015)
Light Heavyweight (205)
[#10] Liam McGeary (10-0-0) vs. [#12] Tito Ortiz (19-11-1)
Tito Ortiz is the All-Time #8 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Liam McGeary (3-0-0)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#14LHW] Emanuel Newton (25-8-1) via UD (48-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-09-12: W vs. [#45LHW] Kelly Anundson (9-3-0) via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) in 4:47 of round 1
2014-07-25: W vs. [#95LHW] Egidijus Valavicius (28-11-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 2:10 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Tito Ortiz (2-1-0)
2014-11-15: W vs. [#66LHW] Stephan Bonnar (15-9-0) via SD (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
2014-05-17: W vs. [#27MW] Alexander Shlemenko (51-9-0) via Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:27 of round 1
2012-07-07: L vs. [*] Forrest Griffin (19-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Liam McGeary 204, Tito Ortiz 308
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)
[#15] Josh Thomson (20-8-0) vs. [#105] Mike Bronzoulis (18-8-1)
Last 3 Fights: Josh Thomson (0-3-0)
2015-07-15: L vs. [#5LW] Tony Ferguson (19-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
2014-07-26: L vs. [#18LW] Bobby Green (23-6-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-01-25: L vs. [#13WW] Ben Henderson (22-5-0) via SD (49-46, 47-48, 48-47)
Last 3 Fights: Mike Bronzoulis (3-0-0)
2015-05-08: W vs. [#157LW] Dave Burrow (13-6-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#302LW] Jonathan Harris (10-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:43 of round 1
2014-11-14: W vs. [#750LW] Justin Reiswerg (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 4:51 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Josh Thomson 66, Mike Bronzoulis 134
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)
[#5] Phil Davis (13-3-0) vs. [#14] Emanuel Newton (25-8-1)
Phil Davis is the All-Time #17 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Phil Davis (1-2-0)
2015-01-24: L vs. [#4LHW] Ryan Bader (19-4-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2014-10-25: W vs. [#6LHW] Glover Teixeira (23-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-04-26: L vs. [#3LHW] Anthony Johnson (20-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Emanuel Newton (2-1-0)
2015-02-27: L vs. [#10LHW] Liam McGeary (10-0-0) via UD (48-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-10-24: W vs. [#24LHW] Linton Vassell (15-4-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 0:47 of round 5
2014-09-12: W vs. [#37MW] Joey Beltran (16-11-0) via KO (Spinning Back Fist) in 3:07 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Phil Davis 238, Emanuel Newton 204
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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Keep Reading
The Most Overrated MMA Fighter of All-Time
#26 – #16: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#15 – #11: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#10 – #6: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
#5 – #4: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4
#3 – #2: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 5
If you missed the previous parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#1
#1 – Kazushi Sakuraba (Rep Avg: #96.7 | Fight Matrix: #269)
But.. he beat Rampage Jackson! Yes, at a point when he was supposed to. But he beat Vitor Belfort.. true, although he was only 6-1. But he beat Ken Shamrock.. when he was over the hill. He beat lots of Gracies — most of which, get him props for the name and not necessarily the MMA value. I could go on forever. How many times did he not have the home advantage? Yes, Sakuraba was often out-sized and yes, his record is full of name power… most of whom are in the win column against him. In hindsight, the first half of his career (other than the ass kickings) was probably one of the best managed portions of a fighter career in history.
The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 5
#26 – #16: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#15 – #11: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#10 – #6: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
#5 – #4: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4
If you missed the previous parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#3 – #2
#3 – Renato Sobral (Rep Avg: #83.3 | Fight Matrix: #139)
As we hit Babalu, I am surprised the gap is quite as wide as it is. He does have some solid wins, but in the end, no major titles is an unfortunate stain on a very solid career.
EDIT: Sobral got inserted too high into the list. He should actually be in the bottom of the Top 10.
The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 4
#26 – #16: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#15 – #11: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#10 – #6: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
If you missed the previous parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#5 – #4
#5 – Dan Severn (Rep Avg: #63.3 | Fight Matrix: #120)
Nostalgia is respectable, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to super stardom. While 101 wins is nothing to downplay, the last 90 wins or so were of far lesser quality than the first 10. In some ways it is like Severn gave up the high profile fights and was then OK with mediocrity.
The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 3
#26 – #16: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 1
#15 – #11: The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
If you missed the previous parts, you can visit w/ the links above.
#10 – #6
#10 – Mark Kerr (Rep Avg: #103.7 | Fight Matrix: #169)
Kerr, undoubtedly a credible heavyweight for a short period, simply doesn’t have the substance to justify a ranking at the threshold of the Top 100.
Fight Matrix Program: Invicta FC 14 (09-12-2015)
Women Bantamweight (135)
[#7] Tonya Evinger (16-5-0) vs. [#15] Pannie Kianzad (8-0-0)
Last 3 Fights: Tonya Evinger (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#25BW] Irene Aldana (5-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:38 of round 4
2014-12-05: W vs. [#64BW] Cindy Dandois (5-2-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:23 of round 2
2014-09-06: W vs. [#50BW] Ediane Gomes (10-4-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:31 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Pannie Kianzad (3-0-0)
2015-07-09: W vs. [#37BW] Jessica-Rose Clark (5-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-11-15: W vs. [#95FLY] Eeva Siiskonen (3-3-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
2014-08-22: W vs. [NA] Megan van Houtum (1-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Tonya Evinger 65, Pannie Kianzad 65
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 Strawweight (115)
[#6] DeAnna Bennett (7-0-0) vs. [#18] Katja Kankaanpaa (10-2-1)
Last 3 Fights: DeAnna Bennett (3-0-0)
2015-02-27: W vs. [#65SW] Norma Rueda Center (3-2-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-12-05: W vs. [#3FLY] Jennifer Maia (10-4-1) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-09-06: W vs. [#53BW] Michelle Ould (7-4-0) via TKO (Kick to the Body and Punches) in 1:34 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Katja Kankaanpaa (2-1-0)
2015-04-24: L vs. [#4SW] Livia Renata Souza (8-0-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 3:58 of round 4
2014-09-06: W vs. [#53SW] Stephanie Eggink (4-2-0) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 2:03 of round 5
2014-05-17: W vs. [#17AW] Alyona Rassohyna (10-4-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 0:49 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: DeAnna Bennett 197, Katja Kankaanpaa 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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Women Flyweight (125)
[#35BW] Mariana Morais (9-2-0) vs. [#9] Roxanne Modafferi (17-12-0)
Roxanne Modafferi is the All-Time #13 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Mariana Morais (3-0-0)
2014-12-20: W vs. [#101FLY] Marta Souza (2-7-1) via Submission (Armbar) in 2:04 of round 2
2014-12-03: W vs. [NA] Cristina Mejia (1-4-0) via UD ()
2014-11-15: W vs. [#61BW] Stephanie Bragayrac (5-3-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in ? of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Roxanne Modafferi (2-1-0)
2015-04-24: L vs. [#2FLY] Vanessa Porto (18-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-12-05: W vs. [#51FLY] Andrea Lee (2-1-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
2014-09-06: W vs. [#14FLY] Tara LaRosa (22-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Mariana Morais 266, Roxanne Modafferi 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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Keep Reading
The Most Overrated MMA Fighters of All-Time: Part 2
#26 – #16: The Most Overrated 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.
#15 – #11
#15 – Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Rep Avg: #80.0 | Fight Matrix: #117)
Not a huge leap from #117 to #80. To be at the 14 spot in this list and to only see this kind of gap, either speaks volumes about how representative our all-time rankings are, or vice versa. The area around #100 is REALLY crowded with “almost greats”.
The Most Overrated 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 a previous post, I took a look at the most underrated fighters of all-time. At the time, I said I wouldn’t look at the most underrated — but what the hell? This list required some additional thought and rules to make sure fighters listed are notable, but here it is…
Not surprisingly, it is still tough to find (seemingly) reputable lists:
Crowd-sourcing Representative: Tapology Top 150 (2015-09-09)
“Peak” Mathematical Representative: MMA-ELO Top 100 (2015-09-09)
“Cumulative” Mathematical Representative: Sports-Ratings Top 250 (2015-01-03)
I would have loved to have added an “Expert” representative, but I could not find one readily available.
When compared to the last series, all of the lists above have since been updated — although the “Sports Ratings” list is still out of date. Furthermore, I went deeper on the Top X for two of the three sites and the All-Time Rankings here has seen (at least) two relatively major updates in order to increase the precision of some calculations.
Methodology & Notes
- I am taking the average of a fighter’s ranks in the above three lists. If a fighter is not in one of the lists, that rank is the list maximum + 1.
- I am then subtracting the above average from the Fight Matrix ranking as of the last run. A negative result = overrated.
- Finally, I am valuing “higher” ranks more than “lower” ranks. Example: A fighter with a representative average of #15 that we rank at #40, is a slightly more overrated fighter than one with a representative average of #90 that we rank at #230. The break-even point is close to this though.
- I removed women from the lists — men and women don’t belong in the same list.
- Sports-Ratings has a fighter named Jesper Hallberg at #217. Sherdog has him as having zero professional fights, so he is removed from contention.
- Fighters must be in the Top 250 at Fight Matrix and be in at least two representative lists to be considered.
Value Formula (How they are ranked): (502 / SumOf3RepRanks) * DiffOf3RepRanksAvgFromFM
502 = Max Sum of 3 Rep Positions seen in all fighters considered
An honorable mention…. well two.
Due to the minimum qualifications of the list, Rickson Gracie was left off. I felt it necessary to list him, as he easily would’ve made the top spot. Ironically, #2 would’ve been Renzo Gracie. Says a lot for name power, doesn’t it?
#26 – #15
#26 – Norifumi Yamamoto (Rep Avg: #118.7 | Fight Matrix: #152)
I had every intention of starting out the list with #25, but with Yamamoto at #26, I had to include him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard gripes about him not being listed in one of our All-Time Top 25s. The answer is simple; the guy never accumulated much worth at a single division. Instead he bounced between 3 of them and didn’t do enough in any one.
John Dodson Vs. Demetrius Johnson
John Dodson is a happy, fun character, and I actually think this is exactly the attitude needed to beat Demetrius Johnson. Demetrius Johnson is a fighter who moves a lot, keeps an incredible pace and relies on volume and variety of attacks for controlling his opponents and making them vulnerable. He is very quick and elusive and that’s why it’s very hard to land a knock-out strike on him. The way to beat him, in my opinion, is to control the cage, limit his movements and take him down and control him on the ground if possible. John Dodson was presented to us again and again as the only guy who can match Johnson’s speed. This, together with his fun, animated attitude made me believe that this is exactly the approach he would take for this fight. In the first fight he knocked Johnson down three times, but wasn’t able to finish him or even really hurt him, so I thought it’s obvious he wouldn’t focus on trying to do this, and instead try use his natural speed and movement to control the cage and shut down Johnson’s movement.
So when I saw him walk to the cage with a serious “determined” look, it immediately seemed to me like the wrong kind of attitude he should be coming into this fight with. This kind of attitude is suited to a guy who is looking to go after their opponent, hunt them down, and hurt them. Not to a guy who should be moving all over the place, attacking from all directions but avoiding throwing too much into every shot in order to save energy to last the entire fight.
MMA Rankings Updated (09-06-2015)
Notable Info
- Current Rankings updated as usual — note: I “retired” the wrong Nogueira, oops!
- All-Time Rankings updated with UFC 191 results and with an improvement to a calculation (increased precision) that shows the effects of head-to-head results of neighboring fighters (by ranking).