WSoF 9 – Rousimar Palhares Vs. Steve Carl
Watching the fight I was surprised by Carl’s strategy: not only did he let Palhares get the takedown relatively easily, after that he had full guard and yet decided to go for a Triangle choke against one of the best BJJ artists in the game. It’s not like he got lucky and Palhares fell into a Triangle position and Carl tried to capitalize on it. He tried to manufacture it out of thin air.
I have to admire him for his courage and risk taking, but this was very foolish against a guy like Palhares.
Palhares, of course, quickly turned the situation into another spectacular heel hook, showing once again his amazing submission skills.
Palhares again seemed to hold a little too long, though nothing that would jeopardize his future in WSOF. But the fact that even after he was released from the UFC for this behavior he still seems not to be able to entirely not do it, shows, in my opinion, that’s it’s a bit out of his control. He is so focused on the moment that he is just oblivious to what happens around him. When most submission artists feel their opponents’ tap they continue to hold the position but release the pressure, waiting for the call by the referee, thus allowing themselves to continue to squeeze in case the referee doesn’t stop the fight, and the opponent tries to continue to fight, which is not such a big risk since the cameras usually catch the tap (Anderson Silva Vs. Chael Sonnen 1).
But not Palhares. Not only does he continue to squeeze after the tap, it even takes him some time to notice the referee is pulling his hand away. It’s not done maliciously, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
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: [#33 W105] Saki Kitamura Last 5: W W W L W | Last Fight Date: 3/07/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#15 W105] Namiko Kawabata Last 5: W W W L W | ||
| Saturday, July 18th 2026: RIZIN LANDMARK 15 in HIROSHIMA | |||
| [#5 W105] Saori Oshima | [#12 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: [#31 W105] Eru Takebayashi Last 5: W L W L W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [NR] |  Tito Ortiz | [NR] |  Conor McGregor | |
| [#5 LW] | Max Holloway | [#1 WW] |  Islam Makhachev | |
| [#20 BW] |  Farid Basharat | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | |
| [#12 LW] | Paddy Pimblett | [#100 WW] |  Jordan Zebo | |
| [#2 MW] |  Khamzat Chimaev | [#4 LW] |  Arman Tsarukyan |
Nick Newell’s title opportunity
Nick Newell, the one-armed man, was just named the next fighter to fight for the WSOF lightweight title. So I checked the Lightweight Rankings filtered to WSOF and found, not surprisingly, that Newell is ranked #12 in WSOF, which means there are quite a few fighters more deserving of a title shot than him.
It’s an obvious publicity trick by WSOF, trying to get attention through Newell’s uniqueness, and not his fighting record. I’m just disappointed with the MMA media which didn’t see fit to call this, and for the most part just reported the news as if it was just another MMA title fight.
Current MMA Rankings Updated (03-27-2014)
Notable Info (Intermediate Release)
- Fixed bug which affected some newly ranked women to be incorrectly interpreted as men for rating calculation purposes. Due to division differences, this caused some newly ranked women to be rated higher than they should’ve been for their debut ranking. This always resolved itself on the second run, but now it is no longer an issue.
- Very minor tweak with regards to handling of super-elite fighters with a habit of fighting sporadically while keeping a strong opposition profile.
UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson (03-23-2014)
Light Heavyweight (205)
[#9] Dan Henderson (29-11-0, +186) vs. [#10] Mauricio Rua (22-8-0, -221)
Dan Henderson is the All-Time #8 ranked Light Heavyweight and #9 ranked Absolute fighter.
Mauricio Rua is the All-Time #6 ranked Light Heavyweight and #23 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Dan Henderson (0-3-0)
2013-11-09: L vs. [#3MW/#9DD] Vitor Belfort (24-10-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 1:17 of round 1
2013-06-15: L vs. [#2LHW] Rashad Evans (21-3-1) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-02-23: L vs. [#2MW/#8DD/#8P4P] Lyoto Machida (21-4-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Mauricio Rua (1-2-0)
2013-12-07: W vs. [#21LHW] James Te Huna (16-7-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:03 of round 1
2013-08-17: L vs. [#8LHW] Chael Sonnen (28-14-1) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:47 of round 1
2012-12-08: L vs. [#4LHW] Alexander Gustafsson (16-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dan Henderson 134, Mauricio Rua 106
Previous Match-up Record: Dan Henderson leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Mauricio Rua leads 8-6
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Middleweight (185)
[#49] C.B. Dollaway (13-5-0) vs. [#62] Cezar Ferreira (7-2-0)
Last 3 Fights: C.B. Dollaway (2-1-0)
2013-10-19: L vs. [#15MW] Tim Boetsch (17-6-0) via SD (30-26, 27-29, 30-26)
2013-01-19: W vs. [#90MW] Daniel Sarafian (8-4-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2012-05-26: W vs. [*] Jason Miller (23-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-26)
Last 3 Fights: Cezar Ferreira (3-0-0)
2013-11-09: W vs. [#90MW] Daniel Sarafian (8-4-0) via SD (28-29, 30-28, 30-27)
2013-08-03: W vs. [#235MW] Thiago Santos (8-2-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:47 of round 1
2012-06-23: W vs. [#81WW] Sergio Moraes (8-2-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: C.B. Dollaway 155, Cezar Ferreira 134
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)
[#80WW] Leonardo Santos (12-3-0) vs. [#72] Norman Parke (19-2-0)
Last 3 Fights: Leonardo Santos (3-0-0)
2013-06-08: W vs. [#111WW] William Macario (7-1-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 4:43 of round 2
2012-09-01: W vs. [#221LW] Mark Holst (12-5-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 1:15 of round 1
2012-03-10: W vs. [#1165FW] Gilmar Silva Milhorance (2-10-0) via Technical Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 1:47 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Norman Parke (3-0-0)
2013-10-26: W vs. [#289LW] Jon Tuck (7-1-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2013-07-06: W vs. [#147LW] Kazuki Tokudome (12-5-1) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2012-12-15: W vs. [#187LW] Colin Fletcher (9-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Leonardo Santos 288, Norman Parke 148
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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Current MMA Rankings Updated (03-16-2014)
Notable Info
- [#31] Konstantin Gluhov, one of the most inconsistent fringe contenders you’ve never heard of, pops back into the Top 50 at Heavyweight for what seems to be the billionth time, with a win over respectable journeyman [#55] Kenny Garner.
- Speaking of Heavyweight journeymen, [#64] James Thompson returned with a win over now barely ranked, [#232] Colin Robinson. Amazingly, Thompson is 4-0 with a no contest, in his last 5. Though 3 of those wins are against former pro wrestlers and musclebound freak-shows. I don’t know enough about Robinson to categorize him as such.
- A three-headed dragon has emerged at Welterweight for the top contender spot, between [#2] Rory MacDonald, [#3] Hector Lombard, and [#4] Tyron Woodley. My gut tells me we’ll see MacDonald get the shot at one of the Canadian shows in September or October. Lombard/Woodley makes a good “next contender” match, but leaves [#5] Robbie Lawler as the odd man out.
- Page 3 of the Featherweight rankings yield a “WTF” moment, as one will notice we got a late result for [#147] Alexandre Franca Nogueira who jumped 74 spots. Yes, the same Nogueira that was basically the top Featherweight between 2000 and 2005.
- It appears the wheels have finally come off of the leftovers from the golden era of the Shooto 56kg division, as [#62] Yasuhiro Urushitani and [#65] Shinchi Kojima both were beaten in their respective bouts this past weekend. Ratings-wise they were both in nearly 50/50 fights and in all fairness, Kojima’s opponent badly missed weight, but they join [#68] Mamoru Yamaguchi in the same segment of the Flyweight rankings.
Hendricks has a long way to catch GSP: All-Time Ranking History
A follow-up to a previous post on the Welterweight All-Time Picture.
Zoom in on the Fitch ceiling and below.
First, some general info:
- Everyone’s overall trend is upward in the chart due to increased quality of data, amongst other things. Essentially, the “value” of a point decreased.
- Some of the “noise” caused by test runs were cleaned up from the previous post.
- Current Welterweight All-Time rank is listed next to the fighter names.
- All fighters listed have been in the Top 10 at Welterweight since we started storing the career rankings.
- Only Top 10 point totals are displayed for the listed fighters.
- Fighters with dotted data lines are no longer in the Top 10.
- I’ve often commented to readers that effects on the list are not entirely immediate. There is usually some immediate effect to results, but as you can see in the graph, the term “rolling average” is probably a much more accurate way to explain the movement. The methodology was created in such a way for many reasons.
- Kiuma Kunioku saw his all-time point eligibility change from Welterweight to Middleweight for his early Pancrase accomplishments. This was due to some minor division re-adjustment and how we considered those pioneer day results. The other “dotted line” fighters were simply surpassed.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC 171 (03-15-2014)
Welterweight Championship (170)
[#1] Johny Hendricks (15-2-0, -401) vs. [#4] Robbie Lawler (22-9-0, +312)
Johny Hendricks is the All-Time #6 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Robbie Lawler is the All-Time #20 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Johny Hendricks (2-1-0)
2013-11-16: L vs. [*] Georges St. Pierre (25-2-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
2013-03-16: W vs. [#3WW] Carlos Condit (29-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2012-11-17: W vs. [#14WW] Martin Kampmann (20-7-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:46 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Robbie Lawler (3-0-0)
2013-11-16: W vs. [#2WW] Rory MacDonald (16-2-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2013-07-27: W vs. [#191WW] Bobby Voelker (24-11-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punch) in 0:24 of round 2
2013-02-23: W vs. [#29WW] Josh Koscheck (17-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:57 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Johny Hendricks 119, Robbie Lawler 119
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)
[#3] Carlos Condit (29-7-0, -176) vs. [#12] Tyron Woodley (12-2-0, +148)
Carlos Condit is the All-Time #5 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Carlos Condit (1-2-0)
2013-08-28: W vs. [#14WW] Martin Kampmann (20-7-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 0:54 of round 4
2013-03-16: L vs. [#1WW] Johny Hendricks (15-2-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2012-11-17: L vs. [*] Georges St. Pierre (25-2-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
Last 3 Fights: Tyron Woodley (2-1-0)
2013-11-16: W vs. [#29WW] Josh Koscheck (17-8-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:38 of round 1
2013-06-15: L vs. [#5WW] Jake Shields (29-6-1) via SD (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
2013-02-02: W vs. [*] Jay Hieron (23-7-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:36 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Carlos Condit 199, Tyron Woodley 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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Welterweight (170)
[#5] Jake Shields (29-6-1, +158) vs. [#8] Hector Lombard (33-4-1, -192)
Jake Shields is the All-Time #4 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Jake Shields (2-0-0, 1 NC)
2013-10-09: W vs. [#11WW] Demian Maia (18-6-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 47-48)
2013-06-15: W vs. [#12WW] Tyron Woodley (12-2-0) via SD (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
2012-08-11: NC vs. [#43MW] Ed Herman (21-10-0)
Last 3 Fights: Hector Lombard (2-1-0)
2013-10-19: W vs. [#24WW] Nate Marquardt (32-13-2) via KO (Punches) in 1:48 of round 1
2013-03-03: L vs. [#10MW] Yushin Okami (29-8-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2012-12-15: W vs. [#15WW] Rousimar Palhares (15-5-0) via KO (Punches) in 3:38 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jake Shields 157, Hector Lombard 147
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Jake Shields leads 1-0
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Melvin Guillard – Consistently or Inconsistently Good?
With another loss, I couldn’t help but think that Melvin Guillard is one of the most inconsistent long-time fringe contenders that I can recall. Does this mean he’s inconsistently good or consistently good? After all, he keeps on keeping on, continually reaching a status of top-level journeyman after losing.
Using the Generated Historical Rankings as analytical fuel, it turns out that Melvin Guillard is 1 of only 10 fighters to have at least 25 quarterly rankings in the Lightweight division, with none of them in the Top 5 or below the Top 150 and an average ranking equal or better than #50.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night (03-08-2014)
Light Heavyweight (205)
[#4] Alexander Gustafsson (15-2-0, -412) vs. [#16] Jimi Manuwa (14-0-0, +323)
Alexander Gustafsson is the All-Time #19 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Alexander Gustafsson (2-1-0)
2013-09-21: L vs. [#1LHW/#4DD/#1P4P] Jon Jones (19-1-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
2012-12-08: W vs. [#10LHW] Mauricio Rua (22-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
2012-04-14: W vs. [#15LHW] Thiago Silva (16-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Jimi Manuwa (3-0-0)
2013-10-26: W vs. [#24LHW] Ryan Jimmo (18-3-0) via TKO (Leg Injury) in 4:41 of round 2
2013-02-16: W vs. [#45LHW] Cyrille Diabate (19-9-1) via TKO (Retirement) in 5:00 of round 1
2012-09-29: W vs. [*] Kyle Kingsbury (11-5-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alexander Gustafsson 168, Jimi Manuwa 133
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)
[#15] Michael Johnson (14-8-0) vs. [#22] Melvin Guillard (31-12-2)
Last 3 Fights: Michael Johnson (2-1-0)
2013-12-28: W vs. [#36LW] Gleison Tibau (28-10-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:32 of round 2
2013-08-17: W vs. [#26LW] Joe Lauzon (23-9-0) via UD (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-04-06: L vs. [#40LW] Reza Madadi (13-3-0) via Submission (Brabo Choke) in 1:33 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Melvin Guillard (1-1-0, 1 NC)
2013-10-26: NC vs. [#31LW] Ross Pearson (15-6-0)
2013-07-27: W vs. [#95LW] Mac Danzig (21-12-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 2
2012-12-29: L vs. [#57LW] Jamie Varner (21-9-1) via SD (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Michael Johnson 70, Melvin Guillard 133
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Michael Johnson leads 3-2
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Flyweight (125)
[#28BW] Brad Pickett (23-8-0) vs. [#29] Neil Seery (13-9-0)
Last 3 Fights: Brad Pickett (1-2-0)
2013-08-17: L vs. [#12BW] Michael McDonald (16-3-0) via Submission (Triangle Choke) in 3:43 of round 2
2013-04-06: W vs. [#45BW] Mike Easton (13-4-0) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
2012-12-29: L vs. [#6BW] Eddie Wineland (21-9-1) via SD (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Neil Seery (3-0-0)
2013-06-01: W vs. [#111FLY] Mikael Silander (9-3-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:57 of round 3
2013-04-13: W vs. [#72FLY] Paul Marin (7-3-0) via KO (Kick to the Body) in 1:22 of round 1
2012-10-27: W vs. [*] Karl Harrison (4-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Brad Pickett 203, Neil Seery 280
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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The First “Great” Polish Heavyweight?
On March 14, [#14] Damian Grabowski (19-1-0) will take on [#25] Marcin Tybura (9-0-0) in a battle of the top two Polish Heavyweights in professional MMA.
The winner of this match will end up fairly close to the World Top 10 and will be well on their way to becoming the best Heavyweight in history from Poland. As strange as it seems, the winner probably becomes the best Heavyweight ever from Eastern Europe (sans Russia) behind Filipovic, Arlovski and Vovchanchyn. Grabowski currently holds the lead over Tybura with a longer ledger, though he did start one division below — which means if he does make the big time, perhaps he will go back to 205.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night 37 (03-01-2014)
Welterweight (170)
[#11] Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1, 171.0lb, -367) vs. [*] John Hathaway (17-1-0, 171.0lb, +291)
Last 3 Fights: Dong Hyun Kim (3-0-0)
2013-10-09: W vs. [#27WW] Erick Silva (16-4-0) via KO (Punch) in 3:01 of round 2
2013-03-03: W vs. [#42WW] Siyar Bahadurzada (21-6-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2012-11-10: W vs. [#72WW] Paulo Thiago (15-6-0) via UD (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: John Hathaway (3-0-0)
2012-09-29: W vs. [#115WW] John Maguire (19-6-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2012-05-05: W vs. [#236WW] Pascal Krauss (11-2-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2011-03-26: W vs. [#119MW] Kris McCray (8-5-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dong Hyun Kim 143, John Hathaway 518
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 (170)
[#373MW] Wang Sai (6-4-1, 170.0lb, -280) vs. [#955] Lipeng Zhang (6-7-1, 170.0lb, +229)
Last 3 Fights: Wang Sai (2-1-0)
2012-11-17: W vs. [#841LW] Glen Ranillo (3-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:00 of round 1
2012-09-15: L vs. [#233WW] Brett Oteri (12-5-0) via DQ (Knee to Grounded Opponent) in 4:48 of round 2
2012-02-11: W vs. [#479MW] Gareth Ealey (7-4-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Lipeng Zhang (1-2-0)
2013-05-11: L vs. [#634LW] Chris Garcia (5-1-0) via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 0:34 of round 1
2012-12-01: L vs. [#395MW] Marcos Souza (3-0-0) via UD ()
2012-12-01: W vs. [NA] Jae Sung Oh (0-1-0) via in 0:00 of round 0
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Wang Sai 469, Lipeng Zhang 294
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)
[#27] Shawn Jordan (15-5-0, 261.0lb, -121) vs. [#39] Matt Mitrione (6-3-0, 260.0lb, -102)
Last 3 Fights: Shawn Jordan (2-1-0)
2013-10-19: L vs. [#17HW+] Gabriel Gonzaga (16-8-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:33 of round 1
2013-06-15: W vs. [*] Pat Barry (8-7-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:59 of round 1
2013-01-26: W vs. [#54HW+] Mike Russow (15-3-0) via TKO (Punches and Elbows) in 3:48 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Matt Mitrione (1-2-0)
2013-09-21: L vs. [#15HW+] Brendan Schaub (10-3-0) via Technical Submission (Brabo Choke) in 4:06 of round 1
2013-04-06: W vs. [#42HW+] Philip De Fries (10-3-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:19 of round 1
2012-12-15: L vs. [#12HW+] Roy Nelson (19-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:58 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Shawn Jordan 133, Matt Mitrione 161
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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