Notable Info

• A large amount of divisional data was entered in an effort to make full usage of the new division-adjusted point methodology.  As expected, and mentioned before, there are many fluctuations below the Top 25 in most divisions.

Notable Info

• This release marks a BIG change in the way we do things here at FightMatrix.  Starting with this release, points are now division-adjusted.  This does NOT mean that we only consider achievements in the division that fighters are currently ranked.  It means that we adjust the points when a fighter moves divisions (males only).  When a fighter moves up in weight, the points are reduced.  When a fighter moves down in weight, the points are increased.  The exact amount depends on the divisions moved and the direction.   This is based on objective analysis, and subjective views on the fact that more often than not, a fighter faces stiffer tests upon moving up divisions.  The only way to make this work, is to do the inverse when a fighter moves down in weight, which is likely going to be more controversial from a subjective standpoint since most ranking sites tend to penalize these fighters.  However, a fighter usually has an easier time moving down in weight, unless it is fueled by late career desperation.
• Finalization of the modifications made in the previous release.
• The usual bout additions and updates.

The recent changes will cause more weekly fluctuations as the rating system is now more dependent than ever on secondary data.  More specifically, on divisional info, and 5-round scorecards.  In the future, we will likely consider 3-round scorecards at a much lesser influence than we do with 5-rounders.  If anyone is willing to help us with populating this information, please volunteer in the forum.

Notable Info

• As usual, this week’s update includes shows from the past week and it was a big week with shows from Pancrase, UFC, DREAM, Shooto, and others.
• The database has been refreshed, and nearly 500 old bouts have been either updated or added, including one that was updated for an unbelievable reason -> See next bullet point.
• On May 9, 2009, Brian Ebersole lost a split decision to Jai Bradney in Australia.  After the match, Ebersole appealed the decision, an act that is performed often in MMA as well as boxing, and hardly ever sees a resulting action aside from an occasional rematch order.  Well this time, they actually had the judges review a tape, and upon re-scoring it, awarded Ebersole a unanimous decision.  Unbelievable!  Source w/ Ebersole comments.
• Some engine tweaks have been made.  Most specifically, the weighting of a majority decision has been very slightly increased, and weighting of a disqualification, moderately decreased.  These changes were made based on objective analysis of past results.
• Furthermore, the rating system now consumes the scorecards in five-round match-ups to determine a more accurate placement for the participating fighters.   The 10-point must system is too rigid to allow as useful analysis in three-rounders, but it may be added later to a lesser degree.

Light Heavyweight Championship
[#1] Lyoto Machida vs. [#7] Mauricio Rua

Heavyweight
[#12] Cain Velasquez vs. [#29] Ben Rothwell

Lightweight
[#42] Gleison Tibau vs. [#49] Josh Neer

Lightweight
[#15] Spencer Fisher vs. [#19] Joe Stevenson

Welterweight
[#28] Anthony Johnson vs. [#31] Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Light Heavyweight
[#26] Eric Schafer vs. [#72] Ryan Bader

Heavyweight
[#39] Antoni Hardonk vs. [#127] Pat Barry

Middleweight
[#6] Chael Sonnen vs. [#8] Yushin Okami

Middleweight
[#78] Jorge Rivera vs. [#93] Rob Kimmons

Light Heavyweight
[#169] Razak Al-Hassan vs. [#350] Kyle Kingsbury

Heavyweight
[#52] Stefan Struve vs. [*] Chase Gormley

Ranking Notes: Dark green font represents an approximate ranking. An asterisk represents a fighter who is ranked, but too low for an approximation. These two scenarios will clear up slightly as we move forward. “NR” means the fighter is not ranked, due to inactivity, or due to a rating that is at or below the default starter rating.

These all-time calculation methods are still in the beta stages, but close to final.  There are some important things to mention as there are some major differences between these rankings and the FightMatrix ratings.

• Rankings ARE division specific. Fighters CAN appear in more than one list, but will only be given credit during times in which they produced quality performances in these divisions. Due to this, divisional info is seriously depended upon.
• Years of 1990 and later are considered.
• Monthly ranking snapshots are taken, with some minor modifications that are focused on determining the truly great fighters (harsher penalties for inactivity and for lack of quality performances)
• Fighters are given points based on their standing in the Top 25, with the most points going toward a #1 spot, a little less to #2, right on down the line. Having longevity at the top of the division is key and those who only spend a limited time in a division will suffer. Divisional depth at the time is also given consideration.

Rank	Fighter	Total Record	All-Time Division Points
1	Wanderlei Silva Last Fight: 6/13/2009	32-10-1	1026
2	Chuck Liddell Last Fight: 4/18/2009	21-7-0	985
3	Tito Ortiz Last Fight: 5/24/2008	16-6-1	780
4	Quinton Jackson Last Fight: 3/7/2009	30-7-0	686
5	Mauricio Rua Last Fight: 4/18/2009	18-3-0	494
6	Dan Henderson Last Fight: 7/11/2009	25-7-0	464
7	Ricardo Arona Last Fight: 9/12/2009	14-5-0	358
8	Lyoto Machida Last Fight: 5/23/2009	15-0-0	341
9	Randy Couture Last Fight: 8/29/2009	16-10-0	254
10	Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Last Fight: 6/6/2009	17-3-0	251

1. Wanderlei Silva (1,026 All-Time Light Heavyweight Points)

The “Axe Murderer” just eeks out the #1 position on the Light Heavyweight list.  His accomplishments are many: IVC Light Heavyweight Champion, First PRIDE Middleweight (205lb) Champion, Winner of the PRIDE 2003 Middleweight GP, PRIDE 2005 Middleweight GP Semi-Finalist, and a plethora of quality wins in the division.

2. Chuck Liddell (985)

By far, the greatest UFC Light Heavyweight in history.  The knockout artist holds wins over Tito Ortiz (2x), Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn, Alistair Overeem, Renato Sobral, Wanderlei Silva, and Kevin Randleman.  He also defended the UFC championship multiple times.  Although it looks like his best days are long gone, a late career surge coupled with Silva’s move to Middleweight leaves the door open for Chuck to challenge for the #1 position.

3. Tito Ortiz (780)

Before Chuck reigned over the UFC Light Heavyweights, Tito Ortiz was the king of the hill.  Even after he lost his strap, Ortiz claimed quality victories over Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin, as well as a controversial draw when he was shorted out of a win against Rashad Evans.

4. Quinton Jackson (686)

Currently, in what appears to be his fighting prime, and with the #3 position staring him in the face, Rampage appears to have lost the will to carry on in MMA.  While Wanderlei and Chuck ruled over the landscape, Rampage was usually hanging tough somewhere between #3 and #10 in the division.  Upon coming to the UFC, he took his game to another level and became one of the elites.

5. Mauricio Rua (494)

Some would argue that no Light Heavyweight was more dominant than Rua in and around 2005.  He had a superb run of four fights where he took dominant wins over Rampage Jackson, Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona.  Three of whom are currently on this list.  After losing to Mark Coleman at Heavyweight, he has gone 5-1 in the division still racking up quality wins.

6. Dan Henderson (464)

Henderson is one of only two fighters to make the top ten on more than one all-time division ranking list.  Although he’s spent some time at Middleweight, Henderson has gone 12-4 at Light Heavyweight, and very rarely did he fight someone outside of the top ten.

7. Ricardo Arona (358)

An elite fighter in the division throughout almost all of his career, Arona has had some issues with inactivity.  Nevertheless, he holds divisional wins over Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Guy Mezger, and Alistair Overeem.

8. Lyoto Machida (341)

With a win over Shogun, Machida will have the UFC Light Heavyweight division on lockdown for the first time since Liddell’s reign.  Undefeated for his entire career, Machida hasn’t lost a round since coming to the UFC.

9. Randy Couture (254)

With his name value being what it is, it stands to reason that he should be ranked a spot or two higher on this list.  However, Randy’s stretch at Light Heavyweight only yielded him a subpar record of 4-3.  With his imminent return to the division, a second spree of quality efforts would definitely assist in some of the metrics used to compile the rankings.

10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (251)

He wasn’t often found in the top five of the division, but Rogerio has been a top 15 (or so) stalwart for about the last six years.  His career has had quite a few quality performances, but nothing truly outstanding.  If he continues to lack in that department, he is likely to drop out of the list within months.

We’re on version 19 of these calculations.  CONSTRUCTIVE  criticism is welcomed!

These all-time calculation methods are still in the beta stages, but close to final.  There are some important things to mention as there are some major differences between these rankings and the FightMatrix ratings.

• Rankings ARE division specific. Fighters CAN appear in more than one list, but will only be given credit during times in which they produced quality performances in these divisions. Due to this, divisional info is seriously depended upon.
• Years of 1990 and later are considered.
• Monthly ranking snapshots are taken, with some minor modifications that are focused on determining the truly great fighters (harsher penalties for inactivity, lack of quality performances)
• Fighters are given points based on their standing in the Top 25, with the most points going toward a #1 spot, a little less to #2, right on down the line. Having longevity at the top of the division is key and those who only spend a limited time in a division will suffer. Divisional depth at the time is also given consideration.

Rank	Fighter	Total Record	All-Time Division Points
1	Anderson Silva Last Fight: 8/8/2009	25-4-0	878
2	Nate Marquardt Last Fight: 8/29/2009	29-8-2	758
3	Paulo Filho Last Fight: 9/12/2009	18-1-0	542
4	Rich Franklin Last Fight: 9/19/2009	26-5-0	473
5	Matt Lindland Last Fight: 1/24/2009	21-6-0	406
6	Kazuo Misaki Last Fight: 8/2/2009	22-9-2	325
7	Dan Henderson Last Fight: 7/11/2009	25-7-0	300
8	Murilo Bustamante Last Fight: 12/31/2007	14-7-1	296
9	Ricardo Almeida Last Fight: 8/8/2009	11-3-0	294
10	Robbie Lawler Last Fight: 6/6/2009	16-5-0	271

1. Anderson Silva (878 All-Time Welterweight Points)

It’s probably no surprise that Anderson Silva is ranked as the top Middleweight of all-time.  Undefeated at the division in the past 3.5 years, and one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.

2. Nate Marquardt (758)

A top Middleweight for a decade and one of the first great Middleweights in MMA.  Won the King of Pancrase title in the division countless times and has been a top Middleweight in the UFC since his arrival.  At only 30, and with Anderson possibly leaving the division in the near future, Marquardt has a chance to one day top the list.

3. Paulo Filho (542)

Just like at Welterweight, we see a pretty large drop in points going from #2 to #3.  Outside of losing to Chael Sonnen where he clearly was not himself, Filho’s record is without blemish.  He has long been the best Middleweight not in the UFC.

4. Rich Franklin (473)

Limited by his somewhat short tenure at Middleweight, and by a man named Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin still earns a respectable Top 5 position.  It looks like Rich is done at the weight, but with wins over Okami, Lutter, Tanner, Quarry, and others, he had a pretty good run.

5. Matt Lindland (406)

Lindland is the best Middleweight in history without a major MMA championship to his credit.  However, the sport hasn’t been too kind to him lately and at 39, his legacy is probably maxed out

6. Kazuo Misaki (325)

By far, the best Asian ever in the division.  Won the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight (183lb) Grand Prix, thanks in part to Paulo Filho’s injury.  Also owns wins over Dan Henderson, Denis Kang, and Kiuma Kunioku.

7. Dan Henderson(300)

Although his cumulative tenure at the division has been relatively short, he went 1-1 against the #6 Misaki, and also holds wins over #8 Bustamante and other solid fighters such as Akihiro Gono and Ryo Chonan.

8. Murilo Bustamante (290)

Bustamante is a former, defending UFC Middleweight champion, and PRIDE Welterweight (183lb) Grand Prix finalist. Like many other fighters, he spent quite a bit of time at different weights, which robbed his career of further potential Middleweight achievements. Four of his seven losses came at higher weights, where he went 6-4-1, losing his last four non-Middleweight bouts.

9. Ricardo Almeida (270)

Wins over Kazuo Misaki, Nate Marquardt, and Ryo Chonan earn him the 9th spot on the list.

10. Robbie Lawler (287)

Since he moved to Middleweight permanently, Lawler has gone 8-3 beating fighters like Frank Trigg, Falaniko Vitale, Murilo Rua, and Scott Smith. Certainly not the best of the bunch, but several years near the top of the division will earn you a spot on this list.