Fight Matrix

UFC 92 Review

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Oleg

Traditionally the UFC has always had a stellar lineup for their end-of-year show, and this year was no different. With the lightheavyweight title on the line in the main event, the interim heavyweight title defended in the co-main, and the third installation of the Wanderlei Silva-Quinton Jackson series, ‘The Ultimate 2008’ had plenty of hype going into the show.

Cheik Kongo vs. Mostapha Al-Turk (HW)

In the first televised bout, the UFC newcomer Al-Turk started out attempting to exchange strikes with Kongo, until Cheik caught a kick and threw Al-Turk to the canvas. After getting up, Al-Turk went for the takedown but was thwarted, then landed a knee to Kongo’s groin from a clinch. After a break for Cheik to recover, the fighters went back to clinch and Kongo retaliated with a knee to the groin of Al-Turk. When the fight restarted again, Kongo came out aggressive and dropped Al-Turk then following him down, pounding away with elbows and punches that split Al-Turk’s forehead wide open and caused the referee to stop the bout, giving Kongo the TKO victory.

Fight grade: 4/5 3/5 (1 point deduction for low blows)

Aftermath: Nut shots aside, a good performance for Kongo that should place him in the top tier of contenders for the winner of the heavyweight championship mini-tournament. He is perhaps one win away from a title shot. Al-Turk does not impress in his debut; look for him on the televisual undercard of a UK UFC event some time in 2009.

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MMA Fighters rematch a lot!

Posted on December 25, 2008 by Jason

Our FightMatrix database shows the following rematch-related statistics:

2,307 bouts have taken place where the fighters have fought at least once previous.
196 bouts where fighters have fought at least twice previous…. and 24 bouts, at least three times previous.
Two pairs of fighters have fought each other six times! (Travis Fulton & Rory Prazak, Brian Robinson & Nate Kopel)

In instances where fighters meet in their second encounter, the same winner has prevailed only 64.5% of the time. If the first fight ended in a knockout or submission, this number increases to 67.7%. These statistics prove that MMA is a very volatile sport compared to boxing, where the percentage of repeat winners after a knockout in the first bout since 1985 is almost 90% (I researched this myself).

Not many rematches have taken place after the first bout ended in disqualification. In fact, its very rare, as we only have record of 19 said rematches. The previous winner won 9 out of these 19.

How about when a fighter wins the first two matches by KO or TKO, and then rematches the loser for a third time? In other words, does Quinton stand a chance on Saturday? The dataset is extremely small, but the statistics show that the KO/TKO winner of the first two bouts, will win the third bout 89% of the time.

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Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)

Saturday, July 18th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Austin: Van Steenis vs. Eblen 2

[#6 MW] Costello Van Steenis

[#12 MW] Johnny Eblen

Last Fight Date: 3/20/2026 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#16 MW] Fabian Edwards
Last 5: L W W W W

Last Fight Date: 3/28/2026 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#51 MW] Bryan Battle
Last 5: W W W L W

Saturday, June 27th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev

[#7 W125] Liz Carmouche

[#13 W125] Viviane Araujo

Last Fight Date: 8/15/2025 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#16 W125] Jena Bishop
Last 5: W L W W W

Last Fight Date: 4/11/2026 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#62 W125] Shanna Young
Last 5: W L W L W

Sunday, May 31st 2026: Shooto Professional Shooto 2026 Vol. 4

[#11 SW] Koyuru Tanoue

[#12 SW] Kazusa Kurobe

Last Fight Date: 11/16/2025 [Shooto]
Last Opponent: [#243 FLW] Jo Arai
Last 5: W W W W L

Last Fight Date: 1/18/2026 [Shooto]
Last Opponent: [#38 SW] Ken Asahina
Last 5: W W W W W

Featured Fighters

[#1 MW]	Sean Strickland	[#175 FW]	George Mangos
[#29 LW]	Salahdine Parnasse	[#34 FW]	Doo Ho Choi
[#78 FW]	Juan Archuleta	[#186 MW]	Christian Eckerlin
[NR]	Conor McGregor	[NR]	Matt Marriot
[NR]	Suzu Ooi	[#58 WW]	Mike Perry

UFC 92: How they stack up

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Jason

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
[#1] Forrest Griffin vs. [#4] Rashad Evans

UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship
[#2] Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. [#26] Frank Mir

Light Heavyweight
[#2] Quinton Jackson vs. [#5] Wanderlei Silva

Middleweight
[#39] Mike Massenzio vs. [#175] C.B. Dollaway

Heavyweight
[#12] Cheick Kongo vs. [#86] Mustafa al Turk

Middleweight
[#15] Yushin Okami vs. [#25] Dean Lister

Light Heavyweight
[#29] Matt Hamill vs. [#42] Reese Andy

Welterweight
[#22] Brad Blackburn vs. [#27] Ryo Chonan

Welterweight
[#114] Dan Evensen vs. [#200] Pat Barry

Ranking Notes: Rankings are projected when a fighter is fighting in a new weight class. Gray 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.

MMA Rankings Updated: 12/24/08

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Jason

Notable Info

Mainly a maintenance update. There was a show from DEEP and some other bout updates, but mainly just a pre-UFC 92 refresh.

Top Lightweights outside of UFC

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Oleg

Last week I examined the top fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division. As mentioned, UFC has abandoned the weight class for several years, allowing other MMA organizations to step up and fill the void. Even though the lightweights are back in the UFC in a major way, it is K-1’s Dream promotion that boasts the most top fighters on their roster: four out of the Top 10, according to the latest Fightmatrix.com ranking. The other major player in the division is World Victory Road – a Japanese promotion that rose from the ashes of Pride FC.

With three major lightweight showdowns coming up in the next month (Hansen vs. Calvancante and Aoki vs. Alvarez on K-1’s year-end extravaganza, as well as Gomi vs. Kitaoka in WVR on January 4th), this is a good time to take a look at the ten top lightweights outside of the UFC.

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December Archive Updated

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Oleg

Fightmatrix.com MMA rankings archive has been updated with the rankings as of December 7, 2008.

A trip in the wayback machine.. Heavyweights

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Jason

Five years ago, there was a two-headed dragon at the top of the Heavyweight division, as the rating system would’ve had Fedor and Nog in a virtual tie. Fedor did have a decision win over Nog earlier in the year, but Fedor took the easy road for the remainder of 2003, while Nog knocked off Ricco Rodriguez and Mirko Filipovic. Both were top heavyweights at the time of those bouts, and still were at the end of 2003.

Heavyweights – December 20, 2003

Rank

Fighter

Record

Points

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Last Fight: 11/9/2003 [PRIDE]

21-2-1

359

Fedor Emelianenko
Last Fight: 8/10/2003 [PRIDE]

15-1-0

358

Josh Barnett
Last Fight: 10/13/2003 [NJPW]

16-1-0

277

Tim Sylvia
Last Fight: 9/26/2003 [UFC]

18-1-0

214

Mirko Filipovic
Last Fight: 11/9/2003 [PRIDE]

7-1-2

151

Pedro Rizzo
Last Fight: 11/21/2003 [UFC]

14-5-0

141

Ricco Rodriguez
Last Fight: 11/21/2003 [UFC]

14-4-0

125

Andrei Arlovski
Last Fight: 9/26/2003 [UFC]

5-3-0

121

Heath Herring
Last Fight: 11/9/2003 [PRIDE]

21-9-0

103

Mark Coleman
Last Fight: 6/8/2003 [PRIDE]

13-5-0

Holiday Ranking Schedule

Posted on December 19, 2008 by Jason

The next two updates will take place on Wednesday, December 24, 2008, and on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

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UFC’s Lightweight Division

Posted on December 16, 2008 by Oleg

To say that it has been a rough ride for the UFC’s 155 lbs division would be a bit of an understatement. The trouble began when the first champion of the weight class Jens Pulver left the organization in 2002 amidst a contract dispute. The UFC held a four-man tournament to crown a new champion, but failed to come up with a definitive winner when BJ Penn fought Caol Uno to a draw in the finals. And so the division was completely dismantled as the Zuffa-owned promotion was struggling financially at the time.

Fast forward to 2006: after the success of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series boosted UFC’s popularity and momentum, the organization decided to reinstate the lightweight division and crowned a new champion with a matchup between Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk. But the troubles were not over – after Sherk’s very first title defense, Sean as well as the challenger Hermes Franca both tested positive for banned anabolics and were suspended by the California State Athletic Commission. With the title once again vacated, BJ Penn defeated Joe Stevenson then Sean Sherk in back-to-back bouts, staking his claim as the new lightweight king. However with Penn now set to challenge Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title, the lightweight championship may once again be placed on hold if Penn wins.

All these tribulations left the division weakened: according to the latest Fightmatrix.com rankings, only 4 of the Top 10 and 8 of the Top 20 lightweights in the world compete in the UFC’s Octagon. But don’t let the lack of top-ranked fighters fool you; this is a very deep division beyond the Top 20, with over 30 ranked fighters competing in UFC at 155 lbs. Here is a closer look at the UFC’s 20 highest ranked lightweights.

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Ratings Redo.

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Jason

I noticed we had some incomplete and missing results from the weekend, so I decided to re-run the ratings update!

‘The Ultimate Fighter 8’ Finale Review

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Oleg

Another season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ passed by. This one was a bit painful to watch at times, what with the urination in the fruit salad and ejaculation in the sushi. Was the finale worthy of the buildup? Let’s take a look:

Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan (155 lbs)

TUF back-story: Both men stood out more for their drinking problems than their fighting abilities. While Junie was the unanimously despised, throwing glasses and fits – drunk, Kaplan was more of a happy, ‘punch-me-in-the-jaw-I-can’t-be-knocked-out’ drunk. It was only fitting that these two met in the finale.

A few glimpses of skill managed to shine through Junie’s bad attitude, and he controlled the bout from the beginning. While Kaplan was somewhat competitive in the first, Browning handily won the round then completely took over in the second, quickly taking down Kaplan then achieving dominant position and securing an armbar. Kaplan had no choice but to tap out. The fast-paced bout took the ‘Fight of the Night’ award.

Fight grade: 4/5

Aftermath: It is usually the case that the winners of all TUF finale fights get to stay in the UFC, while the losers are shown the door. In this case, ‘Fight of the Night’ may have earned Kaplan another fight in the Octagon (or perhaps a smaller version of it in the WEC).

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MMA Rankings Updated: 12/14/08

Posted on December 14, 2008 by Jason

Notable Info

New rankings reflect changes due to shows from the previous week and weekend, including those from Shooto, UFC, KOTC, Adrenaline, and many others.

Other interesting notes…

More action on the Flyweight list, as the two winners of the 114 and 123lb Shooto rookie tournament enter at #16, and #17 respectively.
The UFC’s Jim Miller, winner of 8 straight, makes a surprising entry into the Lightweight Top 10 at #8.
Pat Miletich pulled off a mild upset over fellow veteran Thomas Denny. However, Miletich is still far away from being ranked.
Wilson Gouveia’s impressive win over Jason MacDonald propels him 13 spots, up to #16 in the Middleweight division. Can he actually make 185 again?
Justin McCully re-enters the Top 40 of the Heavyweight division with a win over Eddie Sanchez.
Jeff Monson took a unanimous decision over Ricco Rodriguez on Saturday. He is now the #17 ranked Heavyweight.

UFC ‘Fight for the Troops’ Review

Posted on December 11, 2008 by Oleg

UFC ‘Fight for the Troops’ was a charitable event, held to benefit the Intrepid Center – a medical center which helps U.S. veterans who suffered a traumatic brain injury. Ironically, several matches on the card ended with brutal concussion-inducing knockouts, along with other injuries.

Jim Miller vs. Matt Wiman (155 lbs)

This fight had a last-minute substitution: Wiman was originally slated to face Frankie Edgar, who pulled out with an injury only a week prior to the fight. Jim Miller stepped in on short notice, and performed admirably. After getting the better of Wiman in early exchanges, Miller pulled guard as Wiman was going to a takedown, and secured a very tight guillotine. Miller rolled over into mount as he attempted to finish the choke; Wiman held on to Miller’s trunks despite repeated warnings from the referee Mario Yamasaki. As Mario finally detached Wiman’s hand from Miller’s shorts, Matt was able to slip out of the guillotine. After briefly achieving the top position Wiman let Miller up and Jim finished the round strong on the feet.

The pace slowed down a bit in the remaining two rounds, but Miller thoroughly dominated Wiman both standing and on the ground for the rest of the match. Wiman hung in there but was never able to get an advantage, and lost all three rounds in a unanimous decision.

Fight Grade: 4.5/5

Aftermath: A dominant performance from Miller in his second UFC bout should earn him a spot in the lightweight Top 10. Wiman’s win streak is over with what has to be a very disappointing loss after his last performance. Both fighters earned an additional $30,000 for the official ‘Fight of the Night’.

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MMA Rankings Updated: 12/7/08

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Jason

Notable Info

New rankings reflect changes due to shows from the previous week and weekend, including those from Pancrase, WEC, GCM, and many others.
Note: I only have partial results from some shows.

Other interesting notes…

I always get excited when I see new Flyweights entering the Top 25. Sad, I know. Last week we had one, and this week we have two! Isao Hirose came out of nowhere and enters at #10, while Jucie Formiga gets positioned at #22 with only his 2nd win. Its a weak division, what can I say?
Bantamweight and Featherweight saw a ton of movement. Make sure you check those lists out.
Tito Ortiz is on the slide, as he lost a position and now sits at #14 in the Light Heavyweight division.
Stefan Struve (16-2) keeps inching up the Heavyweight division slowly, and he’s now at #46. Maybe this guy can score a big fight so we can see if he’s worthy of being in the Top 50.

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WEC 37 Review

Posted on December 5, 2008 by Oleg

WEC 37 featured featherweight and bantamweight bouts on the televised portion of the card, and was highlighted by the bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defending his belt against the undefeated challenger Manny Tapia.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez (145 lbs)

The first televised bout turned out to be rather lackluster. Martinez worked hard for a takedown in the first round, but was unable to complete and ended up on his back as a result of a throw at the end round. In the second and third, Martines gave up on the takedown attempts and instead began swinging at Benavidez with widely telegraphed shots, most of which did not find their target. Benavidez on the other hand peppered Martinez with multiple combinations of punches and kicks, none of which seemingly did much damage. Benavidez won a unanimous decision: 30-27 on all three scorecards. This was the first MMA bout that I’ve seen where a woman (Kim Winslow) was the referee.

Fight grade: 2/5

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