2015 Awards: Upsets of the Year
Note: We have two ways that we derive biggest “upsets” based on points difference between winner and loser.
“Most Noteworthy” (X minus Y)
“Most Lopsided” (X divided by Y)
Most Noteworthy: Luke Rockhold TKO(4) Chris Weidman
While not a huge upset by betting odds, Weidman had amassed nearly a 1,000 point lead over Rockhold in the rankings.
Honorable Mentions: Alistair Overeem TKO(2) Junior dos Santos, Uriah Hall TKO(2) Gegard Mousasi, Frank Mir TKO(1) Antonio Silva
Most Lopsided: Uriah Hall TKO(2) Gegard Mousasi
This fight is more truer to the definition of an actual “upset” than the one above, but this is why we slice this award in two different ways.
Honorable Mentions: Frank Mir TKO(1) Antonio Silva, Tony Johnson SD(3) Alexander Volkov, Frankie Saenz UD(3) Iuri Alcantara
Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Friday, October 16th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Chicago 2: Carmouche vs. Bishop 2 | |||
 [#6 W125] Liz Carmouche | [#14 W125] Jena Bishop | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 6/27/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#16 W125] Viviane Araujo Last 5: L W W W W | Last Fight Date: 6/27/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#37 W125] Ariane Lipski da Silva Last 5: W W L W W | ||
| Thursday, December 31st 2026: Rizin FF New Years Eve Event | |||
 [#5 FW] Rajabali Shaidullaev |  [#17 FW] Kyoma Akimoto | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 9/10/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#7 FW] A.J. McKee Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 8/11/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#26 FW] Kleber Koike Erbst Last 5: W W W W W | ||
| Saturday, November 14th 2026: Professional Fighters League PFL Returns to Dubai: Nemkov vs. Bilostenniy | |||
 [#6 HW] Vadim Nemkov | [#16 HW] Sergey Bilostenniy | ||
|
| |||
| Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#20 HW] Renan Ferreira Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 5/02/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#20 HW] Renan Ferreira Last 5: W W L W W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#1 FLW] |  Joshua Van | [#1 WW] | Islam Makhachev | |
| [#4 LW] |  Arman Tsarukyan | [#172 HW] | Sean Sharaf | |
| [#5 FW] | Rajabali Shaidullaev | [#33 LW] | Akbar Abdullaev | |
| [#9 LW] |  Mauricio Ruffy | [#49 LW] | Mikuru Asakura | |
| [#3 FLW] | Alexandre Pantoja | [#13 FW] | Patricio Freire |
2015 Awards: Most Noteworthy Match of the Year
Most Noteworthy Match of the Year:
Luke Rockhold TKO(4) Chris Weidman
The “most noteworthy” match of the year is a pretty basic calculation — a sum of quality if you will, taking a look back at the fights within the calendar year using the standing of the fighters involved at the end of the year. In this case, it wasn’t close. What more can you say? The twice conquerer of Anderson Silva against the current Middleweight champion and top P4P fighter. Not much else to say.
2015 Awards: Comeback Fighter of the Year
As a refresher, our “Comeback” award is about coming back from inactivity or major injury (that we know about) and in doing so, really impressing. You can see more details at the bottom of the post about specific qualifiers.
In this category, it was fairly slim pickings this year…
Comeback Fighter of the Year: Sergio Moraes
Nearly two years off from the sport, he had two UFC fights in the calendar year of 2015 and was victorious in both of them. Now ranked within the Top 50 in his division, it’s tough to argue against Moraes as the top selection for this award.
To qualify, fighters must be in an active status at the end of the award year and did not have a fight in the previous calendar year or are coming off of a known major injury that caused an inactive period of 15+ months.
Current MMA Rankings Updated (12-31-2015)
Notable Info
- End-of-year rankings update.
Fight Matrix Program: UFC 195 (01-02-2016)
Welterweight Championship (170)
[#1/#9DD/#8P4P] Robbie Lawler (26-10-0, -110) vs. [#7] Carlos Condit (30-8-0, -112)
Robbie Lawler is the All-Time #4 ranked Welterweight and #25 ranked Absolute fighter.
Carlos Condit is the All-Time #5 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Robbie Lawler (3-0-0)
2015-07-11: W vs. [#3WW] Rory MacDonald (18-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:00 of round 5
2014-12-06: W vs. [#2WW/#10P4P] Johny Hendricks (17-3-0) via SD (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
2014-07-26: W vs. [#9WW] Matt Brown (20-13-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Last 3 Fights: Carlos Condit (2-1-0)
2015-05-30: W vs. [#23WW] Thiago Alves (21-10-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2014-03-15: L vs. [#4WW] Tyron Woodley (15-3-0) via TKO (Leg Kick) in 2:00 of round 2
2013-08-28: W vs. [*] Martin Kampmann (20-7-0) via TKO (Punches and Knees) in 0:54 of round 4
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robbie Lawler 175, Carlos Condit 217
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Robbie Lawler leads 5-4
.
Heavyweight (265)
[#3] Andrei Arlovski (25-10-0, +186) vs. [#6] Stipe Miocic (13-2-0, -227)
Andrei Arlovski is the All-Time #8 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Andrei Arlovski (3-0-0)
2015-09-05: W vs. [#10HW+] Frank Mir (18-10-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
2015-05-23: W vs. [#9HW+] Travis Browne (17-3-1) via TKO (Punches) in 4:41 of round 1
2014-09-13: W vs. [#13HW+] Antonio Silva (19-8-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:59 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Stipe Miocic (2-1-0)
2015-05-10: W vs. [#7HW+] Mark Hunt (11-10-1) via TKO (Punches) in 2:47 of round 5
2014-12-13: L vs. [#5HW+] Junior dos Santos (17-4-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2014-05-31: W vs. [#36LHW] Fabio Maldonado (22-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 0:35 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Andrei Arlovski 119, Stipe Miocic 237
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
.
Welterweight (170)
[#21] Lorenz Larkin (16-4-0, +208) vs. [#27] Albert Tumenov (16-2-0, -256)
Last 3 Fights: Lorenz Larkin (2-1-0)
2015-06-27: W vs. [#49WW] Santiago Ponzinibbio (21-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:07 of round 2
2015-01-18: W vs. [#40WW] John Howard (23-12-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:17 of round 1
2014-08-30: L vs. [#15MW] Derek Brunson (14-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Albert Tumenov (3-0-0)
2015-10-03: W vs. [#82WW] Alan Jouban (12-4-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:55 of round 1
2015-01-24: W vs. [#45WW] Nicholas Musoke (13-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#166WW] Matt Dwyer (8-3-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 1:03 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Lorenz Larkin 189, Albert Tumenov 91
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading
UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit – Who’s Getting Paid?
UFC 195 kind of crept up on the MMA world a bit, and one only needs to blame the whirlwind of the “UFC Vegas” week that wrapped up the 2015 combat sports calendar. However, the holiday MMA break officially ends with the first pay-per-view bash of the new year, and this upcoming headliner is a damn good one.
In what can only be anticipated as a top-tier, world-class match for the ages, Robbie Lawler defends the UFC Welterweight Championship against Carlos Condit, while a number of contenders, journeymen, and prospects fight for various stakes on a very solid card. Let’s take a look at the money trail one last time for 2015, and dive into the previous UFC fighter salaries (plus most-recent Reebok payouts) for every main card talent at UFC 195 this weekend.
Note: Divisional rankings via Fight Matrix. UFC salaries and Reebok figures via MMA Payout and MMA Junkie.
Robbie Lawler [#1 WW]
$340,000 = $150,000/$150,000 + $40,000* [UFC 189]
Carlos Condit [#8 WW]
$110,000 = $55,000/$55,000 [UFC 143]
Analysis: Robbie Lawler is going into his 19th Zuffa bout here, and his disclosed pay continues to hover slightly above the last-known salaries of most non-superstar UFC champions. Aside from the obvious bonus of retaining his title, it would be interesting to be how high Lawler could push his value with a few more victories — especially given his history as Zuffa’s revived golden boy.
For Condit, this will be his first salary reported since his infamous fight with Nick Diaz in 2012, where Condit took home $110,000 in victory — barely more than half of what Diaz made to lose ($200,000). At a 2-3 stretch since then and despite a short interim title reign, it’s worrisome to think that a past-prime Condit may have already hit his financial peak.
Fight Matrix Program: Rizin 2 (12-31-2015)
Heavyweight (265)
[*] Fedor Emelianenko (34-4-0, -1431) vs. [#182] Jaideep Singh (2-0-0, +832)
Fedor Emelianenko is the All-Time #1 ranked Heavyweight and #3 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Fedor Emelianenko (3-0-0)
2012-06-21: W vs. [*] Pedro Rizzo (20-11-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:24 of round 1
2011-12-31: W vs. [#39HW+] Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:29 of round 1
2011-11-20: W vs. [#491HW+] Jeff Monson (58-25-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Jaideep Singh (2-0-0)
2015-10-17: W vs. [#243HW+] Carlos Toyota (6-8-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
2013-06-07: W vs. [NA] Alireza Tavak (0-2-0) via TKO (Elbows) in 4:24 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Fedor Emelianenko 1288, Jaideep Singh 75
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Heavyweight (265)
[*] Peter Aerts (1-1-0) vs. [NA] Kaido Hoovelson (DEBUT)
Last 3 Fights: Peter Aerts (1-1-0)
2005-12-31: L vs. [#502HW+] Shungo Oyama (14-19-0) via Submission (Heel Hook) in 0:30 of round 1
2005-07-06: W vs. [NA] Yoichi Babaguchi (1-6-1) via TKO (Punches) in 1:36 of round 1
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Featherweight (146)
[#1454LW] Kron Gracie (1-0-0) vs. [NA] Asen Yamamoto (DEBUT)
Last 3 Fights: Kron Gracie (1-0-0)
2014-12-23: W vs. [#1388LW] Hyung Soo Kim (1-1-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 1:05 of round 1
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading
Fight Matrix Program: Rizin 1 (12-29-2015)
Welterweight (171)
[#19LW] Shinya Aoki (38-6-0, 169.7lb) vs. [*] Kazushi Sakuraba (26-16-1, 171.0lb)
Last 3 Fights: Shinya Aoki (3-0-0)
2015-05-22: W vs. [#62LW] Koji Ando (12-4-2) via UD ()
2014-12-31: W vs. [#397LW] Yuki Yamamoto (6-8-4) via Submission (Twister) in 1:21 of round 1
2014-08-29: W vs. [*] Kamal Shalorus (9-4-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:15 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Kazushi Sakuraba (0-3-0)
2011-09-24: L vs. [#122LW] Yan Cabral (12-2-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:42 of round 2
2010-12-31: L vs. [#138WW] Marius Zaromskis (20-9-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 2:16 of round 1
2010-09-25: L vs. [*] Jason Miller (23-9-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:09 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Shinya Aoki 221, Kazushi Sakuraba 1557
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Heavyweight (220)
[#39] Satoshi Ishii (14-4-1, 219.0lb) vs. [#49LHW] Jiri Prochazka (14-2-1, 211.5lb)
Last 3 Fights: Satoshi Ishii (2-1-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#128HW+] William Penn (8-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:07 of round 1
2015-04-11: W vs. [#94HW+] Nick Rossborough (25-19-1) via Submission (Kimura) in 4:22 of round 1
2014-12-31: L vs. [#22HW+] Mirko Filipovic (31-11-2) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 5:00 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Jiri Prochazka (3-0-0)
2015-11-21: W vs. [#229LHW] Evgeni Kondratov (5-2-0) via in of round 1
2015-05-22: W vs. [#84LHW] Michal Fijalka (14-5-1) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
2015-03-27: W vs. [NA] Rokas Stambrauskas (7-5-0) via TKO (Corner Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Satoshi Ishii 122, Jiri Prochazka 38
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Heavyweight (220)
[#30LHW] Goran Reljic (15-5-0, 215.0lb) vs. [#112LHW] Vadim Nemkov (4-0-0, 219.5lb)
Last 3 Fights: Goran Reljic (2-1-0)
2015-10-31: L vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:55 of round 1
2015-05-23: W vs. [#23LHW] Attila Vegh (29-6-2) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2014-12-06: W vs. [#24LHW] Tomasz Narkun (11-2-0) via UD (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Vadim Nemkov (3-0-0)
2015-08-29: W vs. [#247LHW] Joaquim Ferreira (19-11-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:22 of round 1
2015-04-24: W vs. [NA] Isidor Bunea (0-1-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:00 of round 1
2013-08-05: W vs. [#270LHW] Michal Gutowski (8-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:32 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Goran Reljic 59, Vadim Nemkov 122
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading