Fight Matrix

Bang for Your Buck: UFC on FOX 14

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Oleg

Good news, fight fans! This weekend’s UFC on FOX 14, live from Stockholm Sweden, will be broadcast on the Fox network (as if that wasn’t clear from the title…). That means this event is free – free as in free beer, no PPV cost, no need to estimate the cable prices or Fight Pass subscription rates. Any US fan with a TV can watch the main card for absolutely no charge. What’s even better is that UFC tends to stack the Fox cards, so that they are on par with most numbered PPV events (and better than some). There are even a couple of interesting fights on the prelims, but more on that later. For now, lets dive right in and try to figure out how much this card would be worth if it were on PPV instead of Fox.

Main Event: [#3 LHW] Anthony Johnson vs [#6 LHW] Alexander Gustafsson

Worth: $20

Why: Who would have ever thought that in 2015, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson – the guy who lost to Rich Clementi and Josh Koscheck as a welterweight, and consistently struggled to make weight at 170 and 185 lbs alike – would be fighting in a top contender bout for a crack at Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title? Of course he would have to get past Alexander Gustafsson first – a tall task against Jones’ toughest opponent to date. This is an awesome fight, the only thing it’s missing is a title on the line, and that will be up next for the winner.

Keep Reading

Current MMA Rankings Updated (01-22-2015)

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Jason

Notable Info

Bad result from last UFC event fixed (Case/Perez).
Obscure bug fixed that improperly altered rating points of fighters involved in very specific scenarios (less than 0.1% of fighters).

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	[#5 FW]	Rajabali Shaidullaev
[#1 WW]	Islam Makhachev	[#49 LW]	Mikuru Asakura
[#4 LW]	Arman Tsarukyan	[#33 LW]	Akbar Abdullaev
[#9 LW]	Mauricio Ruffy	[#172 HW]	Sean Sharaf
[#3 FLW]	Alexandre Pantoja	[#13 FW]	Patricio Freire

Eccentric Aging - Aging and Caregiver Resources

Fight Matrix Program: UFC on Fox 14 (01-24-2015)

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Jason

Light Heavyweight (205)
[#3] Anthony Johnson (18-4-0, +185) vs. [#6] Alexander Gustafsson (16-2-0, -232)
Alexander Gustafsson is the All-Time #19 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Anthony Johnson (3-0-0)
2014-07-26: W vs. [#12LHW] Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-6-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:44 of round 1
2014-04-26: W vs. [#5LHW] Phil Davis (13-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-01-18: W vs. [#43HW+] Mike Kyle (20-12-1) via KO (Punches) in 2:03 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Alexander Gustafsson (2-1-0)
2014-03-08: W vs. [#18LHW] Jimi Manuwa (14-1-0) via TKO (Knee and Punches) in 1:18 of round 2
2013-09-21: L vs. [#1LHW/#2DD/#1P4P] Jon Jones (21-1-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
2012-12-08: W vs. [#14LHW] Mauricio Rua (22-10-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Anthony Johnson 182, Alexander Gustafsson 322
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Anthony Johnson leads 1-0
.

Middleweight (185)
[#7LHW] Dan Henderson (30-12-0, +250) vs. [#8] Gegard Mousasi (35-5-2, -322)
Dan Henderson is the All-Time #5 ranked Middleweight and #10 ranked Absolute fighter.
Gegard Mousasi is the All-Time #17 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Dan Henderson (1-2-0)
2014-05-24: L vs. [#2LHW] Daniel Cormier (15-1-0) via Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:53 of round 3
2014-03-23: W vs. [#14LHW] Mauricio Rua (22-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:31 of round 3
2013-11-09: L vs. [#3MW] Vitor Belfort (24-10-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 1:17 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Gegard Mousasi (1-2-0)
2014-09-05: L vs. [#4MW] Ronaldo Souza (21-3-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:30 of round 3
2014-05-31: W vs. [#17MW] Mark Munoz (13-5-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:57 of round 1
2014-02-15: L vs. [#2MW/#8DD/#10P4P] Lyoto Machida (22-5-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Dan Henderson 245, Gegard Mousasi 141
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Dan Henderson leads 3-1
.

Light Heavyweight (205)
[#5] Phil Davis (13-2-0, -246) vs. [#9] Ryan Bader (18-4-0, +191)
Phil Davis is the All-Time #16 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Ryan Bader is the All-Time #21 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Phil Davis (2-1-0)
2014-10-25: W vs. [#8LHW] Glover Teixeira (22-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-04-26: L vs. [#3LHW] Anthony Johnson (18-4-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-08-03: W vs. [#2MW/#8DD/#10P4P] Lyoto Machida (22-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Ryan Bader (3-0-0)
2014-08-16: W vs. [#11LHW] Ovince St. Preux (17-6-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
2014-06-14: W vs. [#24LHW] Rafael Cavalcante (12-5-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-12-07: W vs. [#28LHW] Anthony Perosh (15-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Phil Davis 91, Ryan Bader 161
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Phil Davis leads 5-3
.
Keep Reading

Current MMA Rankings Updated (01-19-2015)

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Jason

Bang for Your Buck: UFC Fight Night 59

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Oleg

My original intent for the ‘Bang for Your Buck’ series was to analyze upcoming UFC PPV events to determine whether the fight card is worth the asking price. However, even before I was done writing the first installment in this series (UFC 182), it became readily apparent that most events will not meet this threshold. A part of the reason for this is the ever-increasing PPV prices. The other part is the also ever-increasing number of UFC events: in addition to the numbered PPV events, UFC holds a plethora of fight cards broadcast on Fox, Fox Sports 1, and Fight Pass network. Inevitably this leaves some of the cards stretched very thin, especially after the “injury bug” gets through with them.

So is the UFC making it up to the fans for buying the frankly overpriced PPVs by broadcasting free cards on other networks? Of course, anything that isn’t aired on Fox is not completely free: cards such as the upcoming Fight Night 59 on Fox Sports 1 – a cable network that may require a premium package, depending on your cable/satellite provider. On the other hand, it’s highly unlikely that you are paying your cable bill exclusively to watch UFC on FS1. This makes the price point of an event rather difficult to estimate, but I’ll give it a shot anyway:

Dish Network charges me $69.99 per month for a package which includes Fox Sports 1. After the various fees, taxes, etc., my monthly bill comes out to be near $100. (My actual bill is quite a bit higher than that but the number of TVs with extra HD receivers, or other premium packages I subscribe to, are really not relevant to this discussion). So let’s say $100 it is, which averages out to $3.29 per day. Researchers claim that the average American watches around 5 hours of television a day. This number seems a bit high to me, and for the sake of making the math easier, let’s say that I spend exactly 3.29 hours per day staring at the TV screen. This gives us the price point of $1 per hour, or $5 for a 5-hour UFC event on Fox Sports 1. If you don’t agree with this valuation, feel free to provide a better one in the comments section! Otherwise, keep reading to find out how FN 59 stacks up compared to this generous (imaginary) price point of $5.

Keep Reading

Fight Matrix Program: UFC Fight Night (01-18-2015)

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Jason

Featherweight (145)
[#7] Conor McGregor (16-2-0) vs. [#19] Dennis Siver (22-9-0)

Last 3 Fights: Conor McGregor (3-0-0)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#18FW] Dustin Poirier (16-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:46 of round 1
2014-07-19: W vs. [#52FW] Diego Brandao (18-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:05 of round 1
2013-08-17: W vs. [#15FW] Max Holloway (11-3-0) via UD (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Dennis Siver (1-1-0, 1 NC)
2014-10-04: W vs. [#131FW] Charles Rosa (9-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2013-12-28: NC vs. [#10BW] Manny Gamburyan (14-8-0)
2013-07-06: L vs. [#6FW] Cub Swanson (21-6-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:24 of round 3

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Conor McGregor 113, Dennis Siver 106
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Lightweight (155)
[#3] Donald Cerrone (26-6-0) vs. [#4] Ben Henderson (21-4-0)
Donald Cerrone is the All-Time #21 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Ben Henderson is the All-Time #4 ranked Lightweight and #23 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (3-0-0)
2015-01-03: W vs. [#12LW] Myles Jury (15-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2014-09-27: W vs. [#8LW] Eddie Alvarez (25-4-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2014-07-16: W vs. [#29LW] Jim Miller (24-5-0) via KO (Head Kick and Punches) in 3:31 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Ben Henderson (2-1-0)
2014-08-23: L vs. [#2LW] Rafael dos Anjos (23-7-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:31 of round 1
2014-06-07: W vs. [#26LW] Rustam Khabilov (17-2-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 1:16 of round 4
2014-01-25: W vs. [#10LW] Josh Thomson (20-7-0) via SD (49-46, 47-48, 48-47)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Donald Cerrone 15, Ben Henderson 148
Previous Match-up Record: Ben Henderson leads 2-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ben Henderson leads 4-3
.

Middleweight (185)
[#26] Uriah Hall (9-4-0) vs. [#165] Ronald Stallings (12-5-0)

Last 3 Fights: Uriah Hall (2-1-0)
2014-07-05: W vs. [#64MW] Thiago Santos (9-3-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2013-12-28: W vs. [*] Chris Leben (22-11-0) via TKO (Retirement) in 5:00 of round 1
2013-08-17: L vs. [#50WW] John Howard (22-10-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Ronald Stallings (2-1-0)
2014-11-01: L vs. [#76MW] Tim Williams (10-1-0) via UD (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
2014-06-20: W vs. [#761WW] Joshua Williams (2-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in ? of round 3
2012-09-14: W vs. [*] Mike Massenzio (13-9-0) via KO (Knee to the Body) in 4:03 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Uriah Hall 197, Ronald Stallings 78
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.
Keep Reading

The Best Lightweights in MMA History: All-Time Rankings (Updated)

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Jason

In response to this article posted at Sherdog today, I thought I’d show All-Time MMA Rankings for the Lightweight division in detail and how it has trended in the past 3 years (using current version):

	3 Years Ago	Today	Diff
BJ Penn	2790	2944	5.5%
Frankie Edgar	2300	2845	23.7%
Takanori Gomi	3249	2714	-16.5%
Ben Henderson	263	2709	930.0%
Gilbert Melendez	1470	2141	45.6%
Shinya Aoki	2061	2136	3.6%
Anthony Pettis	48	1795	3639.6%
Joachim Hansen	1509	1521	0.8%
Vitor Ribeiro	1463	1460	-0.2%
Eddie Alvarez	860	1340	55.8%

Everyone that stayed steady or increased slightly only saw fluctuations based on changes in ratings of key opposition or additional points earned between then and the end of their Lightweight runs.

Gomi got hit hard, because the system thought he was basically done three years ago. On today’s run, it re-considered and suggested he was still at or near his prime when it saw him under-perform once hitting the UFC; essentially proving that he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be at one time. Note: I try to disqualify post-prime failures, but it is not completely preventable.

In the past month, we’ve worked on some tweaks for the All-Time Rankings. As fighter careers last longer (time-wise) we’ve seen the need to put more weight on quality and less weight on quantity. Honestly, this is pretty subjective, but there’s no great way to do All-Time Rankings unless you look at sums or peaks and neither works great on its own. Nevertheless, the same version was used in both sets provided above.

EDIT: Re-posted and re-explained. Today values were incorrect.

Current MMA Rankings Updated (01-11-2015)

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Jason

Notable Info

This will be the last set of current rankings featuring Cain Velasquez until he fights again. He will surpass the 450 day inactivity threshold this week.

Stat of the Day: Multiple UFC Events in the Same Calendar Month

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Jason

In case you didn’t know, Donald Cerrone is now scheduled to fight again on UFC Fight Night (1/18) after fighting on UFC 182 (1/3).

This will only be the 4th occurrence of this happening:

Mike Thomas Brown | January 2011

(LOSS) – Diego Nunes – UFC 125 [2011-01-01]
(LOSS) – Rani Yahya – UFC – Fight for the Troops 2 [2011-01-22]

Lavar Johnson | May 2012

(WIN) – Pat Barry – UFC on Fox 3 [2012-05-05]
(LOSS) – Stefan Struve – UFC 146 [2012-05-26]

Dustin Pague | June 2012

(WIN) – Jared Papazian – UFC on FX 3 [2012-06-08]
(LOSS) – Ken Stone – UFC on FX 4 [2012-06-22]

Current and All-Time MMA Rankings (01-04-2015)

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Jason