Fight Matrix

The Main Components of MMA Training

Posted on July 25, 2025 by A. J. Riot

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In this article, we will look at the main components of training for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes. From sparring and bag work, to strength and conditioning and post-training recovery, we will examine the basics of MMA training. So read on for some tips on how to train like a pro!

Sparring

They say iron sharpens iron. Live, contact sparring is one of the main differentiators between traditional martials arts which became useful as a part of MMA, and the purely theoretical arts focused on forms/kata and without sparring with a resisting opponent. For example, striking arts such as Muay Thai, boxing, and kickboxing all emphasize contact sparring. Similarly, grappling based arts like wrestling, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) are focused on ‘rolling’ or grappling with a resisting opponent. Simulating live contact competition in practice is the reason why arts like Sambo work so well in MMA — and ones like Kung Fu do not.

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This Week’s WHR Bets/Parlays

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Jason

Both parlays are still in the green! Woohoo!

Fights considered must satisfy all of the criteria below:

Both fighters must be active (fought in 360 days prior to event). Reduces uncertainty.
Both fighters must have at least 5 fights, with at least 1 draw or 1 loss (excluding debut). More data makes WHR happy.
Both fighters must be rated in the same division as the fight. Further reduces uncertainty.
Must have odds from at least three bookmakers.

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Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)

Monday, May 4th 2026: Deep 131 Impact: 25th Anniversary

[#2 SW] Sora Sugiyama

[#14 SW] Sukai China

Last Fight Date: 12/14/2025 [DEEP]
Last Opponent: [#6 SW] Haruo Ochi
Last 5: - - W W W

Last Fight Date: 3/08/2026 [DEEP]
Last Opponent: [NR] Musashi Musashi
Last 5: W W W W W

Saturday, May 2nd 2026: PFL Sioux Falls: Storley vs. Zendeli

[#13 HW] Renan Ferreira

[#24 HW] Sergey Bilostenniy

Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#5 HW] Vadim Nemkov
Last 5: W W W L L

Last Fight Date: 8/21/2025 [PFL]
Last Opponent: [#53 HW] Karl Williams
Last 5: W W W L W

Saturday, April 25th 2026: OKTAGON 87: Szabová vs. Fernandes

[#16 W135] Lucia Szabova (-353)

[#26 W125] Leidiane Fernandes (+244)

Last Fight Date: 8/09/2025 [Oktagon MMA]
Last Opponent: [#96 W135] Cecilie Maria Bolander
Last 5: W W W W W

Last Fight Date: 10/25/2025 [Jungle Fight]
Last Opponent: [#43 W125] Brena Cardozo
Last 5: W W L W W

Featured Fighters

[#17 WW]	Mike Malott	[#35 WW]	Gilbert Burns
[#1 WW]	Islam Makhachev	[#16 BW]	Charles Jourdain
[#1 LW]	Ilia Topuria	[#84 LW]	Gauge Young
[#234 LW]	Hugo Deux	[NR]	Atilla Kubilay
[#7 FW]	Rajabali Shaidullaev	[#141 LW]	Mandel Nallo

Stay Motivated with Innovative Gym Fitness Challenges

Posted on July 23, 2025 by A. J. Riot

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Want to keep your fitness motivation sky high?

Every gym member knows this struggle. You start strong, crush workouts for a few weeks, then… motivation vanishes. After all, sticking to the same routine gets boring fast and leads to:

Skipped workout sessions
Cancelled gym memberships

Here’s the problem:

Staying motivated long-term is tough work. To keep your fitness journey exciting and maintain consistency, you need to shake things up with innovative gym fitness challenges.

Without challenges, you just won’t stick to it.

This article will show you the most effective gym fitness challenges that actually work to keep your motivation pumping month after month.

Let’s jump in!

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How to Withdraw Winnings from Level Up Casino: A Guide for Australia

Posted on July 23, 2025 by A. J. Riot

Introduction

Picture this: the reels align, the numbers match, and a cascade of celebratory sounds erupts. You’ve struck gold at level up online casino has quickly gained popularity in Australia for its wide selection of games and attractive bonuses. This guide serves as your expert companion, providing a clear, concise, and slightly chaotic walkthrough of the Level Up Casino withdrawal process, ensuring you can enjoy your winnings without unnecessary delays or confusion.

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Diamond of a Career

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Vincent Juico

This content was originally published on https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/07/21/diamond-of-a-career/

DUSTIN POIRIER ends his UFC journey as one of the lightweight division’s most beloved and respected fighters—an interim champion, perennial high-performer and community pillar.

His legacy is defined by resilience, big-win performances, and a career built more than titles—it’s built on heart and impact.

The MMA community overwhelmingly praised Dustin Poirier—not just for his performance inside the cage, but also his integrity, work ethic and grace in retirement.

Fighters and media alike highlighted the dignity of stepping away on one’s own terms, while fans celebrated him as a “people’s champion” and role model.

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Top Mistakes to Dodge When Betting on Boxing

Posted on July 22, 2025 by A. J. Riot

Box betting can be both fun and worthwhile. But, only if you know how to successfully avoid the usual pitfalls many bettors get trapped in. Success in boxing betting will usually depend on how well you can read between the lines. It may appear simple to support a heavy favourite or stick to a fighter’s undefeated record. But, a good deal of knowledge mixed with a little discipline can make all the difference.

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Spinanga

What Does Jon Jones’s Retirement Mean for UFC?

Posted on July 22, 2025 by A. J. Riot

In June 2025, Jon Jones shocked the UFC world by announcing his retirement, but nobody was betting on him reversing his decision less than one month later and ‘unretiring’ from UFC.

However, the 38-year-old is rapidly approaching the end of his career, and he will soon have to retire when his age and physical abilities finally get the better of him. The question being asked here is, what does Jon Jones’s retirement mean for the UFC?

Let’s dive straight in to find out.

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Fight Matrix Program – UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. de Ridder (07-26-2025)

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Jason

Middleweight (185)
[#6][#6UFC] Robert Whittaker (26-8-0, -162) vs. [#18][#15UFC] Reinier de Ridder (20-2-0, +133)
Robert Whittaker is the All-Time #4 ranked Middleweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Robert Whittaker (2-1-0)
2024-10-26: L vs. [#4MW] Khamzat Chimaev (14-0-0) via Submission (Face Crank) in 3:34 of round 1
2024-06-22: W vs. [#30MW] Ikram Aliskerov (16-2-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:49 of round 1
2024-02-17: W vs. [#10MW] Paulo Costa (15-4-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Last 3 Fights: Reinier de Ridder (3-0-0)
2025-05-03: W vs. [#34MW] Bo Nickal (7-1-0) via TKO (Knees) in 1:53 of round 2
2025-01-18: W vs. [#21WW] Kevin Holland (28-14-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 3:31 of round 1
2024-11-09: W vs. [#48MW] Gerald Meerschaert (37-19-0) via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) in 1:44 of round 3

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Robert Whittaker	-162		59.02%
Elo K170	Robert Whittaker	2124.73	+148.96	70.21%
Elo Modified	Robert Whittaker	2110.57	+109.07	65.20%
Glicko-1	Robert Whittaker	2173.56	+98.11	63.76%
WHR	Robert Whittaker	2000.64	+34.83	55.00%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Robert Whittaker 34.6, Reinier de Ridder 34.9
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robert Whittaker 273, Reinier de Ridder 84
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Bantamweight (135)
[#3][#3UFC] Petr Yan (18-5-0, -375) vs. [#19][#17UFC] Marcus McGhee (10-1-0, +289)
Petr Yan is the All-Time #10 ranked Bantamweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Petr Yan (2-1-0)
2024-11-23: W vs. [#9BW] Deiveson Figueiredo (24-5-1) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
2024-03-09: W vs. [#7BW] Yadong Song (22-9-1) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2023-03-11: L vs. [#1P4P][#2DD][#1BW] Merab Dvalishvili (20-4-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

Last 3 Fights: Marcus McGhee (3-0-0)
2024-11-16: W vs. [#24BW] Jonathan Martinez (19-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2024-01-13: W vs. [#365BW] Gaston Bolanos (8-5-0) via TKO (Spinning Wheel Kick and Punches) in 3:29 of round 3
2023-08-12: W vs. [*] J.P. Buys (9-6-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:19 of round 1

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Petr Yan	-375		75.43%
Elo K170	Petr Yan	2126.82	+441.67	92.70%
Elo Modified	Petr Yan	2157.81	+467.66	93.66%
Glicko-1	Petr Yan	2214.70	+451.07	93.07%
WHR	Petr Yan	2073.60	+465.75	93.59%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Petr Yan 32.4, Marcus McGhee 35.2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Petr Yan 245, Marcus McGhee 252
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
.

Middleweight (185)
[#29][#22UFC] Sharabutdin Magomedov (15-1-0, -555) vs. [#42][#30UFC] Marc-Andre Barriault (18-9-0, +400)

Last 3 Fights: Sharabutdin Magomedov (2-1-0)
2025-02-01: L vs. [#16MW] Michael Page (23-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2024-10-26: W vs. [#100MW] Armen Petrosyan (9-5-0) via KO (Spinning Backfists) in 4:52 of round 1
2024-08-03: W vs. [#47MW] Michal Oleksiejczuk (21-9-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Last 3 Fights: Marc-Andre Barriault (1-2-0)
2025-05-10: W vs. [#66MW] Bruno Silva (23-13-0) via KO (Elbows and Punches) in 1:27 of round 1
2024-11-02: L vs. [#59MW] Dustin Stoltzfus (16-7-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:28 of round 1
2024-06-29: L vs. [#19MW] Joe Pyfer (14-3-0) via KO (Punches) in 1:25 of round 1

System	Favorite	Rating	Rating Diff	Win %
Betting Odds	Sharabutdin Magomedov	-555		80.90%
Elo K170	Sharabutdin Magomedov	1853.64	+291.74	84.28%
Elo Modified	Sharabutdin Magomedov	1865.19	+242.12	80.12%
Glicko-1	Sharabutdin Magomedov	1926.51	+242.50	80.15%
WHR	Sharabutdin Magomedov	1855.07	+261.83	81.87%

Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Sharabutdin Magomedov 31.2, Marc-Andre Barriault 35.4
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Sharabutdin Magomedov 175, Marc-Andre Barriault 77
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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