Cyborg’s positive steroid test sparks change in our 2011 Women Fighter of the Year Standings
Cyborg, who took 2nd in our Women’s Fighter of the Year standing for 2011, just tested positive for stanozolol. Although a positive steroid test does not disqualify you from our awards, this also rendered her only 2011 fight a “no contest”.
As such, Tate will be moved up to #2, and Sarah Kaufman will move in at #3, for the third consecutive year.
In other award-related news, due to recent data changes at Sherdog, we re-assigned the men’s rookie of the year to Sultan Aliev. Sorry, Levan.
Maybe next year, we’ll wait a little longer to dish out these awards.
Featured Upcoming Bouts (Outside of UFC)
| Thursday, December 31st 2026: Rizin FF Super Rizin 6: Shiwasu no Owarinagoya Gekokujo Matsuri | |||
 [#1 W105] Natalia Kuziutina |  [#4 W105] Saori Oshima | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 9/10/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#18 W105] Rena Kubota Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 7/18/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#13 W105] Ye Ji Lee Last 5: L W L W W | ||
| Sunday, December 13th 2026: Deep - 135 Impact | |||
| [#3 SW] Sukai China | [#4 SW] Jo Arai | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 5/04/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#6 SW] Sora Sugiyama Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 9/13/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#23 SW] Daichi Kitakata Last 5: L L W L W | ||
| Sunday, December 13th 2026: Deep Tokyo Impact 2026 6th Round | |||
| [#6 SW] Sora Sugiyama | [#10 SW] Goal Makino | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 9/20/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [NR] Musashi Musashi Last 5: W W W L W | Last Fight Date: 9/06/2026 [DEEP] Last Opponent: [#42 SW] Toshiya Takashima Last 5: W W W W W | ||
Featured Fighters
| [#18 W125] |  Lucia Szabova | [#1 WW] | Islam Makhachev | |
| [#18 LW] |  Renato Carneiro | [#1 FW] |  Alexander Volkanovski | |
| [#13 LW] | Tom Nolan | [#26 WW] |  Jacobe Smith | |
| [#102 W125] | Tainara Lisboa | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | |
| [#1 LW] | Justin Gaethje | [#23 LHW] | Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev |
FightMatrix Program: StrikeForce (1-7-2012)
Middleweight (185)
[#15LHW] Keith Jardine (17-10-2) vs. [#12] Luke Rockhold (8-1-0)
Last 3 Fights: Keith Jardine (2-0-1)
2011-04-09: D vs. [#8LHW] Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2) via Draw in 5:00 of round 3
2011-03-04: W vs. [#290LHW] Aron Lofton (8-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:30 of round 1
2010-12-11: W vs. [#89LHW] Francisco France (7-3-0) via UD ()
Last 3 Fights: Luke Rockhold (3-0-0)
2011-09-10: W vs. [#14MW] Ronaldo Souza (14-3-0) via UD (50-45, 48-47, 48-47)
2010-02-26: W vs. [#99WW] Paul Bradley (18-4-0) via TKO (Knees to the Body) in 2:24 of round 1
2009-11-06: W vs. [#29MW] Jesse Taylor (20-8-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:42 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Keith Jardine 273, Luke Rockhold 119
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Middleweight (185)
[#23] Robbie Lawler (18-8-0) vs. [#30] Adlan Amagov (9-1-1)
Robbie Lawler is the All-Time #14 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Robbie Lawler (1-2-0)
2011-07-30: L vs. [#10MW] Tim Kennedy (14-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2011-01-29: L vs. [#14MW] Ronaldo Souza (14-3-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:00 of round 3
2010-12-04: W vs. [#75MW] Matt Lindland (22-9-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:50 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Adlan Amagov (3-0-0)
2011-11-18: W vs. [#53MW] Anthony Smith (14-8-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:32 of round 1
2011-07-22: W vs. [#283MW] Ronald Stallings (9-4-0) via SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
2010-12-18: W vs. [#539HW+] Evgeny Erohin (1-1-0) via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) in 2:28 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Robbie Lawler 161, Adlan Amagov 50
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Light Heavyweight (205)
[#9] Muhammed Lawal (8-1-0) vs. [#57] Lorenz Larkin (12-0-0)
Last 3 Fights: Muhammed Lawal (2-1-0)
2011-09-10: W vs. [#23LHW] Roger Gracie (4-1-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:33 of round 1
2010-08-21: L vs. [#18LHW] Rafael Cavalcante (11-3-0) via TKO (Punches and Elbows) in 1:14 of round 3
2010-04-17: W vs. [#8LHW] Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2) via UD (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)
Last 3 Fights: Lorenz Larkin (3-0-0)
2011-09-23: W vs. [#96LHW] Nick Rossborough (20-15-0) via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
2011-06-24: W vs. [#158LHW] Gian Villante (8-3-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2011-04-01: W vs. [#249LHW] Scott Lighty (7-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:15 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Muhammed Lawal 119, Lorenz Larkin 106
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Current MMA Rankings Updated: 1/1/2012
Notable Info
- This release includes rating modification with regard to community adjustments, so there will be fluctuations throughout.
FightMatrix Program: DREAM (12-31-2011)
Heavyweight (265)
[#12] Fedor Emelianenko (32-4-0) vs. [#45LHW] Satoshi Ishii (4-1-1)
Fedor Emelianenko is the All-Time #1 ranked Heavyweight and #3 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Fedor Emelianenko (1-2-0)
2011-11-20: W vs. [#36HW+] Jeff Monson (43-13-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2011-07-30: L vs. [#2LHW/#8DD] Dan Henderson (29-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:12 of round 1
2011-02-12: L vs. [#10HW+] Antonio Silva (16-3-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Satoshi Ishii (2-0-1)
2011-09-14: D vs. [#61LHW] Paulo Filho (22-4-2) via Draw in 5:00 of round 3
2010-12-31: W vs. [#282HW+] Jerome Le Banner (3-2-0) via UD ()
2010-11-08: W vs. [#672MW] Katsuyori Shibata (4-11-1) via Technical Submission (Kimura) in 3:30 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Fedor Emelianenko 41, Satoshi Ishii 108
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#80] Ryo Chonan (20-12-0) vs. [#106] Hayato Sakurai (35-12-2)
Hayato Sakurai is the All-Time #12 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Ryo Chonan (2-1-0)
2011-10-29: W vs. [#1167WW] Naoki Samukawa (1-1-0) via UD ()
2011-06-24: W vs. [#192WW] Shigetoshi Iwase (11-14-3) via KO (Punch) in 4:45 of round 1
2010-12-30: L vs. [#95WW] Taisuke Okuno (11-6-2) via KO (Punch) in 0:19 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Hayato Sakurai (0-3-0)
2010-12-31: L vs. [#33WW] Jason High (15-3-0) via SD ()
2010-05-29: L vs. [#2WW] Nick Diaz (26-7-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:54 of round 1
2009-12-31: L vs. [*] Akihiro Gono (32-16-7) via Submission (Armbar) in 3:56 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Ryo Chonan 63, Hayato Sakurai 365
Previous Match-up Record: Ryo Chonan leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: Ryo Chonan leads 2-1
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Lightweight (155)
[#6] Shinya Aoki (29-5-0) vs. [#33] Satoru Kitaoka (29-10-9)
Shinya Aoki is the All-Time #4 ranked Lightweight and #23 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Shinya Aoki (3-0-0)
2011-09-24: W vs. [#206LW] Rob McCullough (19-8-0) via Submission (Neck Crank) in 4:57 of round 1
2011-05-29: W vs. [#170WW] Rich Clementi (41-21-1) via Submission (Neck Crank) in 2:17 of round 2
2011-04-09: W vs. [#81LW] Lyle Beerbohm (15-2-0) via Submission (Neck Crank) in 1:33 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Satoru Kitaoka (3-0-0)
2011-09-24: W vs. [#99LW] Willamy Freire (19-5-0) via SD ()
2011-04-22: W vs. [#240LW] Jutaro Nakao (23-17-4) via UD ()
2010-10-03: W vs. [#51LW] Kuniyoshi Hironaka (19-8-0) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) in 4:22 of round 2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Shinya Aoki 98, Satoru Kitaoka 98
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 3 win(s) against common opposition.
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FightMatrix Program: UFC 141 (12-30-2011)
Heavyweight (265)
[#3] Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs. [#4] Alistair Overeem (35-11-0)
Brock Lesnar is the All-Time #11 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Alistair Overeem is the All-Time #21 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Brock Lesnar (2-1-0)
2010-10-23: L vs. [#2HW+] Cain Velasquez (9-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:12 of round 1
2010-07-03: W vs. [#9HW+] Shane Carwin (12-2-0) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) in 2:19 of round 2
2009-07-11: W vs. [#5HW+] Frank Mir (16-5-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:48 of round 2
Last 3 Fights: Alistair Overeem (3-0-0)
2011-06-18: W vs. [#7HW+] Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
2010-12-31: W vs. [#68HW+] Todd Duffee (6-2-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:19 of round 1
2010-05-15: W vs. [#22HW+] Brett Rogers (11-4-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:40 of round 1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Brock Lesnar 433, Alistair Overeem 195
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Lightweight (155)
[#7] Donald Cerrone (17-3-0) vs. [#11] Nate Diaz (14-7-0)
Last 3 Fights: Donald Cerrone (3-0-0)
2011-10-29: W vs. [#20LW] Dennis Siver (19-8-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:22 of round 1
2011-08-14: W vs. [#104LW] Charles Oliveira (14-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:01 of round 1
2011-06-11: W vs. [#208LW] Vagner Rocha (7-2-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Last 3 Fights: Nate Diaz (1-2-0)
2011-09-24: W vs. [#43LW] Takanori Gomi (32-8-0) via Submission (Armbar) in 4:27 of round 1
2011-04-30: L vs. [#12WW] Rory MacDonald (12-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
2011-01-01: L vs. [#30WW] Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Donald Cerrone 62, Nate Diaz 97
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Welterweight (170)
[#4] Jon Fitch (23-3-1) vs. [#25] Johny Hendricks (11-1-0)
Jon Fitch is the All-Time #3 ranked Welterweight and #19 ranked Absolute fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Jon Fitch (2-0-1)
2011-02-27: D vs. [#7WW] BJ Penn (16-8-2) via Draw (Majority) in 5:00 of round 3
2010-08-07: W vs. [#19WW] Thiago Alves (19-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2010-03-27: W vs. [#46WW] Ben Saunders (12-4-2) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Last 3 Fights: Johny Hendricks (2-1-0)
2011-08-06: W vs. [#26WW] Mike Pierce (13-4-0) via SD (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
2011-03-26: W vs. [#82WW] TJ Waldburger (14-6-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:35 of round 1
2010-12-04: L vs. [#23WW] Rick Story (13-5-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jon Fitch 306, Johny Hendricks 146
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 2 win(s) against common opposition.
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FightMatrix Awards: Men’s Fighters of the Year (2011)
In the FightMatrix world, “fighter of the year” is determined by rank strength, divisional strength, and performances within the calendar year.
3rd Place: Frankie Edgar
Edgar, being the only #1 ranked fighter to fight the #2 fighter twice (even though it was the same guy, Maynard), successfully defended his championship on each occasion, with the second being a very resounding KO4.
2nd Place: Anderson Silva
2011 was a somewhat quiet year for Anderson, other than the “front kick to the face” that he laid on Belfort. Remaining at the top of the sport and dominantly defending his title twice without problem, locked Anderson into the #2 position.
1st Place: Jon Jones
Was there any doubt here? Three title fights, beating three of the top 5 Light Heavyweights in history. He’s skyrocketing up the All-Time rankings and should find himself in this company very soon.
Honorable Mentions
Dominick Cruz – He beat Faber, who is likely the best fighter in history south of Lightweight. Cruz, along with Aldo, are both gunning for the aforementioned mythical title.
Georges St. Pierre – Though he beat a true #1 contender in Shields, his standing is hurt by the fact that he only managed one fight in 2011.
Jose Aldo – Two title defenses, but two workmanlike decisions in which he badly gassed against Hominick, who was struck down by one punch in his next fight.
Junior dos Santos – Took down the mighty, although inactive, Cain Velasquez to gain the Heavyweight crown. His other win was against the seemingly spent Shane Carwin.
Dan Henderson – If you’re going for style points, it’s hard to argue against Henderson. Knocked out Feijao, made another dent in Skynet, and went “life or death” with Shogun.
FightMatrix Awards: Women’s Fighters of the Year (2011)
In the FightMatrix world, “fighter of the year” is determined by rank strength, divisional strength, and performances within the calendar year.
3rd Place: Miesha Tate
Winning one of the select few women’s titles that matter, Tate only fought one time within 2011 — though that one fight was enough to score her a 3rd place slot on the year.
2nd Place: Cristiane Santos
She remained the top woman in the sport, although like Tate, she also only fought once. Her win, a 0:16 knockout over Yamanaka, the #1 contender who also saw time on the division dominance list, coupled with holding the top spot in the entire sport, was enough to edge out Tate for 2nd place.
1st Place: Naho Sugiyama
Probably not the popular choice in the largely US-based MMA world, but when you look at the real data, it’s hard to argue against this selection. Although fighting in perhaps the weakest division in women’s MMA (though our lowest division runs up to 110lb), Sugiyama went 4-0 on the year, winning the JEWELS GP in this division. Three of her four wins were over fighters currently ranked in the Top 4. In what was a weak MMA year for this gender, Sugiyama gets a lot of love from the FightMatrix system.
Honorable Mention: Sarah Kaufman
Stat of the Day: Avenging Losses
Only three fighters in history have 20 or more wins and have avenged all of their losses.
Gilbert Melendez is the only fighter with 20 wins to avenge both of his losses once (total_loss-avenged_loss = 0).
Georges St. Pierre avenged both of his two losses, but later beat Hughes twice (-1). He is the only 20 win fighter to drive the point home and end up with a net difference of less than 0.
Miku Matsumoto had an interesting journey onto this list. She lost to Misaki Takimoto twice, then went on to beat her twice. She also avenged losses to Lisa Ward and Carina Damm (0).
Bas Rutten almost made the cut. He lost four times, twice to Ken Shamrock, both of which he did not avenge. Though he did return to beat Funaki once and Frank Shamrock twice (+1).
Yuka Tsuji (sort of) backdoors her way into the discussion. She avenged her early loss to Ana Michelle Tavares, but later lost to Mei Yamaguchi. Though, she did hold a prior win over Yamaguchi. There may likely be other instances of this as well.