Picture the final week of a training camp. The fighter has been going hard for eight weeks. The weight is close but not there yet. The sparring partners have tested every hole in the game plan. The body is functional but running on depleted reserves, and the most important performance of the past six months is still days away. What happens between the end of camp and fight night, and between fights altogether, often determines more about a fighter’s long-term career arc than anything that happens inside the cage.
This Week’s WHR Bets/Parlays (2026/#13)
We’ll hit a dog parlay one of these days….
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 7 fights in the prior 7 years, including 1+ loss. If the loss was in their debut, then 2+ losses are required.
- Both fighters must be rated in the same division as the fight. Further reduces uncertainty.
- Must have odds from at least three bookmakers.
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 | |
| [#8 HW] | Josh Hokit | [#102 W125] | Tainara Lisboa | |
| [#1 LW] | Justin Gaethje | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria |
UFC’s White House Card Moves From Spectacle to Reality
By Zach Rudisin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
The UFC’s long-awaited White House event, called “Freedom Fights 250,” no longer feels like a wild promotional idea. It now feels real.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump welcomed UFC stars Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, and Ciryl Gane to the Oval Office to preview the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 card, an event scheduled for June 14 on the White House grounds. The date carries obvious symbolism: Flag Day, Trump’s birthday, and the build-up to America’s 250th anniversary celebration. OutKick reported that Trump described the event as something that has “never happened before” and called it “the greatest show on Earth.”
Recovery After Sparring: What Combat Athletes Should Look For in Modern Wellness Products
https://pixabay.com/photos/kung-fu-fighting-martial-arts-mma-2198043/
Sparring is brutal on the body.
Whether you train MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, or BJJ — every tough workout leaves you with achy joints, stiff muscles, and sore ligaments. Recovery is one of the most common areas where fighters go wrong. Your training doesn’t surpass your recovery. If you aren’t recovering quickly, you cannot train hard each day.
That’s where modern wellness products come in.
Best Online Poker Strategies in 2026
Online poker in 2026 looks nothing like the games of a decade earlier. Recreational pools have shrunk while regulars have multiplied at every stake, soft seats are harder to find, and platforms now ship with hand-history exports and AI-assisted study tools as standard features. Edges that used to be measured in bb/100 are now fractions of a big blind. Players who once relied on intuition and aggression have either studied or moved on.
How Arc Raiders Is Shaping the Future of Tactical Multiplayer Shooters
Introduction
Arc Raiders takes a deviant approach to tactical multiplayer shooters. Where other shooters might ramp up the gunplay, Arc Raiders instead develops immersive gameplay centered around decidedly slower, tactical, and strategic gameplay. With innovative mechanics and dynamic environments, Arc Raiders is setting a benchmark for the shooter genre and many other games. Even communities on blogger sites like fightmatrix.com have begun speculating on how Arc Raiders’ shooter mechanics will influence future games within the genre.
5 Proven Tips for Winning Big in Online Baccarat for Beginners
Online baccarat is good for new casino players. The rules are easy, the rounds are quick, and the bets are clear. This game does not need skills or tricks. You just need to know how chances work, stick to your plan, and not let feelings guide you. Many think winning is only luck, but the game changes each round. You get better when you learn how it goes in the long run. Having the right habits from the start helps you feel sure and lose less when you first play.
Predictive Betting: Can Machine Learning Beat Human Bettors?
Today, the iGaming world has redefined how people place bets and how platforms process them.
One of these interesting changes is the use of automation for betting determination – with the entrance of Machine Learning (ML), the betting process has taken a whole new turn. ML algorithms can process vast datasets swiftly and are rapidly replacing traditional bettors.
This guide offers a deep dive into the various aspects of ML use in iGaming, including the technology, comparisons with human bettors, limitations, and emerging trends.
Fight Matrix Program – UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland (05-09-2026)
Middleweight Championship (185)
[#3P4P][#4DD][#1][#1UFC] Khamzat Chimaev (15-0-0, -564) vs. [#4][#4UFC] Sean Strickland (30-7-0, +414)
Khamzat Chimaev is the All-Time #14 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Sean Strickland is the All-Time #17 ranked Middleweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Khamzat Chimaev (3-0-0)
2025-08-16: W vs. [#9DD][#9P4P][#2MW] Dricus Du Plessis (23-3-0) via UD (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
2024-10-26: W vs. [#10MW] Robert Whittaker (26-9-0) via Submission (Face Crank) in 3:34 of round 1
2023-10-21: W vs. [#4WW] Kamaru Usman (21-4-0) via MD (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
Last 3 Fights: Sean Strickland (2-1-0)
2026-02-21: W vs. [#9MW] Anthony Hernandez (15-3-0) via NC in 2:33 of round 3
2025-02-08: L vs. [#9DD][#9P4P][#2MW] Dricus Du Plessis (23-3-0) via UD (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
2024-06-01: W vs. [#6LHW] Paulo Costa (16-4-0) via SD (49-46, 50-45, 46-49)
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Khamzat Chimaev | -564 | 81.36% | |
| Elo K170 | Khamzat Chimaev | 2400.67 | +201.21 | 76.10% |
| Elo Modified | Khamzat Chimaev | 2339.86 | +172.16 | 72.93% |
| Glicko-1 | Khamzat Chimaev | 2443.19 | +188.84 | 74.78% |
| WHR | Khamzat Chimaev | 2250.51 | +166.82 | 72.32% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Khamzat Chimaev 32.0, Sean Strickland 35.2
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Khamzat Chimaev 266, Sean Strickland 77
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Khamzat Chimaev leads 2-0
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Flyweight Championship (125)
[#3DD][#4P4P][#1][#1UFC] Joshua Van (16-2-0, +147) vs. [#3][#3UFC] Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0, -176)
Joshua Van is the All-Time #11 ranked Flyweight fighter.
Tatsuro Taira is the All-Time #17 ranked Flyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Joshua Van (3-0-0)
2025-12-06: W vs. [#10DD][#10P4P][#2FLY] Alexandre Pantoja (30-6-0) via TKO (Arm Injury) in 0:26 of round 1
2025-06-28: W vs. [#7FLY] Brandon Royval (17-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
2025-06-07: W vs. [#30FLY] Bruno Silva (15-9-2) via TKO (Punches) in 4:01 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Tatsuro Taira (2-1-0)
2025-12-06: W vs. [#8FLY] Brandon Moreno (23-10-2) via TKO (Punches) in 2:24 of round 2
2025-08-02: W vs. [#75FLY] Hyun Sung Park (10-2-0) via Submission (Face Crank) in 1:06 of round 2
2024-10-12: L vs. [#7FLY] Brandon Royval (17-9-0) via SD (48-47, 48-47, 47-48)
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Tatsuro Taira | -176 | 61.16% | |
| Elo K170 | Joshua Van | 2116.14 | +118.65 | 66.44% |
| Elo Modified | Joshua Van | 2043.32 | +41.04 | 55.88% |
| Glicko-1 | Joshua Van | 2124.85 | +15.97 | 52.30% |
| WHR | Tatsuro Taira | 1936.96 | +98.88 | 63.86% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Joshua Van 24.5, Tatsuro Taira 26.3
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Joshua Van 154, Tatsuro Taira 154
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Joshua Van leads 2-1
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Heavyweight (265)
[#3][#3UFC] Alexander Volkov (39-11-0, -179) vs. [#7][#6UFC] Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-2-0, +150)
Alexander Volkov is the All-Time #25 ranked Heavyweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Alexander Volkov (2-1-0)
2025-10-25: W vs. [#8HW+] Jailton Almeida (22-5-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2024-12-07: L vs. [#1HW+] Ciryl Gane (13-2-0) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2024-06-22: W vs. [#4HW+] Sergei Pavlovich (20-3-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Last 3 Fights: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (3-0-0)
2026-01-24: W vs. [#17HW+] Derrick Lewis (29-13-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:14 of round 2
2025-11-22: W vs. [#44HW+] Shamil Gaziev (14-3-0) via KO (Punch) in 1:22 of round 1
2025-11-01: W vs. [#19HW+] Ante Delija (26-8-0) via KO (Punches) in 3:59 of round 1
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Alexander Volkov | -179 | 61.59% | |
| Elo K170 | Alexander Volkov | 2113.59 | +83.77 | 61.83% |
| Elo Modified | Alexander Volkov | 2101.16 | +63.56 | 59.05% |
| Glicko-1 | Alexander Volkov | 2191.29 | +74.86 | 60.61% |
| WHR | Alexander Volkov | 2004.06 | +101.67 | 64.23% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Alexander Volkov 37.5, Waldo Cortes-Acosta 34.6
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alexander Volkov 196, Waldo Cortes-Acosta 105
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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Keep Reading
How Alternative Subcultures Are Influencing Combat Sports Narratives
Discipline, competition, and physical prowess have always been the hallmarks of combat sports, but the storylines that have defined the industry is quickly changing. In the modern context, storytelling goes way beyond the records and ranking. Fighters are no longer viewed as competitors only; they are cultural figures whose identities, lifestyles, and influences influence the way viewers perceive the sport. This move is part of a larger trend in fan consumption that the personality and authenticity has as much weight as the performance in the cage or the ring.