It might be an understatement to say the UFC has some questionable rankings.  You would expect rankings to be questionable as they are subjective; however, in this column, I will point out rankings that I think are glaring mistakes.

Editorial Commentary by Peter Parsons

I always find it interesting when there is a change in the rankings and the fighters that moved places have not had recent fights.  This was the case when the UFC rankings came out last week with Casey Kenney and Alexa Grasso appearing at No. 15 in their weight divisions, replacing Marlon Vera and Montana De La Rosa, respectively.

Marlon Vera – Unranked at Bantamweight

Marlon Vera was replaced by Casey Kenney, who entered the bantamweight rankings at No. 15 last week, even though Kenney has not competed since October.  Vera also did not have a recent fight to justify a change in ranking.

In just over a year, from August of 2018 to October of 2019, “Chito” Vera racked up five straight victories, all of which were finishes, in the UFC bantamweight division.  This was quite the strength of schedule and finishing streak which made Vera one of the top bantamweight prospects to watch out for.

Vera’s winning streak came to an end after losing a controversial decision to ranked bantamweight Song Yadong in a short-notice fight at featherweight in May of 2020.  Vera then extended his finishing streak at bantamweight to six with a win over then No. 15 ranked Sean O’Malley to enter the rankings himself.

Vera had his six-fight finishing streak at bantamweight snapped when he lost a decision to former featherweight champ and top 10 ranked bantamweight Jose Aldo in December.  The loss to Aldo rightfully did not drop Vera from the rankings at the time.

Casey Kenney had an active 2020, having fought four times.  He started off the year in February with a unanimous decision loss to then unranked Merab Dvalishvili, who is now ranked No. 12.

He has since won three straight fights with his most notable victory in his last outing in October, a unanimous decision victory over British prospect Nathaniel Wood.  The win over Wood was Kenney’s second fight in October, having won a unanimous decision over Heili Aletang earlier in the month on UFC Fight Island.

In my opinion, Vera is more deserving of the ranking considering he had a six-fight finishing streak at bantamweight including his last win against a previously ranked fighter in Sean O’Malley, who was on a streak of his own.  Kenney has looked really good in his last three fights, but he has yet to beat a ranked fighter.  Vera lost his last fight, but it was a decision loss against recent title challenger and the current No. 6 ranked bantamweight in Jose Aldo.

Kenney has a big opportunity coming up in his next fight against the current No. 11 ranked bantamweight and former champion Dominick Cruz, on the stacked UFC 259 card in March.  A victory, over the man who many consider to be the greatest bantamweight of all time, would certainly move Kenney up the rankings.

Alexa Grasso – Ranked No. 15 at Flyweight

Much like Kenney and Vera, Alexa Grasso replaced Montana de la Rosa at No. 15 in the women’s flyweight division with both fighters not having recently fought, to create the change in rankings.

Grasso has only had one fight at flyweight.  She looked impressive in her last fight, which was her flyweight debut against Ji Yeon Kim back in August.  Grasso was ranked at strawweight, however, she had lost three of her last five at strawweight, albeit to the top ranked competition.  I do not feel like beating an unranked fighter in her only fight so far in her new division warrants a number beside her name.

De la Rosa is coming off a loss against the current No. 7 ranked Viviane Araujo.  Going into the Araujo fight De La Rosa was ranked No. 11, having won four out of her last five with her most recent win against Mara Romero Borella, who was ranked No. 13 at the time.  Her other loss at flyweight was against the current No. 11 ranked Andrea Lee.

Besides De La Rosa, there are a few fighters who are more deserving than Grasso of a ranking at flyweight.  Gillian Robertson, Mollly McCann, and Sabina Mazo are three fighters who stand out to me.

Gillian Robertson was recently bounced from the rankings after losing to the current No. 13 ranked Taila Santos.  Robertson is tied for the most wins in the women’s flyweight division history, with Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian, at six victories.  The Canadian has the most submissions and finishes in division history with four.  Her notable victories include submission victories over Courtney Casey and Molly McCann.

After losing to the aforementioned Robertson in her UFC debut, Molly McCann rallied off three straight victories which earned her a ranking in the flyweight division.  The British veteran lost her ranking after a unanimous decision loss in her last fight to the current 17-1 Taila Santos.

Sabina Mazo looked very impressive in her last outing in September against Justine Kish.  The 23-year-old Colombian showed great striking for the better part of three rounds before securing a rear naked choke late in the third.  This was Mazo’s third straight victory in the UFC flyweight division.

There are a number of big fights in February for the above female flyweight fighters which include:

• Molly McCann vs. Lara Procópio, February 6
• (10) Maycee Barber vs. (15) Alexa Grasso, February 13
• Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick, February 13
• Sabina Mazo vs. (12) Alexis Davis, February 27
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva, February 27

Rankings Conclusion

It does not make sense for rankings to change between two fighters when neither fighter have had a fight since the previous week’s rankings.  Does it have anything to do with the fact that Kenney and Grasso have fights lined up against ranked fighters?

Chimaev got the No. 15 welterweight ranking around the time he was first scheduled to fight Leon Edwards.  I am not suggesting a conspiracy theory, I am simply suggesting that perhaps these fighters become more top of mind to the voters when big fights are announced.  Or is it because there has been a change in the voting panellists?  Either way, I don’t think it’s a good look from a sporting and consistency perspective.

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My rankings would look different than any other writer or fan who follows the sport closely.  This is to be expected, as rankings are subjective.  However, the above examples are rankings I strongly disagree with.  Rankings should be based primarily on results and not perceived potential or popularity.

Some people think rankings do not matter.  Rankings do matter.  They matter when it comes to matchmaking.  They matter when it comes to contract negotiations.

Let’s keep the rankings conversation going.  Do you agree or disagree that the above examples are glaring ranking mistakes? Which UFC rankings do you strongly disagree with? Express your thoughts in the comments below.

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/rankings-review-what-happened-to-marlon-vera-and-montana-de-la-rosa

Matt Brown indicated prior to his UFC on ABC 1 fight with Carlos Condit that retirement could be on the horizon, win or lose.

Brown (22-18 MMA, 15-12 UFC) left the octagon with the latter result after dropping a competitive unanimous decision to Condit (32-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) in their Jan. 16 co-main event matchup at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

At 40, and with a welterweight record 27 UFC appearances to his credit, it wouldn’t be a stunner if Brown decided he was done. He’s already hung up his gloves once but said he currently has no intentions to do it again. The outcome of the Condit fight has led Brown to think he has a lot more to offer.

“I retired a few years ago, and then when I came back the primary motivator was just be a prize fighter and make some more money, but since I’ve come back, I’ve really loved the whole process again,” Brown told MMA Junkie Radio. “(I’ve) really fell in love with it more again. I’ve kind of seen how good that I can be and the skills that I can – the skills have grown so much. I think I have a lot more in me. I think I can do a lot bigger things than I’ve ever done before.”

On paper, Brown is 1-2 since coming back from his retirement, which lasted a little more than two years from November 2017 through December 2019. A knockout loss to Miguel Baeza last May was undeniable, but the fight with Condit is a little more difficult for him to stomach.

Brown expressed his frustration with the scoring in his loss and thinks he had a case for winning. He said he’s taken important lessons away from it, though, and while he would certainly like another shot at the former WEC and interim UFC welterweight champ, it’s not something he’ll chase.

“I know specifically what mistakes I made and what I can do to fix those up,” Brown said. “But I’m not that guy, either, where I go out and beg for rematches. We get out 15 minutes, and that’s your time to shine, and either you get it done or you don’t.”

So, Brown now moves forward. He said figuring out his next move is a bit of a challenge, because while he knows he’s capable of being extremely active, the reality of being a father to three young children precludes him from fighting as frequently as he did earlier in his career.

Brown said his physical condition is better than ever, though, and that comes from taking a smarter approach to the game.

“I had to tone down a lot of (training) – probably more just the overall volume,” Brown said. “I’ve always been a high-volume training guy where I put in two, three sessions every day, sometimes seven days a week for three (or) four weeks at a time. Putting more emphasis on he recovery and taking the days where I can relax and get my mind away from fighting and just enjoy life more. I’ve always trained so hard that I didn’t have an outside life.”

To watch the full interview with Brown, check out the video below.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-news-matt-brown-opts-against-retirement-after-loss-carlos-condit

Mariusz Pudzianowski’s fighting career is not over yet.

Pudzianowski (13-7), who gained fame by winning the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 before transitioning to MMA, is set to make his return to the cage as KSW 59 on March 20.

The promotion announced Pudzianowski’s return during Saturday’s KSW 58 broadcast, but did not reveal an opponent for the 43-year-old Polish strongman (via Twitter):

It’s official!!! PUDZIAN IS BACK!!!

Mariusz Pudzianowski returns at #KSW59 and @AntunRacic will defend his bantamweight title!!! pic.twitter.com/imAu7Bg6rd

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) January 30, 2021

Pudzianowski has not competed since November 2019, when he earned a second-round TKO victory over Erko Jun to snap a two-fight losing skid.

Also announced for KSW 59, which does not have an official location or venue, was the return of bantamweight champion Antun Racic (25-8-1), who will attempt to make a second consecutive defense of his KSW title.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ksw-59-mariusz-pudzianowski-returns-mma-antun-racic

UFC Fight Night 184 is down a man.

Lightweight Alex Da Silva has withdrawn from his fight against Devonte Smith on Feb. 6 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement for Smith (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the hopes of keeping him on the card.

At this time, it is not known why da Silva (21-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) withdrew.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed da Silva’s withdrawal to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Smith, 27, has not competed since a knockout loss to Khama Worthy at UFC 241 in August 2019. After the fight, Smith tore his Achilles tendon, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 184 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
• Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
• Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
• Manel Kape vs. Alexandre Pantoja
• Andre Ewell vs. Cody Stamann
• Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
• Danilo Marques vs. Mike Rodriguez
• Martin Day vs. Timur Valiev
• Devonte Smith vs. opponent TBA
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Karol Rosa
• Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
• Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
• Denys Bondar vs. Ode Osbourne

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-fight-night-184-news-alex-da-silva-out-devonte-smith-needs-new-opponent

CFFC is set to host the promotion’s first two events of 2021 when the organization returns to Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on March 10-11 for a pair of shows to stream on UFC Fight Pass.

The promotion today announced the two cards, which will serve as CFFC 92 and CFFC 93 and will take place with limited fans in attendance.

“Despite all the challenges that 2020 presented to us, it remained one of the best years in Cage Fury Fighting Championships history, and we’re committed to reaching even new heights in 2021,” CFFC President Rob Haydak stated. “We’re starting it out with two of our newest champions looking to defend their belts and continue their rise to the sport’s biggest promotions, while a pair of vacant belts will also be on the line as we look to find the best up-and-coming talent in MMA. With strong lineups already being planned for events in April and May, as well, fans can expect CFFC to continue providing action-packed events every time out.”

Four championship fights were announced for the two-night lineup.

At CFFC 92, flyweight champion Alberto Trujillo (5-1) seeks the first defense of his belt when he takes on fast-rising Ray Longo product Phumi Nkuta (2-0), while the co-main event sees Uzbekistan’s Saidyokub Kakharamonov (7-2) face Charlie’s Combat Club’s Tycen Lynn (8-4) for the bantamweight title recently vacated by Jared Scoggins.

Meanwhile, CFFC 93 sees middleweight champion and Dana White’s Contender Series winner Collin Huckbody (9-2) put his title on the line for the first time when he faces top Canadian contender and fellow DWCS veteran Aaron Jeffery (9-2). Additionally, the vacant CFFC heavyweight title is up for grabs in the co-feature, when Jamelle Jones (10-6) takes on Cody Goodale (7-4).

Additional bouts are expected to be announced shortly.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/cffc-92-cffc-93-in-march-including-champs-collin-huckbody-alberto-trujillo