The UFC’s matchmaking process is a closely guarded secret, but promotion president Dana White revealed that the official rankings are far from the deciding factor when putting fights together on the sport’s biggest stage.

Speaking to Laura Sanko during an online chat with ESPN+ subscribers Tuesday, White explained that, while rankings are definitely considered, fan interest and engagement are also essential to making fights.

“Obviously the rankings are very important,” White said. “We always try to stay with the rankings, and it’s always awesome when you have the champion vs. the No. 1, or No. 1 vs. No. 2. But you’ve seen many times when there’s a fight people want to see, we’ll make it.”

White went on to discuss how the UFC keeps a close eye on statistics and the numbers that each fighter pulls in, which helps decide the types of fights fans want to see.

“We know every number and every little detail that goes into making a fight like that,” White said. “All the kids that came off the Contender Series, I know how many people watched their fights on the Contender Series, and it keeps updating because it stays in the system.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-news-dana-white-discusses-matchmaking-strategy

A champion in RIZIN and Bellator and a title challenger in the UFC, Kyoji Horiguchi has proven himself one of the world’s finest lighter-weight competitors by actually going and winning all over the world.

Horiguchi hit some obstacles in 2020, but he finished the year in a manner which suggests he’ll be right back on track in 2021.

The Japanese competitor lost a stunning upset to Kai Asukara in 2019, then missed most of 2020 due to a knee injury.

On Dec. 31, however, Horiguchi returned to the ring at Rizin FF 26, extracted revenge, defeated Asukara, and regained the Rizin bantamweight belt.

Horiguchi remains a threat at both flyweight and bantamweight, and with that, he returns to our 135-pound rankings in the honorable mention section.

And that quite frankly was the only performance of note as the MMA world took a much-needed breather to end the year. If you’d like a refresher on where your favorite — or least favorite — competitor rates — go to the drop-down menu above and select a division.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/usa-today-sports-mma-junkie-rankings-jan-5-kyoji-horiguchi-rebounds

If UFC president Dana White gets his way, yet another lightweight barnburner is on the way.

One of MMA’s most popular competitors in Justin Gaethje, is likely to take on one of the hottest fighters in the sport, Charles Oliveira.

While the fight is far from official and does not have a date or venue, White indicated in a Tuesday chat with ESPN+ subscribers that this is a fight he’s keen on making.

“If everything works out, it will probably be Justin Gaethje,” White told host Laura Sanko in response to a viewer question asking who would be next for Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC).

Oliveira is coming off the biggest victory of his career, a unanimous decision over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson in the co-feature bout of UFC 256. That was the eighth victory in a row for “Do Bronx,” and the only one in that run which didn’t result in a finish.

Gaethje (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), meanwhile, is also a former interim lightweight titleholder. The all-action standout is looking to rebound from a loss to Khabib Nurmagemov in a championship unifier at UFC 254. The second-round submission loss snapped a four-fight win streak.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/dana-white-justin-gaethje-likely-next-up-for-charles-oliveira

Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker really did leave it all in the cage.

This past June, at UFC on ESPN 12 in Las Vegas, both lightweight standouts engaged in a back-and-forth war that immediately became a “Fight of the Year” contender. Poirier used his veteran experience to finish out the fight strong and outpoint Hooker in a unanimous decision.

The win saw “The Diamond” bounce back from his championship defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov the year prior.

Now, a little more than six months later, Poirier is gearing up for a return, as he’s set to take on former champion and UFC star Conor McGregor in a much anticipated rematch that stems from their initial meeting in 2014. The two will clash in the main event of UFC 257 on Jan. 23 in Abu Dhabi.

Ahead of that contest, check out the incredible brawl that was Poirier vs. Hooker in the video above.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/01/ufc-free-fight-video-dustin-poirier-beats-dan-hooker-war

It has been several years since Conor McGregor starched Dustin Poirier in their first fight. They are now preparing to rematch in the UFC 257 main event on Jan. 23 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

McGregor has since gone on to win UFC championships in two divisions and become one of the biggest sports stars in the world. Poirier has also reshaped himself, having won the interim UFC lightweight title along the way.

Look ahead to the much-anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, which is set to headline UFC 257 on Saturday, January 23, in Abu Dhabi.

(Courtesy of UFC)

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/take-a-deeper-look-at-ufc-257-poirier-vs-mcgregor-2